Day 64 now at Stourport

The famous Clock Warehouse which strikes the quarter hour in Brindleys upper basin which is now used by the Stourport Yacht club

We have now finished our travels down the Staffs & Worcs and are now moored above York Street lock where I have an excellent 3g signal. Stourport is an inland harbour on the River Severn with very large motor cruisers in the basins. Its a very picturesque canal expecially around Kinver although 200 years ago it was a hive of activity with huge iron works of which only a few remnants remain.

Totals to day 64 Wednesday are now

Memorable events still only 11

Cappuccinos to date still only 14- nothing to add for either Kinver or Stourport - here's to Worcester.

Lift bridges 27, locks 217 and 394 miles.

The river looks like a pussy cat today so hopefully we shall run down to Worcester tomorrow morning and spend a few days in a marina to explore the area before starting our trip up the Worcs & B'ham canal which includes the Tardebigge flight of 36 narrow locks in 4 miles!!!!!!

The narrow staircase locks that we will need to go down to enter the Severn from the Clock basin tomorrow.

Towards Stourport

Today Wednesday was a really nice summer day after yesterdays rain and the Staffs & Worcs is really nice as we get near the Severn.

How about these houses at Cookley that have a canal in a tunnel running through their basement!


Caldwell Lock south of Kidderminster is a Lock with a very big Rock

This is 06.50 Wednesday morning with the sun burning off the early dew and creating a mist across the canal

A classic picture of Kidderminster lock and church

Just by chance we happened to go under the Severn Valley Railway at Kidderminster just as the 11.11 train went over- pulled by an 0-6-0 GWR pannier tank, although I got the picture Anne didn't get the number-can't get the staff

Day 61 above Bratch lock

Totals to Day 61

Memorable events still only 11

Cappuccinos to date now 14 the latest being in The Mess at Brewood

Lift bridges 27, Locks 196 and 376 miles

We have only moved 2 miles and 3 locks today and have moored above Bratch locks pictured above. They are a group of 3 locks like a staircase but there is a small gap between each one so they have to be treated as separate locks( there is no room to pass another boat). Water passes between the locks into side pounds which controls the levels between each lock as you go up or down- very good piece of simple engineering.

We walked a half mile to the Old Station Tea Shoppe in Wombourne which served an excellent filter coffee and toasted bath bun (unfortunately no cappuccino). The station is ex South Staffordshire Railway/Great Western which is now on a long distance footpath.

We have decided to stay here tonight as I have an excellent Orange 3g signal so that I can post this entry, the last week has been very bad for a 3g signal. It is cloudy and warm but we have just had a heavy shower which has now stopped so I think its time to do a few jobs around the boat.

On our way down the Staffs & worcs

Our second NT house we have walked to from the boat. Wightwick Manor to the west of Wolverhampton on the Staffs & Worcs canal. Built by the Mander family at the end of the Victorian era and passed to the NT in the 1930s. It has a recognised collection of Wm Morris furnishings and pre Raphaelite art. Brewood (pronounced Brood) is alovely village with some great buildings. This is in the Market Square, Speedwell Castle a Gothic fantasy erected in the 1800's. They also have a coffee shop called The Mess which does good capps.

The old Cadbury milk wharf at High Onn has now been converted into a rather handsome house

Saw this narrow beam dutch barge at Wheaton Aston with an interesting figure head at the bow!

Day 57 now at Norbury

It was very wet overnight and we awoke to heavy rain and mist. It was only drizzle by 10.00 so we set off to Norbury Junction where we are now moored. Norbury Junstion is about half way down the Shropshire Union Canal on our way to Autherley Junction where we go onto the Staffs & Worcs Canal heading for Stourport. Depending on the weather (i.e. rain) we will then see if we can go down the River Severn or retrace our steps to go home via Great Heywood.

Totals to day 57 are;-
Memorable events still 11
Cappuccinos now 13 latest being Nantwich Bookshop and Jones's in Market Drayton
Lift bridges 27, locks 188 and 349 miles

I have now filled the first log book for BB covering her first 4 years and 10 days during which we have travelled 1460 miles and been through 907 locks.

Our Rosie and Jim left us at Market Drayton on Monday after travellling from the Swanley Bridge Marina on the Llangollen and then down the Shroppie via Hurleston Junstion.

We have had a fantastic time on the Llangollen with 20 visitors over two weeks. The by washes on the entrance to the locks going up hill on the Llangollen are easy compared to those on the Audlem flight - which are something else. Telford designed the locks with the overflows coming out right in front of the bottom lock gates, he also added an extra twist by having two of these - one from each side. You line up for one and then get hit by the other which shoves the bow into the lock entrance wall - after the 15 locks I had only managed to break the glass in one of our pictures and only entered five locks without hitting the wall !!!! Therefore Telford 10, BB 5 !!!!


This is our overnight mooring last night by Knighton.

This is the famous Grubb Street Cutting double arch bridge No 39 with telegraph pole

Another high bridge - at Woodseaves cutting - at least I can't hit the chimney with it.

Who says boating is for pussycats? Sign as you enter Woodseaves cutting

Day 57pictures on our way to Norbury Junction

Our very own Rosie operating one of the 15 locks on the Audlem flight

The Shroppie Fly pub at Audlem an old warehouse converted in the 1970's. The bar is in the shape of a narrowboat

The restored butty Saturn the last of the Shroppie fly boats that used to deliver perishable goods 24 hours a day

One of the lovely buildings in Nantwich we visited with Rosie and Jim

Anne's Uncle Peter and Aunty Gill going on a trip round 2 locks on the Llangollen at Swanley.

Day 51 back in Swanley Bridge Marina

Totals to Day51
Memorable events 11 and Cappuccinos 11
Lift bridges 27, locks 143 and miles 326

Richard and Pip arrived at lunch time Monday to cloudy weather but with a chill in the wind. We cruised back down the Llangollen which is becoming very busy with queues of boats coming up towards Llan. In fact the BW moorings man in Llan was saying that this will be the busiest time of the year. Good decision therefore to come off.

Now in the Marina for a few days seeing Anne's uncle and aunt and awaiting the arrival of our real Rosie and Jim ( will try and get a picture of them in a window) on Saturday. They are going to help us through the 15 Audlem locks over the bank holiday weekend as we make our way south. Hopefully it will not be to busy on the Shroppie.


Anne, Richard and Pip trying to keep Warm on Wednesday as they take BB down the 3 staircase locks at Grindley Brook ( A staircase lock is when the second gate of the first lock becomes the first gate of the next lock and so on, ie there is no gap between them)


Richard and Pip discussing the difference between the 38 horsepower of BB compared to the 400 horsepower of their last boat.


Our visitors sitting outside (it was still chilly) by Blake Mere at Ellesmere which were formed at the end of the ice age 10,000 years ago.