Titford to Walsall

Today we leave the Langley Green area of Oldbury and the tempting Titford Pools to navigate to Walsall. New to us and exciting.

I, the skipper, have decided that we will not attempt to navigate the pools on our own. BCNS have strong advice not to do so and having read some blogs, including our intrepid exploring friends  Halfie who made the same decision, we took the BCNS advice.

I do thank the BCNS for taking their work boat Phoenix through the route on Friday last and clearing the way but what has tipped my decision is the wind that has arisen and the unknown way it will behave around the motorway viaduct. I understand that the mud in the pools is too deep to pole ourselves off and there is every chance that a gust or two could take the boat into the shallows.

We will return in company.

Moored in Walsall Town Basin

We have arrived!

The getting here was interesting! The first job was depositing three bags of rubbish at the pump house skip. Thank you BCNS. Most was collected from above the Oldbury Top Lock.

Between the Oldbury Bottom Lock and Oldbury Junction there were in excess of 50 silver fish floating dead. I contacted CRT to alert them to an environmental catastrophe. Then just round onto the Old Main Line was a 30" koy carp! Negotiating the turn to Spon Top Lock took time in the wind under the motorway!

We turned north onto the Wednesbury Old Canal and were slowed down by the shallow depth of the narrow channel between the reed beds. It was very pretty. But pretty was not how you would describe the canal as we made our way north. The gates of some of the Ryders Green locks didn't fully open because of the rubbish behind them. The reedy and water lily lined canal was littered with rubbish and flotsam. We had to clear the prop of poly and other rubbish about ten times, often stopping the engine in mid channel. Mainly polythene sheeting and bags today but a draw string gym bag and a rope added to the mix. Some was obviously industrial waste.

The canal could be so beautiful. Walkers commented "Enjoy your trip" with a knowing grin. Fishermen cast over flotillas of plastic bottles; there are cascades of rubbish at every bridge; we stopped counting shopping trolleys when we hit double figures; there are settees and armchairs, fire extinguishers, a gas bottle, empty beer kegs, doors, wood, and board among the flotsam. The fittings of a moored small cruiser seemed to be floating away from it.

How do people put up with it and live with it? This could be a six mile long navigable lily pond! there are red, yellow and white water lilies growing in various stretches. Wildlife exists: muscovy duck, ruddy duck, coot, moorhen, swans with signets, canada geese, farmyard ducks , grey heron and cormorant were all spotted today along with ubiquitous gulls and mallards.

But in Walsall Town Basin it looks ok! I cleared a sackfull of plastic bottles and litter this morning.

                                     10miles and 17 locks:  8.1/2 hrs

BCN Anthem

"I've had miles and miles of poly round the prop..." Sings the chorus of a boating folk song about the BCN (Birmingham Canal Navigation). And now we have experienced it.

We set off this morning to do the loops. That is Oozell Loop, Icknield Loop, and Soho Loop which are rarely navigated parts of the BCN Main Line. All went well and we exited Soho Loop onto the Main Line and stopped for breakfast at Smethwick New Pumping Station. Here CRT had an awareness promotion. Except the volunteers were not wearing uniform or badges, didn't realise there were two parallel canals where they were; could not answer simple questions about boating but did recommend a visit to Titford pools.

Just as we pulled away the poly struck. I could not get to the side but shut down the engine mid canal and opened the weed hatch. With craft knife and brute force we filled a carrier bag with poly including braided tape saying "security sealed" It  was not tearable.

We turned the tight right hander into the entry to Spon Lane Bottom lock. Here only one antivandal mechanism worked so I reported the defective one and we worked up on one paddle. All sorts of rubbish were successfully navigated through the looks but we came to a halt making the tight right-hander after the top lock. I poled to the side here and secured the boat on the lock mooring. The offending item was a tent. I pulled much of it off and cut it away but had to open the weed hatch again for the last fragments and some fishing nylon.

