Worcestershire

End of the Staffs and Worcs in Stourport

Stourport
Well, it turned out to take 9 days for the river to drop to a point where we were happy to move on. We used the time whilst here to get a few jobs sorted. 

In Flood

Lime Kiln Chandlery who are located in the upper basin kindly allowed us to use their shop as a point of delivery for a few things. I decided to replace the boat batteries I bought last June as the long miserable winter has all but wiped them out. They were only cheapies but living aboard puts a lot more strain on them. Hopefully the new ones, proper deep cycle, should last a bit longer.

Stourport is an interesting town, owing its existence to the canals as before they arrived there was nothing here. The town boasts several basins spread over two levels and in its day it was an important and very busy inland port, linking the Trent and Mersey and Birmingham Canals to the Severn. The basins have two connections to the river, a pair of large barge locks and two pairs of narrow staircase locks, all designed by James Brindley. The basins are looked after by a team of volunteers working with Denis from CRT. He and his team take great pride in keeping the basins and canal neat and tidy, always busy cutting the grass and picking up litter, ensuring a pleasant stay for any boaters. They are always on hand to give advice and instruction as well as provide info about the local area. They are a credit to CRT and I hope that the hard work they put in is appreciated.

Stourport Upper Basin

The town became a magnet for visitors from the Black Country and soon developed into and inland resort,  it still has the feel of a seaside resort with fun fairs and parks and shops full of the things you would normally associate with the seaside.

Monday 16th April
At last we were under way, Denis and his team appeared as we approached the locks helping us through to the river. Leaving the upper basin via the first staircase one enters the lower basin, it is an awkward manoeuvre in to the second pair as they are not in line, fortunately I managed to get into the lock without too much scraping of the hull!

We were into the final chamber and as the gates opened we made our way onto the river, the flow was still high and we soon settled into the fast journey down steam with Stourport quickly shrinking into the distance behind us. 

Leaving Stourport

I called the first lock, at Lincomb, on the radio and was informed that the lock would be set ready for us, and passing the large weir on our right we made our way into the lock channel. The locks on the river are all traffic light controlled and as we approached we got a green light telling us to proceed into the lock. We were instructed to keep a loose line attached as the lock emptied and very soon the large tail gates opened in front of us and we were off again. 

Lincombe Lock

I really enjoy travelling on rivers, the boat responds well to the deep water and we soon covered the four miles to the next lock at Holt Fleet. Again using the radio ensured swift passage through the lock,  and again we were given helpful advice about rejoining the main steam after the lock and also about the approach to the next lock at Bevere. Just before Bevere lock we passed the junction with the Droitwich canals at Hawford, somewhere we would visit in the near future.
Radio contact with Bevere lock proved fruitless as it transpired the lock keeper was cutting the grass, however he saw us as we approached and soon got us through.
A couple of miles downsteam we passed Worcester racecourse and on into the picturesque city, passing the magnificent cathedral before arriving at the locks at Diglis.

Diglis Locks

Approaching Worcester

Making our way up the locks, we passed through the basin at Diglis and made out way up to lock 1 on the Birmingham and Worcs canal, mooring just above the lock next to the Commandary Museum. This museum is dedicated to the English Civil war that began and ended in Worcester.
We decided to spend the following day exploring the town, we have been before but I wanted to go and see the tomb of King John who was laid to rest in the cathedral in 1216, John was the brother of Richard I (Lionheart) both sons of Henry II. He came to the throne on the death of his elder brother and is most notable for the signing of the Magna Carta, forced upon him by the barons of the land and somewhat limiting his royal powers. 

King John's Tomb

There is also the tomb of Prince Arthur here,  he was the elder brother of Henry VIII and would have been King if he had survived longer than his fifteen years,  dying on his honeymoon at Ludlow in 1502.
Worcester is always a pleasure to visit with its attractive riverside and elegant buildings.

Wednesday 18th April
We decide to move on climbing through the 12 locks taking us up to Offerton top lock where we passed under the busy M5 motorway. At the start of the accent we passed through the home of the Worcester Warriors Rugby club, the Sixways stadium on one side of the canal and some impressive 4g facilities on the other.
The canal above Offerton passes through idyllic Worcestershire countryside, the weather had also become very sunny and warm making for a very pleasant journey. The sun had encouraged the leaves on the trees to burst out with the Hawthorn now in full leaf, the canal banks here are lined with Blackthorn in full blossom. 

On the way to Dunhampstead

We moored up at Dunhampstead, a tiny hamlet with a lovely pub, The Fir Tree Inn, we sat out in the beer garden enjoying the late afternoon sunshine.

