Summer at last!

Saturday 22nd June

Summer is here at last!

The sky is blue and it is warming up as we slip our lines and head for the Stourbridge flight, 16 locks. We start slowly with locks against us but at lock 8 we are met by the smiling face of John, who we came across volunteering at the Dudley Tunnels on Thursday, who had seen us coming and set the next lock and then helped us with the remaining locks. We are always so pleased to get some help and especially this morning as it was getting positively hot. There were lots of cyclists, dog walkers, families and runners enjoying the towpath today brought out by the good weather.

Entering Netherton Tunnel with 'the light at the end of the tunnel'

John helping on the Stourbridge Locks

Glass kiln on the Stourbridge Canal

We finished our day mooring just above Hinksford Lock where, for only the second time this season had a bbq in the beautiful evening sunshine.

On Sunday we are meeting daughter - in - law', Kaye's sister, Vicki and her two girls, Olivia and Georgia who live nearby at Kingswinford.

Sunday 23rd June
Summer didn't last long, cloudy skies have returned with the threat of rain.
Vicki and  the girls joined us near Swindon and we had and little chug up the Staffs and  Worcs Canal through Bumble Hole Lock and the Bratch Locks, where we moored and and went to Vicki ' s house where we spent a lovely family afternoon and bite to eat. A good day!

Monday 24th June
Rain, humidity, the threat of thunderstorms and steady progress along the Staffs and Worcs to Gailey.

Another rainy day!

Tuesday 25th June
Rain, rain and more rain! Still, we did have one day of summer and as we head back to Great Haywood Marina,  again, the temperatures are set to soar towards the end of the week. Great for the wedding we are returning home for and getting out and about to catch up with family. Let's hope it continues for our return and our last leg of this part of our travels as we head back to Fenny.

Beautiful wild flowers

A pot of grease and an oil can - the remedy to tough lock gear??!!

Wolverhampton and the Black Country Living Museum

Wednesday 19th June
21 Locks in less than 2 miles takes us up to Wolverhampton and a very welcome and pretty Top Lock. Lunch and a facilities stop follow then on to The Black Country Living Museum.  Having seen no other boats throughout the day we were surprised to find the basin almost full. We had to ask a moored boat to nudge up a little so we were able to moor clear of the facilities area.

A noteable fact about the water in this area is that it is crystal clear and exceedingly weedy! Hence several stops to clear the weed  hatch.

Thursday 20th June
The day dawns bright and  we are really looking forward to our day at the Museum and a trip through the Dudley Tunnels.

It is impossible to describe all that we experienced and saw at this brilliant , living museum, the feeling of stepping back in time, the delicious fish and chips, served in paper ( not newspaper sadly) ,the history,  the cars ans motorbikes, trolley buses and the knowledgeable and very personable staff, the much needed beer so we have just  given you a pictorial view.

Note the tin baths hanging outside the shop

Cobbled streets

Postman making a delivery

Traditional pub.

Spit and sawdust inside

Coal mining

Fish and chip shop

Peakey Blinders

Outside loo

The recycling centre of the early 19

Fork handles!

Hunters Moon at her mooring next to the BCLM

Sid relaxing at the end of a great day.

The Dudley Tunnels was an amazing  trip, for which we had to don hard hats , with a musical light show and video presentation. Altogether a great day out. And, we ended the day in the sunshine sitting out for the first time this year. Sid and Jenny are very happy.

Diagram of the tunnels

Ready to be taken into the tunnels

The gauge for the Dudley Tunnels

(not for us!)

Dudley Tunnels portal

Emerging from one of the tunnels

Part of the tunnels with the roof taken off

Friday 31st June - the longest day
Shorts on, the sun is shining, and off we head towards Stourbridge.  More weedy waters until we descend the 3 Factory Locks then onto the New Main Line which is very straight! This takes us, via a right turn, into the approach to the Netherton Tunnel, an unusual tunnel in that it has a towpath on both sides. 3027 yds later we emerge into Windmill  End Junction where there is the pleasant  Bumble Hole parkland and good moorings. But our journey continues to Park Head Junction ,which is 3 locks down from the end of the Dudley Tunnel. We continue through Merry Hill to the 8 Delph Locks. Getting tired now and these locks are deep and the gates are heavy but we get through and find  a pleasant mooring a short way on.

Delph Locks

Cruising past Merry Hill

Off to Wolverhampton and the Black Country Museum

After nearly a 400 mile round trip to Chi and back for a two minute hospital appointment we are now heading up the Staffs and Worcs Canal to Aldersley Junction where we will encounter the Wolverhampton 21, which takes us to, yes, you've  guessed it, Wolverhampton then we will travel on to Dudley and be tourists for the day and visit the Black Country Museum.