We stopped for lunch at Oldbury Bottom Lock. No problems here except more rubbish and a reed bed that we had to push into a lock with us. We got to the top and debated where we needed to turn and how far we could go. In the event the decision was made for us. We grounded entering Uncle Ben's Bridge and during a turn in the Uncle Ben winding hole, avoiding a coot's nest, we grounded again and picked up something else on the prop. I went to the weed hatch for a third time. This time it was a long length of cotton cloth.

We decided it would be fool hardy to try to get to the pools and went back a little way to mooring rings.

We walked to Titford Bridge in the evening passing two shopping trolleys and other debris in the canal. The water is too dark to tell whether the actual depth of the channel was shallow too.

We have not seen the pools yet.

7 miles, 9 locks, 7 hours

Re-branding

Partial rebranding has hit mooring just north of Banbury. Obviously the £60k does not reach signs that actually effect what boats need to do.

This is on Banbury lock,so right in the middle of the re-branding target. But should we have bright blue on a item that has been black and white for 200 years? Where is tradition and heritage in this?

This is half a mile south of Banbury town centre so out of range of the £60k too.

Stoke Prior to Birmingham

15 July 2018.
We returned to the boat courtesy of a friend whose mother lives nearby. Sue-per crew is with us too. Just time for a drink in The Boat and Railway and a look at the World Cup Final before we let go and worked through the Stoke locks to moor below Tardebigge Bottom lock.

We will make our assault on the flight  in the morning.
          1.1/2 miles 6 locks 1.5 hours.

16 July 2018
0530 and Sonflower sits on her mooring  opposite The Queens Arms where there was a 40th birthday party last night. The crew needed an early night and a good night's sleep.

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Approaching Targebigge Bottom Lock

Sunrise as Sonflower rises

 The Best Mate demonstrating the accuracy that she learned on entering the locks. They have a by-wash to throw the boat to the right as it goes in.

We soon got into a rhythm. One of the crew went ahead to set the next lock while the other closed the last after the boat. In this fashion we alternated and the load was totally shared. The locks were set for us until lock 40.We then had to empty six locks before they were set for us again. 

Nick's Canal Planner says it is 2.1/4 miles and 30locks from bottom to top. The mobile phone walking app in Sue-per crew's pocket recorded 4.1/2 miles!

We were at through the Top lock and tucking into breakfast at 9.30am.

We decided to move straight off toward  Birmingham. The tunnels were mainly dry and our only problem was a "shiny boat" with a very bright headlamp that sat 50 yards inside Targdebigge tunnel all the time we made our passage. The light was blinding as we approached him. Obviously the helmsman did not trust himself to keep off the wall or our boat as he passed! Our light entering the tunnel brought him to a complete halt. We did brush the side in Shortwood tunnel and Sonflower's gate made an amplified rattling din as we did so. Water level was a little lower that usual and the gunwhale was just below the rubbing wooden rail on the side so the gate rubbed against the wood.

There was dredging on the stretch through Edgbaston and we had to wait for a tug pushed hopper to pass through the railway bridge narrows. The dredging has made things a lot easier through the bridge narrows which used to almost bring the boat to a standstill because of the lack of water under her. I have never been through them quicker that this time. 

We entered Birmingham and took on water at Cambrian House. There was space in Cambrian Basin so after checking in the office we moored on a pontoon in accordance with Mooring Agreement Terms and Conditions 4.10. The prior written consent is displayed in our window!

                             17.1/4 miles, 30 locks 10hrs

Lowesmoor, Worcester to Stoke Prior

Back on board in sweltering heat. Now looking for a place to eat and watch the World Cup semi. Come on England!

Well this morning we had a very quick recovery from England's defeat to Croatia with the best antidote: a 6.00am start on the journey toward Birmingham. Today's target: Stoke Prior Visitor Moorings.

The first fur locks were set in our favour and the next four were set against.The unthinkable happened at the next one: it started to rain. We settled on the lock mooring for a bacon and egg breakfast by which time the sun came out and we continued. By this time the canal world, particularly the hire boaters were stirring and we crossed with several boats in the short pounds of the five lock flights that feature on this canal. 

The canal is being reduced in width by reed beds in both sides in places and  is also quite shallow. SONFLOWER was stirring up quite a bit of silt from the bed at moderate speeds.