Up early the following morning and more lovely sunshine, we were soon on our way to the junction with the Droitwich canals at Hanbury. The left turn on to the Droitwich is tight coming from our direction and it took a little care inching round and through the narrow bridge. We very soon arrived at the first lock of the 6 taking us down into the town. 

Hanbury Junction

Top Lock on the Droitwich

From this first lock you can appreciate the descent you are about to undertake with fine views down the hill over looking the Droitwich marina and Rugby club. All that you see here is new, the first 3 locks of the descent are the originals restored on the reopening of this canal but below here the canal was completely rebuilt, a testament to the enthusiasts who had the vision and drive to see the project through. 

The top three locks are unusual in that they still have working side pounds,  these are used to reduce waste usage,  the principle being that the lock is emptied into the side pound first so only half a lock full is lost to the locks below, the side pounds are then used to refill the lock for the next boat.
The next pair of locks are a staircase and were rebuilt along with the lock below dropping the canal down to the culvert under the M5, it was this culvert that enabled the restoration of the canal, it being built to allow a brook to pass under the motorway. It is a very tight fit, fortunately the level of the brook was low giving us a couple of inches clearance above the roof. 

Duck!!!

Leaving the culvert behind we arrived at the lock, below which the canal joins the river Salwarpe for the run into town. The entrance to the town is via the busy Vines Park, here we encountered the Barge lock,  the first of seven wide locks taking the canal down to the river Severn.
We had planned to travel  down to the river, turn round and return to moor in the town, however time was running out so we decided to find somewhere below the town and return in the morning.
The section from barge lock down to the river is known as the Barge Canal, it is a lovely trip down to the river, through beautiful countryside made all the better by the warm sunshine.  We did not find any moorings en route and we started to consider our options, do we go back down the river to Worcester? or make our way back through the six locks to town?
We arrived at the last two locks and were relieved to find that new moorings had been constructed, presumably to provide a safe haven when the river is in flood. 

Droitwich canal junction with the Severn

We had to carry on down to the river to turn round, Lucia let me through the locks and I pulled out onto the river, there was still a strong flow and as I made the turn the boat was carried downstream requiring full throttle to get the boat round and heading against the flow. As I approached the lock entrance the flow pushed the boat hard against the lock pontoon requiring several attempts to get the boat of the river. We climbed back up the two locks and onto the moorings. 

These are lovely moorings out in the open countryside and apart from the prep school on the opposite bank it felt as if we were in the middle of nowhere. This feeling was soon removed on the arrival of the local running club on a training run along the tow path with close on to a hundred runners hurrying past.
I decided to have a go at fishing as there seems to be a lot of activity in the water. It has been 45 years since I last cast a line and I really didn't expect to have any success,  it was a nice surprise to land a couple of small Roach.

Friday 20th April

We awoke to another beautiful morning with warm sunshine,  the trees are coming into full leaf and the bluebells are beginning to make their presence felt with their heady scent mingled with that of the wild garlic. Another noticible thing in these parts is the amount of mistletoe in the trees,  easily mistaken for birds nests from a distance. 

Mistletoe

We made our way back up to Droitwich and moored at the small marina close to the town centre. We walked into the town to take on supplies, the shopper is well catered for here,  with a Morrisons, Waitrose and Aldi as well as a range of local shops. The town is very picturesque and has many old buildings some of which sit at jaunty angles due to subsidence from the extensive salt mines that had provided for the area since roman times. 

Droitwich

Whilst Lucia was in the shops I met a lady busker who was playing a hand wound pipe organ. This was a fascinating instrument the music being produced by cards passing over a series of valves with the individual pipes sounding whenever the valves were covered. It must take great skill to cut the cards as they are cut in reverse i.e.  the holes represent gaps in the sound, it was an interesting way to spend the time waiting.
We made our way back to the boat then continued the climb back to the junction at the top of the hill. On our way up we called in to Droitwich marina to empty the cassette and get rid of the rubbish, the marina wanted to charge £5 for the toilet and £5 for a bin liner. We protested and manage to get both for £5, we don't mind paying a small fee to empty the cassette but this was a bit steep and we will avoid this place in future.
We arrived back at the junction and moored just beyond, heading towards Birmingham.
I am really glad to have made the trip along the Droitwich canals and would suggest it is a worthwhile diversion from the mainline,  it really is a credit to those determined enough to have persevered to get it reopened.

New Locks

Close by to the mooring is a household refuse site and I was able to dispose of the engine oil I had been carrying since the oil change in Worcester.

From here we will be climbing up the locks to the Birmingham plateau,  42 in total! Our intention is to head back up into the basins in the city centre before heading south east on the Grand Union towards Warwick.