Stewponey Friday 2 August 2019

Day : Friday
Date : 2 August 2019
Start : 1000
Finish : 1530 Stewponey

I have uploaded our proposed route to CanalPlanAC at https://canalplan.eu/journey/12066_cp if anyone wants to see where we are likely to be. It gets updated with actual position each night.

A surprisingly quiet night outside Sainsbury's car park, no toy races or anything. We decided last night not to go down the Severn but wind and head back to Birmingham, so we set off at 10 expecting to have to drop through the lock to wind, but I eyed up the width of the canal by the church and can confirm that Harnser will go round with at least 2" to spare provided the rudder is hard over.

There are so nice carved trees depicting birds along the canal in Kidderminster unfortunately the ones in the park have had their beaks snapped off.

We had good luck with the locks and haven't turned one all day.

A brief stop at Wolverley Lock to buy ice creams again, we also had them on the way down. The view of Wolverley Church is quite good from here and it quite an unusual building.

Back passed the land slip with no problem, CRT have requested boaters to pass dead slow, but the notices requesting this are printed on A4 paper and pinned to trees on the actual slippage, so the boat is half way past before the helmsman can read it. Maybe an A3 notice 50Mt. back would be more use.

There are a few unusual things about Debdale Lock, the most obvious being a well carved rectangular cave on the off side with what could well be described as a bench carved onto the walls all the way round. The opening obviously one time had a door as you can see where the door frame was once let in.
I do wonder if the cave actually predates the lock, as I cant think of any reason for all the work in carving it after the lock was built.
The other feature of the lock is stop plank groves cut into the chamber walls fairly close to the bottom gates, to me they would be more use bellow the bottom gates outside the lock so both ends of the lock can be drained, but I guess there must be a reason for it.

We crossed the boarder from Worcestershire to Staffordshire, I am not sure if its a medieval custom to sacrifice a small boy on the stone to ensure a safe passage.

The lock cottage at Hyde Lock have made their front gate like a pair of miniature lock gates, I bet they don't leak like real ones.

We continued on up to Stewponey water point and topped up with water before moving forward a boats length to the visitor moorings for the night.

Today's Journey

11½ Miles 7 Locks in 4½ hours