Poplars, pylons, platforms and pump houses.

 The rain stopped on cue this morning,just as we were about to get going. It held off for the rest of the day with odd 'spitting' events!

I was impressed at Bridge 70, the Brinsford Dual Carriageway bridge. It looks fairly modern and they had installed rope protectors on the towpath edges. Looking back it looks like the road was made dual, and this bridge constructed, around 1960. It shows the amount of horse drawn traffic at that time to cause the grooves from the ropes when the coal carrying would be just about finished ten years later, or at least by horse drawn day boats.

The Stygian depths of the Pendeford Rockings proved lucky for us once more as we did not meet another boat until we had just cleared it.

The popular trees as you approach Autherley Junction ar an impressive sight. They run at the end of a school's playing fields. If one came down they would certainly block the canal, and provide a gooly quantity of logs for passing boaters.

There was a boat just clearing the stop lock on the Shropshire Union but we were well clear when they popped out. This seagull was just checking the route back to the sea. Not sure whether this is the most direct route though.

As we are heading down the locks now Amy took over the helm and Helen provided moral support. It was lovely and quiet on the southern Staffs. and Worcs, at least today anyway.

As we approached Bratch these ponies were curious to see what was passing by their field. We stopped at the start of the visitor moorings and after a bit of lunch decided to head off for a walk.

The number of feet that have trodden this boat access at the bottom of the Bratch Locks have indented their own history and made something vaguely sculptured.

We walked down the tow path to Giggety Bridge and walked up the Wom Brook Footpath. It is amazing to think that housing is up there somewhere as it feels so remote. You can just see the eaves of a house high above in the photo.

The Wom Brook Path crosses the Kingswinford Rail Trail to which we transferred. The line opened in 1925 but passenger traffic only lasted seven years. It looks like a single track for much of the route we walked, and a gentle rising incline. It was part of the Great Western Railway and the whole line closed to all traffic in 1965.

Here is one of those 'disguised' phone masts. I'm not sure if they actually do other than draw attention to it as it looks so unreal. If it was just a phone mast you would never even give it a second glance. Maybe that is why they haven't all been done. I wonder how they decide which ones they attempt to camouflage. Maybe just those that dispute the building the most. 

Wombourn (spelt without the 'e') only lasted as a passenger station as long as the passenger traffic, but it is still there today as a cafe and restaurant, and is in great condition. The site had sidings and bridges over the lines etc. Just the station building survives, and the platforms.

Looking down the slight hill down towards the station from where we left the railway for a quiet country road that took us back to Awbridge Lock on the canal. It looks double track on this section.

The navigators checking the route under a tree in a slight shower.

Once back at the boat I went back down the locks to get a better photo of the Bratch Pumping station. From the top of the locks it reminds me of a Bavarian Castle with it's little turrets. Up close doesn't disappoint either. It was created following an arguement about the cost of water. Bilston Council were complaining about the price of water supplied to them by Wolverhampton Council. In the end Bilston built their own extraction pumping station here, and did a 'proper' job of it too. There were two steam engines used alternatively to pump the water up from 50 metres below from the sandstone aquifer to a reservoir 100 metres higher up than the pump house. The water works became redundant in 1960 and was nearly lost, but by 1991 the building and one of the steam engines were retained and restored by the Friends of  Bratch and they hold open steaming days on some Bank Holidays.

I got back to the boat just before the rain started, just having enough time to do all the engine checks ready for the morning start.