Droitwich Wednesday 21 August 2019

Day : Wednesday
Date : 21 August 2019
Start : 1040 hrs
Finish : 1330 Netherwich Basin, Droitwich Canal

I have uploaded our proposed route to CanalPlanAC if anyone wants to see where we are likely to be. It gets updated with actual position each night.

Woke to a fine morning and were not in too much of a hurry to get away as our overnight destination was quite close. We stopped briefly at Hanbury Junction while Diana and George visited the farm to get some free range eggs then it was a very hard left into the Droitwich Canal. There were two Volockies on the three locks so each lock was ready for us when we arrived. We didn't hurry through the locks taking the time to explain to George how side ponds work and also the weirs filling the side ponds when the canal is high. I don't think the hand rail of a safety Ladder is the best place to put an information notice.

We waited at the staircase Locks for a boat to come up before we descended, another first for George, then one more lock before the M5 culvert. Luckily the river is running low again now so loads of head room, last week it was closed due to high river Salworpe levels. As we approached the culvert I caught sight of a head lamp and heard a horn pip, so we waited for a boat to exit.

Coming into Droitwich the Barge Lock was on the level, but we still had to stop to swing the bridge that crosses the chamber. In town was a family of swans, one of them has bad Angel Wing and another looked like a mild case. There are 5 swing bridges in Droitwich but one is left permanently open, the others are all secured with a BWB padlock and are swung manually.

We dropped into the second pontoon in Netherwich basin so we can fill with water from our mooring which is handy. We had just had lunch when a hire boat came in backwards beside us, he threw his stern rope to a boater on the water point, but it dropped short into the water before he reversed over it and the engine stalled. After he was moored up I heard him call for a bread knife so I intervened and did my good deed for the day removing the mooring line all in tacked in about 10 minutes. The water was warm and clean, but not clear enough to see what I was doing.

Tonight we give George back to his mum, then we are on our own again, the first time this trip.

Today's Journey

2¾ Miles 8 Locks in 2¾ hours