We had a very quiet night on the Stourbridge Extension Canal, and woke to a sunny morning with mist rising off the water. When I took Macc out for his walk, we went to find the remains of the lock just beyond the moorings; there’s not much to see, but there are plenty of railway tracks alongside from the line that’s also long since gone. With Macc settled in his crate we set off at about 8.30 with Adrian bringing the boat while I walked ahead to get photos and to set the top lock, which needed filling. Leys Junction, where the Stourbridge Canal, the Dudley Canal and the Fens Arm meet is dominated by a tall chimney.
It was 8.50 when the boat entered the first of the day’s sixteen locks. The first few are quite a distance apart, and were empty. But the next batch, which are close together, were all full.
A dog walker had told me there was a boat coming up, and sure enough we crossed between locks 7 and 8.
Lock 9 is the first one where you get a view down to the Red House Cone. 9 and 10 are the pair which are like a mini-Bratch: they’re only a few yards apart, and the pound between them is actually behind the cottage.
The next couple of locks are by the boat yard and Dadford’s Shed. In spite of the boat having just come up, these locks had all drained empty. The view looking back up the flight is also a pretty one, particularly in today’s sunshine.
We had a bit of a problem at Lock 12, right by Dadfords. One of the bottom gates wouldn’t open fully and no amount of pushing and pulling would shift whatever was behind it. I went to the boat yard and borrowed a keb, but it was fairly short so Adrian came out on the bow and had a poke about with it. The chap from the yard also came to have a look and lend an hand. Eventually the gate opened enough that we could just about slide out. At the next lock, there were some volunteers painting a new lock gate, and they said they’d go and have a look at it. The last few locks were either full or nearly full, and we reached the bottom and Wordsley Junction in about two and three-quarter hours, which we didn’t think was too bad.
We carried on just round the corner where we found the only bit of piling opposite Primrose Hill was vacant, so we grabbed it. The length is only about 61ft, so we’ve used a chain right on the end of the bar at the bow, and a hook right on the end at the stern. It’s a lovely spot though, and the solar panels have been in full sun all afternoon.
This afternoon, Adrian went to get some milk from a Co-op just a short walk away in Stourbridge, while I had a nap as I had a headache. Then we took Macc over the bridge to the huge field opposite the mooring, so he could have a good run about. He went mad chasing a ball and meeting other dogs, including a lovely three year old Border called Stan. It’s been another lovely day, and with such a long flight of locks, our lock count is catching up with our miles on this trip.
2 miles, 16 locks. (102 miles, 99 locks)