TNC On Tour 2003 Page 35

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The Tuesday Night Club on Tour

Tour 2003

35 - Dimmingsdale to Stourport. Staffs and Worcs Canal.

Friday 8th August 2003

Muggy overcast morning with not much dew. We shoved off at 06:50 and was greeted by a bold mink scampering over the top gate, as we were closing the bottom gates. No traffic picked up as we crept up to the top of Bratch.
Few boats waiting to go down and no one stirring. Arrived at top of Bratch at 07:45. The two BW lockies were already about, the locks being empty meant that a couple of small craft, one cruiser and a Sea Otter went up first, then we went down, leaving the top at 08:20, 15 minutes later we were out of the bottom. The lockies had been quizzed about the stoppages, a couple of hours on Wednesday to measure up for new bottom gates, due to impact damage to one beam and a couple of hours stoppage on Thursday to plate up the beam.........in typical prettified Bratch custom the plateage had even been painted!
Stourton Junction was past at 12:20. After this we picked up a rather slow private boat, just dad and young son. Young son was clad in huge life jacket had to cope with moving boat out of locks and controlling its descent. Dad shouted out many orders, so became known as "Admiral Neutral" (I have found it common practice for boaters following another boat to give names to various of it's crew members, a fate that has befallen Neil a few times!) We managed a water fill up, while we waiting for "Captain Neutral" and another boat on the water point above Stewpony Lock. Wendy was rather upset that the ice cream selling cafe was shut.
We had been keeping in touch with Roger Millin in NB "Albion" and we finally made plans to push on and meet him and Margaret in Stourport. Towpath telegraph tales of hundreds of Tesco Trolleys in Kidderminster were unfounded, well certainly not in the main channel / route working boats would take.
Roger, arriving early had got pole mooring position, actually in the Stourport Upper basin, just beyond the waterpoint, we had to contend with a lesser mooring above the lock, but at least it was quiet.
Arrival was at 18:10 and after finding Albion, having a wander and then all showering, we all repaired to the "Spice Island" Indian Restaurant. This had been previously frequented by Captain Beeky and Neil, it was up to par. Tales of canal rage flowed all evening, Roger seemed to had his fair share in the last couple of days.

Assault on Dimmingsdale Lock No 28 in the early morning mist. Staffs and Worcs Canal.

Dimmingsdale Lock No 28 and Dimmingsdale Lock Bridge No 52. Staffs and Worcs Canal.

Ebstree Lock No 27. Staffs and Worcs Canal.

Awbridge Lock No 26. Staffs and Worcs Canal.

Awbridge Lock No 26 and Awbridge Bridge No 49. Staffs and Worcs Canal.

The dinky little split tail footbridge at Awbridge Lock No 26. Staffs and Worcs Canal.

Awbridge Lock No 26 and Awbridge Bridge No 49. Staffs and Worcs Canal.

Bratch Top Lock No 25. Staffs and Worcs Canal.

Bratch Middle Lock No 24 and Bratch Bottom Lock No 23. Staffs and Worcs Canal.

Bratch Locks. Staffs and Worcs Canal.

Bratch Top Lock No 25 and lock cottage. Staffs and Worcs Canal.

Bratch Locks. Staffs and Worcs Canal.

Bratch Waterworks Pumping station, just beside the locks. Staffs and Worcs Canal.

Click Here for a link to a site about the pumping station.

Bumblehole Lock No 27. Staffs and Worcs Canal.

Wombourne Bridge No 43 and the Wagon and Horses pub. Staffs and Worcs Canal.

Botterham Staircase Locks No 21 and 20. Staffs and Worcs Canal.

Marsh Lock No 19. Swindon. Staffs and Worcs Canal.

Marsh Lock No 19. Marsh Bridge No 41 over the tail of the lock. Swindon. Staffs and Worcs Canal.

Swindon Lock No 18. Staffs and Worcs Canal.

Looking back at Swindon Bridge No 40 and Swindon Lock No 18. Staffs and Worcs Canal.

Hinksford Lock No 39. Staffs and Worcs Canal.

Greensforge sanitary station. Staffs and Worcs Canal.

