Toward Birmingham, Summer 2023

After the climb up Hatton Flight Sonflower rested for a week at the very hospitable Mid Warwickshire Yacht Club. Our friends on nb Faithfull were out cruising and their mooring was available. We thank Ellen for the time and trouble she spent with regard to opening and closing the site for us and giving us a lift to the station. On return to collect Sonflower and take her forward we took the car and bicycle. 

Monday 24 July 2023 Crew, Best Mate and Suepercrew

Mid Warwickshire Yacht Club to The Wharf Inn, Hockley Heath

. The Best Mate and Suepercrew navigated to Kingswood Junction ion the rain while I drove to Lapworth and parked the car at the top of the flight andf cycled down to Kingswood Junction. The towpath is steep at the locks and treaturous in the wet going down! I waited sheltering under a large chestnut tree for Sonflower to arrive. We moored in the oinly vacant spot for a well deserved cup of tea. 

There wer a few hindrances on the flight but in the main we made good progress. We had the assistance of a pair of volunteer lockies for some of the way and three boats coming the down the locks assisted our passage up them. 

There always appears to be a paddle or two out of order in any flight of locks these days. This one had no date to tell when it became defective or the rain had washed the writing off because it was so long ago. I asked a vlockie why the repairs had not been carried out and he told me it was because there was no way of draining the pound to give access to the paddle wiothout putting many moored boats on the mud. It is therefore left until a full stoppage can be arranged. What hapoened to coffer dams and stop planks?

 

 

Here is a vlockie assisting with the top gate on a lock. Their assistance is always welcome. They also are a wealth of information. These particular volunteers would have given us the whole history of the Stratford Canal if we had wanted it!

Onwards and upwards. Sonflower disappears through a bridge into  lock 3. 

Once at teh top of the locks I once more go on my bike and returned to the car to drive to our expected destination of The Wharf Tavern at Hockley Heath.

The Best Mate and Suepercrew were happy to helm SOnflower there and we moored on the visitor moorings. 

THe car oark at The Wharf Tavern is camera controlled but customers get parking for 24 hours by registering inside the pub. Good value for a half of fine ale! Infact we decided to eat here for our main meal before driving back home

7 miles, 19 locks, 7 hours

 

Monday 7 August 2023  Crew: Eeyore and Piglet 

We returned to the boat at The Wharf Tavern via Wedges Bakery for a breakfast bap. The sausage and egg or bacon sausage and egg baps were delivcious and the sun shone as we ate on the tables outside the bakery. The bakery shop has developed quite a bit since we were last here. Wedges Bakery must be on every itinery on the Stratford Canal. It is so well worth it. We purchased a pork pie and scotch eggs to eat for lunch on hte boat as we navigate. 

Navigation was  uneventful until we got to The Shirley drawbridge. Our target was the moorings jsut past the drawbridge but the drawbridge was defective. Fortunately a hire crew had persuaded the cintractors who were in site to open the bridge manually for them and we tailgated them to get through on the same opening. We spoke to the contractors who were leaving site as they had to await spares fro the repair. We were just in time. 

The moorings were full and we moored on four pins in paired springs about eight boats from the drawbridge and just before the aqueduct. 

We walked to the A3400 and caught a bus back to The Wharf Tavern where we had a dinner, got back in the car and returned to base.

5.1/2 miles, 0 locks, 1 lift Bridge          3 hours

Wenesday 9 August 2923   I got a message on social mnedia that Sonflower was loose and had to be re-tied. I visited and moved her onto rings nearer to the Drawbridge Inn. I spoke to the contractors who were still ion site fixing the lift bridge. The whole mechanism and barriers were obsolete and spares are hard to come by. 

Saturday 11 August 2023  Crew: Eeyore, The Best Mate, Suepercrew

We took the train to Solihull and then a taxi to The Drawbridge Inn. We let go at about 1100 and headed toward Birmingham. We stopped atYardley wood moorings for a pump out and at a boatyard for gas. 

We made good progress and arrived atthe moorings  Sainsbury's at Selly Oak Junction to find Paws4Thought the Teddy boat on the moorings. We moored up and had a nice chat with these members of aour cruising club. They too were on their way to the Fund Britiain's Waterways Campaign gathering at the Mailbox.  We got provisions at Sainsbury's and settled in for the night.

7 miles, 0 locks, 3.1/2 hours