Wolverley to Boundary Stone via Caunsall (Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal)

We stayed put yesterday and had another day in Wolverley, we didn’t do much, went for a couple of walks and chilled out.  Today, we are on the move, not too far though, just a few miles.

In Debdale Lock

Is that a caveman I see!

We set off and it was dry, warm with sunny spells, along we went and soon came to Debdale Lock.  There was a boat just coming out and one in front of us, so we waited our turn and then in we went.  

Cookley Tunnel

There is a cavern cut into  the solid rock on the lock and may have been used as an overnight stable for the towing horses, but quite tricky to get a horse over there.  There may be trolls or cavemen in there now!

Rocky section of canal

Cobs and Cider

We were soon through the lock and on our way again and next came to Cookley Tunnel, it is only 65yds long so nothing to worry about.  We chugged on and moored up just before Bridge 26 at Caunsall.

The Anchor

Unusual tree roots

We are off to The Anchor pub for lunch, Cobs and Cider so we walked down the road to the pub and it was really busy as always.  As the sun was out, there was a lot of people sat outside which is just as well as if it had been raining, I don’t think there would have been room for us as there was so many people there.  

Boundary Stone

We got our cobs and cider and sat outside at the front of the pub. The cobs were lovely as always and we had two each, well they are just too good to have one.  We stopped here on the way down to Stourport but couldn't resist stopping again as this pub is just unique and one of our very favourite, the boat won't go by without stopping!

In Staffordshire

Suitably full, we walked back to the boat and chugged off a little way up the canal to the Boundary Stone which marks the border between Worcestershire and Staffordshire and we moored there.

In Worcestershire

There were two caches in the vicinity so we had a walk to find them and we were in luck today as we got both of them.  

This is a really nice mooring, very quiet with just the sheep and birds for company. We haven't stopped here before but will do so again.

We are staying here tonight then off to Kinver tomorrow.

Moored at the Boundary Stone

Stourport to Wolverley (Staffordshire & Worcester Canal)

Nearly back up

Our name signed on the dock

Doesn't she look good!

We came out of dry dock last Friday with a shiny black bottom and went through the staircase locks and also York Street lock and moored in the visitor moorings above the lock.  Apparently it is a tradition that people using the dry dock sign their name on it before they leave, so we signed ours before we left.   We stayed here over the weekend and did our food shopping and also met our lovely friends Geoff and Sue who were staying at a caravan park just along the river from Stourport with their daughter, so we had a lovely afternoon with them walking, eating and catching up.

We are on the move today and set off leaving Stourport behind us, it has been a very pleasant stay here and we found parts of it we haven’t seen before, but now it is time to go.

Pratts Wharf

Railway Viaduct over canal

It was very overcast as we chugged along and after a while we passed Pratts Wharf.  The wharf and lock became disused by the end of the 1940s, but prior to that the lock gave access to the River Stour that ran behind the wharf and from there, boats could make the mile journey up the river to the ironworks at Wilden.  Pratts Wharf Bridge carries the towpath over the abandoned link to the river.

We then came to Falling Sands lock, there was a boat in front so we had to wait for them to go through so I went and helped them and it started to rain, that fine stuff and we got soaked.  When it was our turn to go through the lock, the rain stopped, typical.  

Waiting for the lock

We then went under a very high Viaduct, it carries the Severn Valley Steam Railway but unfortunately no steam train was going over today, we did hear it in the distance when we were at the last lock, but no luck in seeing it.

We chugged on to the next lock, Caldwell and then we were going through Kidderminster.  There is one deep lock there right by the lovely church. We got through there okay and went on our way again to the next lock, Wolverley Court lock.

In Kidderminster lock

We got to Wolverley lock and a boat was just coming out.  I walked up to see if there were any moorings above the lock and there were so I came back down to tell Kev.  I went back up to open the gates on the lock and there was a boat waiting to come down and I think the old chap off that boat was going to fill the lock, but I told him we were coming up, he didn’t seem very pleased and was quite sour faced!

I opened one gate and he went down the other side so I thought he was going to open the other gate but I had to ask him to do it, so he did reluctantly and then promptly left the lock and went inside the pub and only came back out when we were leaving the lock and he then shaked his head at Kev for no reason, so Kev went out the lock really slowly, that will teach him for shaking his head at us!