Today has been quite thrilling because we woke to sunshine and travelled, during the morning , in summer like weather. Sid even donned  his shorts for a while until the clouds built and he had to return to trousers 'cos he was getting chilly! Actually it has remained  much milder all day and we even enjoyed an ice cream sitting outside. It is the little things that make us happy.

We have been witnessing the swollen rivers that flow beside the canals and flooding over the fields especially the Trent and the Sow,  as a result of all the heavy rain we have been experiencing.

Along the way today we have marvelled at the fields of poppies, the tall foxgloves and the masses of elderflower as well the various hues of green. What a beautiful country we have and how lucky are we to enjoy it at just 2 miles an hour.

Wet, windy and miserable!

Tuesday 11th June

From Leek back to Milton

The Lagoon by Leek Tunnel

Trees growing out of the limestone.

The wonders of nature!

Cold, wet and windy all the way. Both a tad miserable as we moor but glad to have the old stove puffing away to cheer us at the end of the day . Literally flaming June.

The Caldon Canal

Wednesday 12th June

Reflecting on the Caldon Canal we have not seen  it in the most favourable of conditions but it is a canal of so many different parts. From the industrial and graffiti straw

n areas of Stoke-on-Trent , through pretty parkland, past old bottle kilns next  to modern new flats and then emerging into lovely vistas,  rolling hills and then on into deserted craggy countryside and disused Limekilns . The canal twists and turns as it weaves it's way through the Churnett Valley, which it shares with the Churnett Valley Railway. It is a charming waterway and one we may revisit but hopefully with warmer, drier and calmer conditions.

Hazelhurst Junction

What is this......

Creeping across the towpath and

Hunters Moon?

Bedford Road Staircase Lock

Our journey today retraces our steps back to Barleston, where we picked up a lovely mooring just down the canal from the Wedgwood Factory. Once again we got wet and also once again, not long after we had moored, there came a knock on the boat and who should we see but Penny ! She invited us to share a glass or two of wine on nb Campanula  after dinner.  So, a jolly evening was spent in her company.  Thank you Penny and see you soon, we hope.

The bone and Flint Mill at Etruria

Thursday 13th June

We both woke on Thursday morning convinced it was Wednesday!  Too much wine the night before??!!

Having sorted out that we had not lost a day we set off, in the rain, towards Stone, to top up on provisions and then onward towards Great Haywood where we were leaving Hunters Moon for the weekend while we return to Chi for an hospital appointment.

We will then continue on our travels when hopefully we might see some sun.

Giant Hogweed 

(and a football!)

Baa baa black sheep.

Carry on up the Caldon

Saturday 8th June

Rain, rain and more rain!  Windy, very windy and even windier! We do not move!

Sunday 9th June

The rain and wind have moved off and the morning dawns bright and quiet so we are eager to get moving. A relaxed and pleasant morning follows as we make steady progress along this beautiful canal. We take the decision to follow the main line down to Froghall when we arrive at  the very pretty Hazelhurst Junction . This is a winding and picturesque stretch of waterway, and with it being a Sunday there are plenty of folk walking, cycling  and generally enjoying the canal and it's environs. The canal runs parallel to the Churnett Valley Railway for a large part and we received some cheery waves from those on board the train, sadly today, not being pulled by steam.

Obstacle along the way!

The remains of an old swing bridge

The Flint Mill at Cheddleton 

The Hazelhurst Aquaduct 

We went under it and over it

Consall Station

A tight fit under the waiting room and platform!

Once passing through Oakmeadow Ford Lock the canal joins the river Churnett and winds through beautiful countryside before it gets very, very narrow, passing beside (below, see photo) the Consall railway station and gradually getting narrower, shallower and even more narrow as it winds it's way along to Froghall. Sadly, Hunters Moon is too high to pass through Froghall Tunnel but there is a winding hole and good mooring before the tunnel.
Once  moored we took the short walk to Froghall Basin, which is charming, and explored the Limekilns before enjoying an ice cream from Hetty's Tea Room. And, Hooray,  the rain had held off all day.

The profile gauge for the Froghall Tunnel 

at Flint Mill Lock

Froghall Tunnel, too low for Hunters Moon to pass 

Tranquil Froghall Basin

The Limekilns

Monday, 10th June

Although rain was forecast for today we woke to a bright, sunny morning if very cold so made a prompt start  back towards Hazelhurst Junction, where we planned to take the Leek branch of  the canal down to Leek! Once  again we were lucky and the rain held off until we were moored at Leek.

Entering Leek Tunnel

Neither of us can remember a season on Hunters Moon when the weather has been so cold and miserable and still having fires in June.  Where is summer?
Sorry to keep on about the weather but it is rather testing!