Fradley village

Yesterday evening we took a little walk up the “Bloody Steps” CRT have just erected a new information board about it.

Our reason for going up the steps was to look at the Brindley Bank pumping station, this was for domestic water supply and nothing to do with the canals but its quite impressive even without its boiler house chimney.

We set off this morning about half nine passing Naomi’ landing with a new collection on display, I thought it a tad early or late for a snowman but there were scantily dressed young ladies at the other end of the moorings to balance things up.

There is now a pilled edge to the towpath in Rugeley all the way from Bridge 67 to the town centre, that will a big improvement to the 7 day moorings when the ground is hard and the grass established.

Boat traffic started off very quietly and we only met two boats, both in awkward places, one at the narrows just before bridge 66 and the other just passed bridge 66 going passed all the moored boats, this is all we met until after Armitage tunnel, then they came thick and fast with 25 of them between the tunnel and Fradley junction. Canal and River Services are still working on the towpath between Woodend Lock and Fradley Junction, they have a large pile of surface dressings at Armitage on the towpath side. Just round the bend they have quite a fleet of boats to ferry the stuff about.

I don’t know it the Darwin Award  is still going but this couple had the fishing shelter right next to a “No Fishing” sign and if you look closely you can just see the very high voltage cables crossing the canal directly over their heads, they may be aware of the danger and are not lifting the tackle high in the air.

Just past them was this adorable cruiser, I think its absolutely beautiful and its good to see it being used, I am just glad that I don’t have to maintain it.

HS2 have made lots of progress just below Woodend lock. Its hard to see what it is they are putting there but looks as if it could include a drainage interceptor pond, impossible to photograph without climbing on the roof and as we met 3 boats between Woodend and Shadehouse lock that wasn’t an option. Round the bend the elevated embankment is really taking shape.

This is as far as they have got with the towpath resurfacing, this work site is not barriered off anywhere near as securely as most of them and as you can see people are happily walking over the roll of membrane. Where the edge is bad they have staked lengths of coir sausage in place, planted with reeds, the have also extended the piling at the lock moorings below Woodend lock which is a bonus, lets hope they dredge it as well.
One of the latest fashions is for Narrowboats to have long rope fenders which the attach to the bow and draw them back round to the front of the cabin, I think they think it will protect the blacking when they scuff their way into a lock. A boat on the long term moorings just below middle lock has found a much better use for them, as boats often lay against him waiting for the lock.

At the junction I turned right down to the Coventry canal, needless to say there was a boat coming out of the Coventry as I wanted to turn in as well as one coming out of Junction Lock, but no one died. We carried on past the waterpoints where a day boat was enjoying lunch and the visitor moorings to pull in at Fradley Village just below bridge 90.

Today’s Journey
10 miles,  3 locks in 4¼ hours