Steve, Ian & The Beast!

We moored just up from the lock in the visitor moorings.  Our friends Steve and Ian are driving over to see us today, so we got ready and then they turned up.  It was so lovely to see them and have a catch up.  They have a new car, a Mustang which they call the 'Beast', as apparently it is!  We went down to the car park to have a look, it is really lovely, very smart.  We then went to the pub, The Lock Inn, which is right on the lock. They specialise in beef burgers as the meat comes from their own farm about a mile away so we all had them and really good they were too, they came with proper home-made chunky chips as well.

The rain got quite hard while we were in the pub so we got a little wet saying goodbye to Steve and Ian.  It was really great to see them and lovely that they took the time to drive over and see us.

We walked back to the boat and are just chilling out today.  Then off we go again tomorrow, lets hope the sun is shining!

Moored at Wolverley

A week in Dry Dock

Kev has done a great job this week painting the bottom of the boat and now it is lovely and shiny.  He also did some painting on the front of the boat as well and a few other jobs.

Our shiny bottom boat

Severn Way on a sunny morning

Today (Wednesday) he had a day off and so we decided to go to Bewdley.  You can walk there along the Severn Way, it is just under 3 and a half miles and there was a few caches along there, so we set off this morning in glorious sunshine and it was really warm.

Wooded part

It is a really nice walk and most of it is along the bank of the River Severn.  Some of it is through wooded areas and one bit was up hill along a rocky section.  We managed to find the four caches along the way as well so that was good.

Rocky part

After an hour or so, we arrived in Bewdley, it is a really nice town on the banks of the River Severn and we sat by the river and had some lunch.

Bewdley

We had a walk around the town and had a look around the museum which was really interesting and then got an ice-cream and sat in the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Gardens, which is a really nice tranquil place.

We then decided to get the Steam Train back to Kidderminster so we walked to the station and got the train. It was only about a 10 minute ride back to Kidderminster but it was great, we just love the steam train and it was really busy.

The bus stop to get the bus back to Stourport was just down the road so we walked down there and got the bus back.

We had a really nice day and used three modes of transport, Shanks pony, Steam train and bus.  Tomorrow is our last day in dry dock so we will be tidying up and getting the boat ready to go back on the canal.

Steam Train going to Kidderminster

Going into Dry Dock at Stourport

Going into York Street Lock

We are off into dry dock today so we left our mooring above the lock before 8am and chugged off to York Street lock.  We were soon through there and moored in the basin and filled up with water.

Into Dry Dock we go

Getting ready for dock to be emptied

The chaps from the boat yard said we could go down to the dry dock so we headed off through the basin to the staircase lock which you have to go through to get to the dry dock.

Down onto the chocks we go

There were two boats in the dry dock waiting to come out so when the dock was full of water they opened the gates and one boat came out and went into the staircase lock.  We did the lock for him and soon he was out and it was our turn.  We went down the two locks and Kev took the boat into the dock.

Kev hard at work

This side now has a coat of paint

The other boat in the dry dock came up the locks and then I helped the other boat that was sharing the dock with us come down and then he went into the dock. They put a plank at the  front of the boat and one at the back from the side of the dock to the boat to keep it where it needs to be and one of the chaps from the boat yard held a rope at the back and Kev held a rope at the front and then they slowed emptied the dock and the boat went down on the chocks. They then put the gantry in place so we can get on and off safely.

This side needs to be painted

They powered washed the bottom of the boat and after we had lunch it was ready for Kev to start work.

He sanded it down and then put a coat of paint on all round the boat.  There will be several more coats put on over the coming days so that will keep Kev out of mischief, I will be supervising!

It is a really good dry dock very light so it will be okay staying in here for the next seven days and the chaps here are very friendly and we can get TV and internet in here so all good.

In the Dry Dock

Wolverley to Stourport-On-Severn (Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal)

Yesterday (Wednesday) we were rained off, well from boating so we stayed put.

Wolverley Church

We did venture out into the rain with full wet weather gear on for a bit of geo-caching.  There was one just up the towpath from us so we walked up there and found it, then down to the lock and got another one.

Wolverley Pound

We then walked up the main road to Wolverley Pound which was used years ago for holding stray animals until their owners collected them.  This was good to see as we haven’t walked up here before and we found another cache near there.

