How Many Locks??!!

31 this last week!!    Yep, that's right - and 24 of them in one day - so my muscles are toned up again - ha ha!!




Right now we are moored near Gas Street Basin in middle of Birmingham and it’s stifling hot!!!   Typical eh - we wait for some nice weather and when it comes we are in the middle of England’s second city!   


Left KINVER LAST SUNDAY (UMM, DON’T KNOW WHY I AM SUDDENLY TYPING IN LITTLE CAPITAL LETTERS!!   EXCUSE ME BUT I MUST HAVE PRESSED SOME BUTTON BY MISTAKE AND I DON’T KNOW HOW TO STOP IT!!) AND WENT UP THE FIRST FOUR LOCKS ON THE STOURBRIDGE CANAL HAVING TURNED AT STEWPONEY.    THEN SET OFF AT 7 AM THE NEXT DAY AS WE HAD THE 16 STOURBRIDGE LOCKS FLIGHT AND THEN THE 8 LOCK FLIGHT AT THE DELPH.   


BEST LAID PLANS ------ AFTER FIRST 4 LOCKS A BRITISH WATERWAYS MAN STOPPED US AS THERE WERE A COUPLE OF EMPTY POUNDS FURTHER UP AND THEY WERE RE-WATERING THEM.    SO, ABOUT 1.5 HOURS LATER, OFF WE WENT AGAIN.    THESE ARE QUITE AWKWARD LOCKS GOING UP AS THERE IS NO ‘RUNNING BOARD’ OVER THE TOP GATE - YOU HAVE TO CLAMOR UP ONTO THE GATE BEAM WHICH WOULD BE OK, BUT THESE LOCKS HAVE GATE PADDLES TO WHICH KIND OF GET IN THE WAY AS YOU ARE (OK, I AM) GINGERLY GETTING ACROSS.     ANYWAY, NO MORE HOLD UPS ON THIS FLIGHT, SO OFF WE WENT TO THE NEXT SET AT THE DELPH WHICH ARE QUITE MAGNIFICENT WITH THEIR BY WASHES AS YOU’LL SEE FROM PIX BELOW.    LUCKILY WHERE WE WERE MOORING WAS ONLY LESS THAN A MILE FURTHER ON - ON THE EMBANKMENT OVERLOOKING THE MERRY HILL SHOPPING CENTRE.     IT WAS ACTUALLY QUITE A NOVELTY STAYING THERE WATCHING ALL THE COMINGS AND GOINGS AT THE CENTRE!


I DID SPEND A COUPLE OF HOURS WANDERING AROUND WINDOW SHOPPING (ANOTHER NOVELTY FOR ME!!) YESTERDAY AND THEN WE WENT OUT FOR A MEAL WITH GLYN AND LINDA THAT EVENING.    NOT A BAD MEAL AT ALL AT THE WHARF CONSIDERING IT WAS “2 MEALS FOR PRICE OF 1”.


SO AFTER A DAY’S REST FOLLOWING MONDAY’S 24 LOCKS, WE SET OUT THIS MORNING THROUGH NETHERTON TUNNEL (A LONG ONE SO I HAD TO KEEP FOXXIE COMPANY INSIDE).   WE HADN’T BEEN LONG IN THE TUNNEL WHEN WE HAD TO PASS A BW WORKING BOAT WITH CHAPS DOING A TUNNEL SURVEY - THANKFULLY NETHERTON IS A TWO-WAY WIDTH OTHERWISE WE WOULD NO DOUBT HAVE BEEN HELD UP GOODNESS KNOWS HOW LONG!


WE’LL PROBABLY STAY HERE TOMORROW AND HEAD OFF FRIDAY - OUR NEXT MAIN DESTINATION IS THE DROITWICH CANAL.


FINGERS CROSSED THAT THIS LOVELY SUNSHINE WILL LAST UNTIL OCTOBER - OK THEN, FOR A COUPLE DAYS MORE!



Since last blog we have done … 20 miles and 31 locks
Total since Setting Off ….. 1768 miles and  1390 locks  

one of the bywashes on the Delph Flight - I think I counted 
7of the 8 locks have this same magnificence!

looking down the Delph locks flight

Merry Hill Shopping Centre, Dudley
taken from our mooring on the embankment above

lots of these info boards on the Dudley No.2 canal

sometimes it is hard to believe you are in the
midst of built up conurbations - this was taken just after
the sign in picture above

nice change from the usual mileage marker board

then you see this - actually we DO care
unfortunately a lot of these interesting boards are defaced

a British Waterways man surveying the roof
in the Netherton Canal.   He is standing on a scaffold
tower on the boat

Canal; then in the middle an aqueduct and then on top the M5 motorway.
On right hand side is a rail track