The hire boats started past at just after 08:00. They must have been at the bottom of the locks after am late finish. It is a nice feeling not to have to get up early to be off again.
We left about 09:30 after a slight shower. All day we had frequent little drizzle interludes, but I never needed to put a waterproof on.
I think we maybe a week or two too early for the best colour of the trees, od which this canal is blessed with many lively mature trees. Lots of old oaks, sweet chestnuts etc.
Anyone looking for a project could pick this up nice and cheap I feel. Does anybody have any idea of its history. It has been here every time we have passed. I would have thought it would be worth somebody lifting just for the firewood now.
First lock of the day it Stourton Top lock. The gardens in the next pound are definitely competing for top garden as there are some stunners.
As the canal ducks under the main road at Four Locks Bridge the split bridge and the road bridge make a nice frame for Helen driving the boat.
I had great difficulty getting the bottom gates to stay shut. Maybe they should be fitted with the stay poles that are used on the bottom lock of the Stourbridge flight, and elsewhere.
This must have been a busy junction at the height of the canals. The Stourbridge Canal was opened all its length in 1779 and coal iron ore limestone etc, and then the finished products moved away too.
This is the site of the Gothersley Round House. It was similar to that at Gailey and was built in about 1805 and would have been similar to that at Gailey. It was the wharf managers office for the iron works that was just to the west. The works had closed by 1880. The ruins of the round house collapsed in 1990 and were rebuilt as this picnic area.
The sun made a valiant effort of lighting the canal through the trees and made it a lovely trip up the canal.
The canal was opened in 1772 and they must have had a time cutting through the sandstone ridges as they made their way down to Stourport. It does make for a very photogenic canal. Helen isn't feeling the heat yet!
Ashwood Basin was opened in 1829 after a local iron master agreed with Lord Dudley to build a railway between Ashwood and Shutt End on Pensnett Chase taking in several cola mines. The railway was transferred to canal boats later to take down to Stourport Power station. This trade finished around 1953 and the rail lines completely in 1966. The owner found the abandoned basin a few years later when on a canoeing trip with his scouts. In 1959 he bought it and developed it to where it is today. Interestingly it has a road bridge on eleven arches passing right over the basin splitting it two. The railway had grown to cover Ashwood to the west, Baggeridge Mine to the north and the Round Oak iron works at Netherton.
We stopped for water at Greensforge and were sorely tempted by the Navigation by the bridge but resisted and continued on our way past more lovely rock walls.
I had noticed that the iron of the gate fiitings, along with the year of construction, also had a letter on them. As we passed up the locks I could see that they corresponded with the name of the lock. This one is for Hinksford where on the west side was a large mill pond from the Smestow Brook that drove a large corn mill.
We moored up before Swindon Lock and were inside by the time a very heavy shower dropped out of the heavens with a mighty gust of wind. The boat is covered in ash leaves, but we remained dry. When the sun came out again we had a wander up the road to buy some oddments, before settling in for the night.
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