BW heritage narrowboat "Ling". Greensforge. Staffs and Worcs Canal.

Greensforge Lock No 16. Neil kicks pub rubbish back into the pub garden! Staffs and Worcs Canal.

Greensforge Lock No 16 and the Navigation pub. Staffs and Worcs Canal.

Greensforge Bridge No 37 and Greensforge Lock No 16. Staffs and Worcs Canal.

Ashwood Basin. Once railway connected, now a private marina. Staffs and Worcs Canal.

Flatheridge Bridge No 36. Staffs and Worcs Canal.

Rocky Rock No 15. Staffs and Worcs Canal.

Gothersley Lock No 14 and Gothersley Bridge No 35. Staffs and Worcs Canal.

The classic southern Staffs and Worcs Old Red Sandstone cliffs at Devil's Den. Staffs and Worcs Canal.

Devil's Den. Boat house carved out in the cliff. Staffs and Worcs Canal.

River Stour Aqueduct. Staffs and Worcs Canal.

Private flash before Stourton Junction. Staffs and Worcs Canal.

Wide created in cutting, used as a quarry for building stone. Staffs and Worcs Canal.

Stourton Junction. Left to the Stourbridge Canal, Stourton Bridge No 33 straight on. Staffs and Worcs Canal.

Looking up the Stourton Locks of the Stourbridge Canal. Staffs and Worcs Canal.

Stewpony Wharf and Stewpony Lock No 13. Staffs and Worcs Canal.

Stewpony Wharf and Stewpony Lock No 13. The toll house is now a tearoom. Staffs and Worcs Canal.

Dunsley Tunnel. Staffs and Worcs Canal.

Approaching Hyde Lock No 12. Staffs and Worcs Canal.

Hyde Lock No 12. Staffs and Worcs Canal.

Leaving Hyde Bridge No 30 and Hyde Lock No 12. Staffs and Worcs Canal.

Kinver Lock No 11. Wilson's of Kinver, the well known canopy and boat upholsterers now in their new workshop. Staffs and Worcs Canal.

Whittington Horse Bridge No 28. Staffs and Worcs Canal.

Whittington Lock No 10. Staffs and Worcs Canal.

Looking back at Austcliff Bridge No 24. Staffs and Worcs Canal.

Austcliff. Staffs and Worcs Canal.

Cookley Tunnel. Staffs and Worcs Canal.

Cookley. Staffs and Worcs Canal.

Debdale Lock No 9. Staffs and Worcs Canal.

Debdale Lock No 9. This still has a store cave in the cliff. Staffs and Worcs Canal.

The Booth's residence and NB "Rome". Staffs and Worcs Canal.

Wolverley Court Lock No 7. Staffs and Worcs Canal.

Kidderminster Lock No 6 and St Mary and All saints Church. Staffs and Worcs Canal.

The development in the centre of Kidderminster is well under way. Staffs and Worcs Canal.

New flats and moorings in Kidderminster. Staffs and Worcs Canal.

New development and Caldwall Mill Bridge No 14. Staffs and Worcs Canal.

Caldwell Lock No 5. Staffs and Worcs Canal.

Falling Sands Lock No 4. Staffs and Worcs Canal.

Stourport. In the distance is York Street Lock No 3, down to the basins. Staffs and Worcs Canal.

Looking up at Wallfield Bridge No 44 from Stourport basins. Staffs and Worcs Canal.

The Upper Broad Lock No 2. Stourport Basins. Staffs and Worcs Canal.

The Lower Broad Lock No 1, River Severn below. Stourport Basins. Staffs and Worcs Canal.

Looking up at the Upper Broad Lock No 2. The Tontine Hotel, to the right is still boarded up. Stourport Basins. Staffs and Worcs Canal.

The narrow staircase locks connecting the Stourport Basins to the River Severn. Staffs and Worcs Canal.

Looking out to the River Severn from the lower staircase locks. Stourport Basins. Staffs and Worcs Canal.

The upper staircase locks. Stourport Basins. Staffs and Worcs Canal.

Looking down from the upper staircase locks. Stourport Basins. Staffs and Worcs Canal.

Stourport Basins. Staffs and Worcs Canal.

The Tour Continues...

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