The countryside we pass through is lovely and peaceful. We only saw one heron today though but plenty of gulls with their brown speckled offspring.

We were soon at Dunhamptead Visitor Moorings where we though we would stop for a mid morning break. The hire boat we had been following for about half an hour had taken the only available mooring spot and were unloading bikes. The rest of the visitor moorings were taken up by CRT: two hoppers and a tug. They were resurfacing some of the towpath at the bridge with a concrete surface. Obviously a height of summer job! Who needs visitor moorings anyway? We carried on.

We arrived at Stoke Prior just at lunch time. We stopped at the water point and filled the tank. While filling I looked under the bridge at the Visitor mooring to see whether there was any possibility of a 14day mooring. There was no mooring at all!  The towpath was barricaded off and the footpath diverted. Where to I have no idea.

We backed up and moored on the waterpoint mooring rings, leaving ten rings for those who need water. I think that was reasonable. 

We packed up and went to the The Boat and Railway for a lunch and to catch the bus back to our car in Worcester. The pub is an old fashioned canalside hostelry with a good local clientele. The food was good value and very tasty.

                                                                      10miles, 18 locks, 7 hours

Up the Severn

5 July 2018


From Avon Lock, Tewkesbury to Lowesmoore Visitor Moorings, Worcester

We were ready at 0730 but the locks do not open til 0800. We watered while we waited. Chris the relief lock keeper was ready for us at 0755 and we were through Avon Lock by 0805 and heading for the Severn with clear instructions. "Don't turn right until you can see the whole of the bridge" Chris advised to avoid the sandbank at the confluence of the Severn and Avon.

Then we were heading north and all was good!  From there on we set the engine revs at 2200rpm and cruised steadily. There was little traffic and only three narrowboats came toward us during the trip.

Cruising the Severn

Diglis Bridge, a new footbridge over the Severn

We were surrounded by herons and saw one kingfisher during the four hours to Diglis lock.

Diglis lock is scary. A high wall to hold to while waiting and high walls around us in the lock. We had to be closed in while another boat locked down in the adjacent lock.Then the gates opened to allow a second narrowboat in. It was instructed to tie to us. We held on to ropes around the poles as the water entered but the flow and eddies were too much for us. We could not hold the two boats against the wall and the bow rope stuck below the water line dragging us down. I told my crew to release the rope and we slammed against the opposite wall. There seemed no other option.

A quarter of a mile further and we were back into the canals but two wide locks came first. Here was a volunteer who wanted to fill the empty lock and make is wait. My crew remonstrated and after that he lost interest! So I lost the advantage of being held to the side by the water coming in as he didn't open the paddle!

Through the second lock we backed onto visitor moorings in Diglis Basin and went for a lovely lunch at The Anchor Inn at a shady table in their lovely courtyard.

One lock further on we come to the Commandery. It was a headquarters for the Royalists before the Battle of Worcester in 1651and is commemorated by the pikes and helmets on the bridge.

We had to say goodbye to our Sue-per crew. She departed at Bridge 5 for the rail station.

We went on for a couple more locks and visited Lowesmoor Basin for Gas, Pump out and diesel. The staff and service were delightful. Leaving there we went on to tie up in sweltering sunlight at Lowesmoor. The visitor moorings are 48 hour. There was no-one there but as I  did not know how long we would be there we moored on the last ring and a piling clip on "14 days".

                                                                       18 miles, 6 locks, 8.1/2 hours

Down the Avon

Monday 2 July. 2018 Stratford on Avon to Evesham.

We set off down the Avon early in the morning.

Waiting at the first Avon lock

Cruising the Avon

We tried to rendezvous with fellow Chaplains John and Gill but as we got to Luffington lock early and locked through with another boat.  J & G misunderstood my message that we were now through the lock and  thought we were going on without them. The other boat had left us behind.  We lost phone signal and contact with J and G and eventually by text agreed to meet on Bidford on Avon. All the locks were inaccessible by car/foot before then.