Wolverley Pound Sign

We walked on up the main road and then went up a path into some woods which were really nice, lots of paths through the woods, it wasn’t so nice today as it was raining quite hard. There was a cache in the woods but although we searched around, we didn’t fine it, never mind we will come back on a dry sunny day and have another look.

In Wolverely Lock

We then walked back through the woods to the Church, St. John the Baptist.  It was open so we had a look inside then we walked down the hill to the shop which is also a café.  It was really busy so we didn’t stop for a drink, we walked back to the lock where there is another café and had a drink and a sandwich in there.  We then went back to the boat and chilled out for the rest of the day.

We are moving on today to Stourport as we are going into the dry dock tomorrow for a week and Kev will be blacking her bottom (the boats not mine!) and hurray the sun was shining as we left our mooring and went into the first of five locks for today. There is a pub called The Lock right by this lock.  There was a couple of boats in front of us so we had to fill the lock first.

Wolverley Court Lock

Mandarin Duck on towpath

We went on our way and then came to Wolverley Court lock it is in lovely countryside although Kidderminster is not far away.

In Kidderminster lock

Moored underneath the Church

We chugged on and then we were coming into Kidderminster, past the Sainsburys which is right on the canal and to Kidderminster lock where there is a lovely church, St. Mary& All Saints overlooking the lock.  We had to wait for a boat to go through first, but then it was our turn and we filled up the lock and then down we went.

Through there we went on past a retail outlet and then into countryside and Caldwell lock.  This lock is not very deep but in a nice setting so soon through there and on our way again.

Caldwell Lock

We got to the last lock for today, Falling Sands lock and there was quite a queue waiting to come up, but only us waiting to go down so we were soon on our way again.

We chugged on and after a couple of miles we were at Stourport and moored in the visitor moorings.

We had lunch then went down to the Chandlers to find out what we need to do tomorrow.  The lady was really friendly and she said we should be in the dry dock by around 9.30am tomorrow, so that will be good.   We then had a walk around the town, there are quite a few shops.

We then went back to the boat and went to Lidl which is right by the canal to do some shopping.

We are staying here on the moorings tonight then off down three locks and into the dry dock tomorrow morning.

Moored in Stourport

Kinver to Wolverley via Caunsall (Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal)

Shopping arcade in Kinver

The Vine

We are on the move today as yesterday (Monday) we stayed put as the forecast was not good and it did rain on and off all day.  We went for a walk up to the village and also did a cache which took us to Brockley’s park walk which is a nice area by the River Stour and we haven’t been there before and we found the cache as well, so all good.  We also had lunch in The Vine pub where they do a carvery and it was really good.

Chugging in the rain!

In Whittington lock

We thought we would beat the rain this morning so we set off at 8.30am as it was dry but we hadn’t gone far and it began to rain, it didn’t really come to much so we didn’t really get wet.  We soon came to Whittington lock which is quite a pretty lock. 

They are funny ducks!

TheAnchor

We were soon through there and chugged on along the canal and passed the border between Staffordshire and Worcestershire and moored just after Bridge 26.  We chilled out for a bit then went along the towpath and up the road to do some caching and we found a couple.

Cobs & Cider

Cookley Tunnel

Bunny on the path

Going past Austcliffe

We then walked down to The Anchor pub which is about a 10 minute walk from the canal and has been owned by the same family for over 70 years.  It is a real ale and cider pub and they only serve cobs (rolls to you and me!) but they are fantastic and it is a great pub, one of our favourite places.  It is only a Tuesday and lunchtime but when we got there and the pub had only been open about 40 minutes there must have been 50+ people in there and it was like that all lunchtime.  We always try to stop here as it is so unique, it goes to show you don’t have to serve lots of fancy food to get customers.

In Debdale lock

We walked back to the boat and then we had a heavy shower.  We waited for it to pass and then it brightened up so we chugged off.

There's nine under there!

 We went through Cookley tunnel which is 65 yards long and then we were at Debdale lock.  There was a boat coming up so we helped them through and then it was our turn.  There is a cavern in the rocks here right by the lock.

We chugged on and after a while we were at Wolverley where we moored up.

We are staying here tonight and tomorrow as the forecast is rain all day and we will head off on Thursday.

Moored at Wolverley