Hanbury Wharf to Top of Astwood Locks (Worcester & Birmingham Canal)

We are on the move today and we have six locks to do, but they are a flight and quite close together so should be fine.

In first of the six locks

Nearly up another lock

It was another dry day again.  We went over to the boatyard first to get some diesel and gas then off we went.

Smuggler likes to be outside so he went out the back with Kev and we chugged on to the first lock. 

  

Is he coming?

The first lock was set for us so we didn’t take long to get through.  Smugs walked with me to the next lock and a boat was coming down so we waited for them to come out and then in we went.

Me and my helper

Can you see me!

This set of locks aren’t very deep so they don’t take long to get through.  Smugs stayed out with me for the rest of the locks and Kev finished the lock we were in and Smugs and I went on to the next one.  Unfortunately the rest of the locks were against us, but they didn’t take that long to get through and soon we were at the top of the flight.

Hanbury Church

We chugged under the bridge and moored up just past there.

Lovely window in the church

Very apt cache container

We had some lunch then went off for a walk, hopefully it would be a circular one if we went the right way.  We walked down the lane and uphill and after a while we were at Hanbury Church, St Mary the Virgin. There was two caches there and we were lucky today as we found both of them.

Lovely views from the church yard

The church is an Anglian parish church in the village of Hanbury, its earliest parts date from about 1210 and it is a Grade I listed building.  It is a really lovely church and the views from the church yard are absolutely stunning, it’s a fantastic place.  We then went inside the church and there are some lovely windows and also there is a little self-service café in the church where you can make a hot or cold drink and have a biscuit or chocolate bar and put the money in the box by the door, what a great idea.

We then walked down the other way and did one more cache and found that one too so we had a hat trick today! We then walked through Piper’s Hill Nature Reserve and eventually back to the boat.  It was a really great walk, just under 4 miles.

We are staying here for a couple of nights now.

Moored at the top of Astwood Locks