Red House Glass Cone (Stourbridge Canal) to Kinver (Staffordshire & Worcester Canal)

Inside the Cone

Red House Glass Cone

We are moving on today and going onto the Staffordshire & Worcester canal but before we left we went for a look around the Red House Glass cone.  

It is really interesting and you can go into the cone itself where they do glass blowing demonstrations.  They only do them at the weekends in the afternoon but we were lucky that we got there yesterday in time to see one.  There was only us watching so we had our own private demonstration.  

Glass blowing

The lady doing it started off with a bulb of glass then it went into a glass  and then she said she was going to spin it into a plate which she did and then she shook it down towards the floor and the edges curved up and it was a wavy bowl, amazing.

And now its a glass

The finished bowl

There are lots of information boards and also a café and several studios where they make jewellery, pottery, glass items, etc.  It is a really good place and well worth a visit.

In the first of 11 locks for today

At the junction with the Stourbridge town arm

We chugged off about midday and was soon at our first lock for today, we are doing 11!

Nearly down the Stourton locks

Not quite a floating home!

Unfortunately none of them were set for us, so we had to fill them first but we worked our way through the last four of the Stourbridge flight and passed the Stourbridge Town arm and went on our way.

Onto the Staffs & Worcester we go

In Stewpony lock

We them came to Stourton flight of four locks and through them we went and then we emerged onto the Staffordshire & Worcester canal leaving the Stourbridge canal behind us.  We have enjoyed going that way and although not all parts are that nice, it is a very interesting canal and I am sure we will do it again sometime.

Dunsley Tunnel

We chugged on along the canal in glorious sunshine, it has been such a lovely day, really warm and lots of sun. We stopped at the water point to fill up and then into our next lock we went.

Working Kinver lock

This lock is called Stewpony.  There was some cyclists at the lock having a break so one of them was very kind and helped me with  the lock.

Hello!

We then came to Dunsley Tunnel, it is only 25yds long so really more like a wide bridge and then we were at Hyde lock.  A boat was coming up so we left the gates open for them as we went out.

We went on a bit further and then we were at Kinver lock which has a pub called The Vine right on the lock and as the sun was shining we had lots of people sitting in the pub garden watching us.

We got through this one and moored in the visitor moorings just below the lock.

We are staying here tonight and tomorrow as well, then heading on a bit further towards Stourport.

Moored at Kinver