We spied them on a moored boat and came alongside to pick them up. Once aboard, they set to taking the strain and helped us achieve Evesham. We moored up, showered and waiting for them to pick us up by car and take us to dinner. Great to be with friends. The helpwas greatly appreciated.
                                                                                   17miles 11 locks  9.3/4 hours
After a dinner out at Thai Emerald in the High Street we were joined by our friend Sue-per crew.

Sue-per crew food

Tuesday 3 July 2018  Evesham to Pershore

Exiting Wyre Lock

We attempted an early start and made excellent progress to stop at Pershore recreation ground moorings late in the morning.  We moored and made a visit to the beautiful Abbey church and then found the heritage centre closed! Never mind, we stocked up at Asda and returned in sweltering heat to rest on the boat. Sue went for a walk to the confetti fields and told us they were beautiful. After a lovely home made vegetable chilli we retired.
                                                                 11 miles, 3 locks, 2 hours

Wednesday 4 July 2018  Pershore to Tewkesbury 

We spent the morning in the market and charity shops of Pershore. Well you have to don't you? No Pershore plums available yet but beautiful cherries from Kent were just too plump and inviting to resist.

We let go in the late morning sun and traveled steadily toward Tewkesbury.
Some of the locks were interesting. One is diamond shaped. At another the turn to the lock landing is very sharp. At others it is hard to see where the lock is at all until one is right on top of it.We were glad to have the Avon Navigation Trust's guide with us. We came across some "hire boat fun" at Nafford lock. Here there is a sunken narrowboat on the wrong side of the weir barrage to act as a warning. Butit is not visible to a boater coming up. But the hire boaters, in spite of our exhortations to turn quickly away from the weir managed to get stuck against the barrier. The second hire boat, having seen the difficulties the first got into, unbelievably followed in its wake and did exactly the same thing! Luckily flows are at what is probably their lowest ever! No harm was done. A couple of walkers, one of whom had been a boater in the past, were really amused. They had been watching the lock passage for about an hour and could not believe the lack of boatmanship on display.

After the motorway M5 was passed under we stopped on the mooring by The Fleet Inn just past the ferry and went in to have a drink in their lovely riverside garden. As the day cooled we set off again to moor for the night at Avon Lock (£3.00 per night payable to the lock keeper).

We had an evening stroll round Tewkesbury but this time the abbey was closed. The town was decked out for its medieval festival later in the month. There is a path beside the river for some of the way but many properties at the water's edge prevent a continuous walk on the bank side.

                                                                                                  14.3 miles, 4 locks, 4.3/4 hours

Stratford River Festival

27 June 2018 We returned to the boat on Wednesday by car with my sister. After dinner with her at The Navigation Inn she left us at the mooring in Wooton Wowen.

28 June 2018 . Wootton Wowen to Stratford. An uneventful cruise into the environs of Stratford upon Avon. We pumped out at Valley Cruisers and moored near One Elm lock. We spent a lovely evening at the One Elm pub, even if England lost.

Friday 29 June. Sweltering heat and a slow cruise to Bancroft Basin where we recorded our arrival with the harbour master at about 9.30am. We were left on the basin til 5 pm before being "called through" to our mooring. It was lovely and near the church and fireworks, we were told. We had to moor on pins but that was no real hardship as the river flow was very slight. We also provided pins for the boat next to ours who had none with him!

Saturday 30th June. Festival time. In Waterways chaplains uniform we chatted to many festival goers.

This free festival is a real joy. The music is good but loud.  The boater who we had lent pins to provided us with a bottle of wine as a "thankyou" and we shared it with our colleagues over supper.
As darkness fell the fireworks started. They were very loud but amazing. The show lasted about 25 minutes and was superb.

Sunday 1st July Festival day 2 but starting with a breakfast and informal service at Holy Trinity. We enjoyed it immensely and the Vicar was keen to get something going on the festival site next year. The remainder of the day was relaxing and chatting to people who were relaxed too. Apart from a foray into the main stage area late in the afternoon and enjoying a pint of real ale from the One Elm bar, we stayed around our boat in the shade of the chestnut and ash trees.