Down the locks, but not out.

 The rain stopped in time for us to leave a little early earlier than normal,but we just had to go and sit behind a boat that had passed us a bit earlier.

It was about an hour later the bottom of the Bratch Locks. Just to make delays a little more frustrating there was a fishing match between the Bratch Locks and Botterham staircase locks. There must have been a hundred or more anglers that delayed us a little.

At Bumble Hole Lock Helen was still xmiling.

We had gone down Botterham, Marsh, Swindon and Hinksford locks when the black clouds gathered and I can't remember when I has ever been in such heavy rain in this country.m I can't really remember such heavy rain, ever in the past. I was wet through to the under garments. It was chucking it down at Greensforge Lock. There was somebody on the water point, but there was somebody coming up the lock so we took their place.

By the time we got to Rocky Lock the sun was out again and the roof of the baot was steaming heavily as we all dried out.

We stopped for water above Stewponey Lock. Amy went to lay on the roof as it was getting warm in the sun with the idea that she would dry out quickly up there. It was relatively successful too.

The pressure was good and we were soon on our way and penning down by the toll house at the lock built in 1772. We didn't want to hang about as we were meeting up with some old friends at Kinver.

We were soon at Cookley Tunnel, if it actually counts as a tunnel!

The sun was out and cracking the flags before we got to Hyde Lock.

At Hyde Lock there is a 'to die for' view to the lock cottage.and the 10' drop  of the lock,. Our reason for rushing was to meet up with a long term friend from rugby days

. There aremany good things about Kinver, but one of them is the fact that the Plough and Harrow pub is a Batham's pub. My friend Chris, and his wife Cyd, also like it very much, so it seemed an idle place to meet up, and meet their beagle Hector. It is three years since we had seen each other. More pints than were sensible were consumed before we went out separate ways to make the best of the England v Denmark match.

At the late hourt, Helen very wisely decided that preparing and evening meal was not something she was putting to the top of here list, so as we passed the chip shop in the main street, with this lovely view, we stopped and prepared our feast for the evening.

It was a long, but ultimately really enjoyable day, and by the evening we ad even dried out after the torrential downpour.