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

Merry Hill (Dudley No. 1 Canal) to Red House Glass Cone (Stourbridge Canal)

In Delph Top Lock

We are moving on today and as we have a lot of locks to do we left early, just after 8am, well it is early for us!  The sky was a bit grey but at least it was dry.

Going down the Delph locks

At the Bottom

We set off along the canal and shortly came to the top of the Delph Locks.  The original nine locks, built in 1779, were greatly affected by subsidence due to mining in the area resulting in the middle seven locks being rebuilt as six in 1858.  Still referred to as the “Delph Nine”, the bottom lock marks the divide between Dudley Canal No. 1 and the Stourbridge Canal.  The locks take the canal from 356 feet to 441 feet above sea level giving the canal a rise/fall of 85 feet in just 546 yards.

Tenth Lock!

Unfortunately the locks were against us, so we had to set each one, but Kev went down a couple of locks and got them ready each time so we made good progress through them and soon we were at the bottom. There is a pub at the bottom called The Tenth Lock!

Will we fit?

Only Just!!

We then chugged on, this section is very winky wonky as well.  There was also a very low bridge but luckily we just fitted underneath. 

CRT fixing the lock

In Stourbridge top lock

Two locks close together

After a while we were at Leys Junction and we went around the corner and saw the top lock of the next flight of locks the Stourbridge sixteen was taped up. We moored up and went down to the next lock where CRT was working.  One of them was in the water.  They said that one of the paddles was stuck up and he got in the water to see if he could free it, but no luck so they would have to empty the pound so they could see all the paddle and take it from there.  We made them a cup of tea then went back to the boat and had lunch.

Going down the Stourbridge flight

There was a cache right by the top lock so we had a look to see if we could see it and we found it.  We had a few spots of rain but it didn’t come to anything.  After about an hour the lock was fixed, they found an anti-vandal key which you need to operate some of the locks wedged behind the paddle, so once they got that out, they filled the pound back up and we were on our way.

Glass cone in the distance

We worked our way  through the locks and met one boat coming up but the canal is very quiet and didn’t really expect to see any boats.

There are two locks in this flight which are really close together and are almost a staircase but not quite.  Some of the gates kept flipping open after we left them, but that does happen sometimes.

After a while the Red House Glass Cone came into view, this is where Stuart Crystal used to be made from 1881 until 1936, it is now a museum.

We went through a couple more locks, we did twelve of the sixteen and moored outside the Glass cone.  We are staying here tonight and going to have a good look around the Glass Cone tomorrow morning before we chug off.

Moored at Red House Glass Cone

Bumble Hole (Dudley No. 2 Canal) to Merry Hill (Dudley No. 1 Canal)

High Bridge

Lovely morning on the canal

We are on the move again today but we wanted to fill up with water before we set off. The tap was on the other side of the canal so Kev started up the boat , untied, pushed the front out then the back, got back on, put it in reverse and cluck, nothing happened, we were stuck in the middle of the canal.  Kev went down the weed hatch and pulled out a bit of carpet and yabba dabba doo a Fred Flintstone costume or some of it, so once that was off we could start up and go over to the other side.  Luckily the canal is not busy and there weren’t any gongoozlers to laugh at us.

Passing the old Two Lock Line

We filled up with water then set off, it was a lovely sunny morning and quite warm today.  The canal is quite winky wonky so we wound our way around, past Lodge Farm Reservoir and then under High Bridge which spans a cutting which was originaly Brewins Tunnel, built in 1838 but opened out only 20 years later.

Coming into the lock

We chugged on and went past the old Two Lock Line which used to be a short cut to the Dudley No. 1 canal.  We then came to our first lock for days, Blowers Green Lock at Blowers Green Junction.  Our lock was to the left and to the right was the three Park Head Locks which take you to Dudley Tunnel  but I don’t think many boats go that way as the tunnel is really low and you have to leg it through!

Unique sign posts on canal

Unfortunately I had to set the lock, but it didn’t take long and Kev brought the boat in and down we went.  When we came out the lock, we were then on the Dudley No. 1 canal.

We chugged on and shortly after we came to a basin and Merry Hill Shopping Centre.  We moored in the visitor moorings which are on an embankment and look down on the shopping centre.

We had lunch then went for a walk to the centre, you walk down the steps from the canal and along the path and straight into the shops.  Merry Hill is huge with many shops but it is really nice and we had a wander around, there is even an Asda.

Steps down to the shopping centre

Merry Hill Shopping Centre

We then went for a walk around the basin which is a nice area as well but a lot of the offices around the basin are empty.  There are a few pubs/bars along the water front.

We are staying here tonight then chugging on tomorrow hopefully in the dry as the forecast is not so good, but fingers crossed we will not get wet as we have some more locks to do tomorrow.

Moored at Merry Hill

Birmingham (Birmingham Main Line) to Bumble Hole (Dudley No. 2 Canal)

Baby Geese

Navigating the narrow bits

Galton Tunnel

Going under the M5

We are on the move today and to pastures new.  We are going down the Netherton Tunnel Branch and through Netherton Tunnel which will take us onto the Dudley No. 2 Canal and then onto the Dudley No. 1 Canal which in turn goes into the Stourbridge Canal and eventually onto the Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal.  We haven’t gone this way before out of Birmingham so exciting.

Heron on towpath

We set off along the canal leaving the mailbox behind us.  It was a lovely sunny morning and much warmer today, thank goodness as it has been very chilly the last couple of days.

Onto the Netherton Tunnel Branch we go

We saw some baby geese, the first we have seen this year and there was quite a few herons around as well.  We chugged on and in places the canal gets very narrow and you have to squeeze through.

In Netherton Tunnel

We came to Galton Tunnel, it is only 122 yards but quite an impressive tunnel.  Through there and after a while we went under the M5 and before we knew it, we were turning down the Netherton Tunnel Branch which leads to the tunnel.

Not far to go now

Cobbs Engine House

Netherton Tunnel is 3,028yds long and is a huge tall tunnel, about 27 ft wide and has a towpath each side and built of brick, it is really impressive.  We chugged through there and came out into glorious sunshine and moored just up from the tunnel opposite the Visitor’s Centre.

This area is Bumble Hole Nature Reserve and is really nice.  We had lunch then went for a lovely walk along the canal and into the reserve and up to Cobbs Engine House.

Top Pool

Swan on nest

Swan Pool & Engine House

This Engine House was named after the local farmer.   The engines have been removed but in its heyday water was pumped out of the nearby Windmill End Colliery into the canal.  The stationery steam pump, built around 1831, its shaft 525 feet deep, pumped 367,000 gallons of water a day for over 100 years.  It is now a Scheduled Ancient Monument and part of the nature reserve and is the earliest surviving example of its type.

We walked up to the top of the hill where there was a lovely pond and a swan sitting on a nest, then back down the hill to Bumble Hole pond.  It is such a lovely area.  We had a walk out onto the road and managed to find a shop to get an ice-cream then we headed back to the boat.

We are staying here tonight then off a bit further tomorrow.

Moored at Bumble Hole