NB Triskaideka: Onwards and Upwards

Friday, 12 August 2011

Onwards and Upwards

After watching the antics of boaters ascending and descending the Stourbridge Canal, Stourton Locks, we continued our journey northwards along the Staffs & Worcester. The previous evening we witnessed a new way of negotiating a tight bend, which included crew holding bow and stern ropes and pulling the boat around the bend, this however did not take account of a cross over bridge, crew member holding stern rope, attempted to throw the rope to the steerer resulting in the rope winding around the propeller! Much scratching of heads and delving into the weedhatch resulted, we hope, in no injury or damage to the boat.

This is a pretty section of canal ascending towards Bratch Locks. The weather was warm if not sunny and after negotiating the Bratch Staircase we found space on the visitor moorings above the locks for the night.

We wanted an early start this morning in order to pass through the outskirts of Wolverhampton during the morning. Having read snippets of disturbances and not having negotiated this section of the canal before we did not know quiet what to expect. However passing through we saw very little of the conurbation and reflected on how green and leafy the passage was. You would never of known you were not in the countryside. At Autherley Junction we turned onto the Shropshire Union, stopping for water we expected to be able to empty the cassette as an elsan point is shown in Nicholsons, however it has apparently been removed. Good job we have two cassettes!! We travelled the lock free section, mooring at Brewood for the evening. Looks like we will only have one lock to do tomorrow and hoping the elsan point at Wheaton Aston is not a figment of Nicholsons imagination. As yet we do not know what our destination for tomorrow will be, it will be dependant very much on the weather. There are numerous damson trees along this canal not quiet ripe, but not far off, too good to waste once they are ripe.