The sunshine through the trees was beautiful when I stepped off the boat this morning with Macc for his first walk of the day. We’ve been to the park across the bridge several times now, so he knew exactly where he was going. The sun was still shining when we set off at about 8.45, although the houses tucked into the hillside wouldn’t see it for a while.
The first lock of the day was Whittington, which has a cottage right alongside. Last time we came through, I interviewed the owners for the podcast about having a by-wash running underneath their house.
Just south of here we crossed from Staffordshire into Worcestershire; there’s a boundary stone next to the canal. In 2021, we moored here, with most of the boat in Worcs but the saloon in Staffs.
This canal has some fairly narrow and twisty sections, cut through the stone. It means you get stone cliffs to one side, and can understand why they didn’t make the canal any wider.
Just before Cookley, there’s a little coffee shop in someone’s canalside garden. As it was Saturday it was open; I’m pretty sure it’s always been closed when we’ve passed here before.
Cookley Tunnel goes right underneath people’s houses. Today there were some people on their terrace way above us. It’s only a short one, and coming this way you can see right through.
As we’d approached the tunnel I could see there was a bit raft of stuff floating about half way through, so I was pretty sure we’d have picked it up on our bow as we went through. Sure enough, when we got to Debdale Lock it all floated off and I was able to get a couple of big logs and a huge clump of reeds out of the water. Debdale Lock is the one with a cave in the offside wall.
Adrian had just closed the gates behind us and got back on the boat, when a boat appeared round the corner heading for the lock. If they’d been 30 seconds earlier he could have left the gates for them. Having seen them, we had high hopes that Wolverley Lock would be full ready for us, but it wasn’t. We had an audience of a toddler and his family as we went down. We’ve moored just below the lock in the past, but this time we carried on round the corner and moored just before Wolverley Court Lock. Firstly it’s much more open and sunny here, and secondly it’s better for Macc. Along by the lock is a big embankment between the canal and the River Stour, which is great for him to have a run about on.
I took him for a walk along there when we arrived, and we went again after lunch and put him on the long line. He had a great time charging up and down the banks. It’s amazing how having a dog encourages people to come and talk. Before we left Kinver this morning, a lady passing with her Border Terrier stopped to say hello to Macc, who was sitting in the well deck. She’d been told about him by a guy we’d been chatting to yesterday, who also has a Border. Then when we got here, the man from the boat in front came to see Macc, followed by the owner of the boat the other side of him — another Border owner.
5 miles, 3 locks. (110 miles, 108 locks)