We liked the mooring below the Astwood Locks, and Macc liked the buttercup field next to the bottom lock, where I let him off the lead and he had a mad dash about both yesterday evening and this morning. It was well after 9 when we were ready to leave, and as we prepared ourselves we spotted a boat coming down. I walked up to the lock to help them, then Adrian brought our boat in.
The second lock has a cottage on one side with its varied garden on the other. I also noticed that lots of the lock bricks had the maker’s name stamped on them.
I worked these 6 locks while Adrian steered, and the flight took an hour or so. It was a bit cloudy and chilly to start, but suddenly the hawthorn is all in flower.
For most of the section between lock flights (which is only about 20 minutes or so) we used diesel power to give the batteries a bit of charge. Outside Crafted Boats is a boat which really wants to be seen.
Adrian worked the six Stoke Locks, some of which were full and others not so full. Above the bottom lock is the Black Prince hire base, where there dodn’t seem to be so many boats filling the width of the canal as there sometimes are.
The first boat had a pram cover, which I thought was odd for a hire boat. It appears to be to cover the engine hole when the guys are working on it, as it’s clamped to the taff rail. Further along was a brand new boat, painted on the outside but with nothing inside, not even insulation yet. As we rose the sun came out and the Worcestershire countryside looked lovely.
We got to the top Stoke Lock and moored just before the bottom of the Tardebigge flight at about 12. After lunch we took Macc for a walk up the locks and then up a hill, which gave a view over Bromsgrove. Then back at the boat Adrian has been doing some accounts while I’ve made spicy roasted butternut squash soup and a loaf from a bred mix.
There are three or four boats pointing our way, so let’s hope we don’t all set off up the Tardebigge Locks at the same time tomorrow. We have friends coming mid morning to lend a hand. Our lock count is already way above our miles for this bit of our journey, and that difference will increase tomorrow.
3 miles, 12 locks. (6 miles, 20 locks)