Hidden gems.

Helen had to take something back that she had bought yesterday so we decided to get some stuff from Sainsbury's. We eventually got away just before 100.

Helen says that Merry Hill is a good shopping centre and you can't deny that it is handy for the moorings.

It isn't very far before the Delph Locks. If they were any where like Foxton, or more rural, people would come for the day to see boats go up and down them as they are quite spectacular in an understated way as the canal plunges 85 ft down. the hill.

The narfrow locks have side pounds to store a bit of the water. After the first lock is this building that looks like an old stable for boat horses.

Every lock was against us until the bottom where we swapped with an up bound boat. The side pound weirs make a spectacular sight when they are cascading over. We made good time despite all the locks bar one being against us and we were down in 1hr 20mins for the eight locks.

There was a short break after the Delph Locks at the bottom of which the Dudley No.1 Canal becomes the Stourbridge Canal. We then got to  Leys Junction where the remains of the Extension Canal turns right but we head left right to the top of the 16 lock Stourbridge Locks. Towards the middle the locks get closermand it becomes very pretty indeed. Above is a contender for the shortest pond on the system. It looks as though it could be a staircase, but isn't. Notice also the cantilever bridge with the gap for the rope.

After the 'staircase' we got a lovely view of the Red House Cone of the glass factory. Before that can be seen the wooden shed known as Dadford's Shed. This is a little boat yard with a little arm servicing it.

Just by the Dadford's Dock is the group of hoiuses. The one that looks like a pub isn't. It is the Dock off sales and a general store. It was shut when we passed so I'm not sure that it is open any more.

Helen passing the Stweart Crystal Factory shop at the Red Cone Bottle kiln. 

At the next lock it was good to see that all the old warehouses are being converted to apartments, and next to them is an area of new housing being built. As we passed down the lock a few of the builders watched. I noticed that there was loads of scaffolding about so I cheekily asked if they had a 6' scaffolding plank as I wanted to make a bench out of it. They quickly produced one and stowed it aboard. As one of them said 'if you don't ask, you don't get'!

At the bottom of the sixteen locks it was hard left and on to the Stourbridge Town Arm. We were heading to the end for some water and a mooring.

We had to ask a fisherman to move so we could get water and once full we headed to the end of the arm to wind opposite the Bonded Store that is home to the Stourbridge Navigation Trust. Once winded we found a mooring at the very end of the first stretch after a boat moved up a little for us.

Once we were moored up we headed to town as we needed some milk and I was gagging for a pint after all the locks in the sun. We headed for the Royal Exchange, a Batham's Pub. The beer was absolutely nectar and slipped down in no time. They only do two beers, bitter and mild and a festive brew at Christmas. I felt I had to try the mild and that too was beautiful. The beer was very well kept and the atmosphere in the pub was great. There was singing going on and nattering abckwards and forwards. A proper pub.