Boats, beers and boozers 6.

I can't believe this would be only my fourth post in February. I can't believe how quickly the month has passed. we don't seem to have stopped at all, but have achieved very little in the field of narrow boats. I have been wearing other hats though and have been busy promoting the United Towing and Salvage Society, of which I am Chair, which involved presentations, speeches, TV and press appearances. I have also been busy getting my Hedon History Walks off the ground too. Where we live on land has a very proud history and is little known to the newer citizens so I thought I would start up walking tours to show it off, and hopefully contribute funds towards my travel backwards and forwards. Find them on Facebook. That has been fitted in around the aftermath of my mother passing, and sorting everything that needs to be done for that.

We were going to go down to the boat last weekend but thought that we should get everything at this end sorted and completed rather than having loose ends to come back to, so we remained in Yorkshire. It will be later in March by the time we can get down there now. Consequently you will have another pub visit to read about.

From our last pub at Netherton (well last reported on pub) we moved down through Park Head Junction and down the Delph Locks to Black Delph and Junction. Delph Locks make a great sight and if they were just about anywhere else they would be very busy with gogoozlers. When there is plenty of water the six middle locks have over flow weirs running. These six locks replaced seven built in 1779 and date from 1858 themselves. There is a stable block half way down if anymore interest was needed!

The middle six Delph Locks. The canal is lowered down 85 feet and you get a little bit of a feel of Foxton Locks, with houses!

Nearly at the bottom of the middle six of eight locks at Delph. At the foot of the locks the Dudley No.1 Canal morphs into the Stourbridge Canal.

After a while you come to Leys Junction where the Stourbridge Extension canal and Fens Branch led off NE. A sharp turn to the left gets you straight into the sixteen locks down to Stourbridge. These are another flight of locks that should get ore attention from the public than they do. From top to bottom is about a mile so a good walk with a pub in the middle and plenty of interest all the way down, or up.

At Buckpool there are little side bridges like her at Lock 10, and a a wide towpath and plenty of opportunity to help boaters as you walk. We didn't see a boat at all when we were coming down though.

Between Locks 11 and 13 there is a small transhipment dock on the offside that has the wooden Dadford's Shed still in use as boat repairer. The photo is Red House Cone which is now a glass making museum. We didn't stop this time but it is well worth a look if you haven't been.

At about Lock 15 there were some builder taking a rest and watching our progress as we settled in the lock I asked them if they had a spare scaffolding board. One was produced and it scrubbed up very well and has become our short gang plank. We turned up the branch to Stourbridge. There were plenty of boats moored up but after going to the very end, into gated private moorings, we winded in the shadow of the restored Bonded Warehouse which has a chandlery and the HQ of the Stourbridge Navigation Trust.  We picked up the last mooring closer to the town.

This was just at our bow. I wonder if metal from today would last so well.

Once moored up and a cup of tea downed we went for an explore into the town, that isn't very far away at all. Our main target was the Royal Exchange pub as I knew it served Bathams. I had missed the Vine near Merry Hill where it is brewed and was seeking it out here. I can assure you it was worth the wait.

The Royal Exchange is a 'normal' boozer with a drinking front room and a more decorated lounge. It is one of 11 pubs owned by Bathams. The young barman was very knowledgeable and pulled a perfect pint of Batham's bitter with a good golden yellow colour and a very smooth taste too with a nice hoppy finish for it's 4.3%. At £2.60 a real bargain. We chatted to the chap next to us with his whippet and the gang of blokes in the window broke into song that was quite tuneful actually. Maybe the lubricated tonsils helped. I went back to the bar to try the mild, which is perhaps their best known drink as the West Midlands is one of the strongholds of mild. We refused to sell me one until he had pulled a couple of glasses off as he hadn't served one that session. He needn't have worried as it was as near perfect for me as could be. A beautiful dark brown and a taste of roast malt that just took the edge of the sweetness. At 3.5% you could drink this all day, and  £2.35 a pint the wife wouldn't mind either. I can't recommend the pub, or the beer highly enough. I have a mind to try and visit all the Batham pubs just to check on how they are all kept. Stourbridge and the Royal Exchange is definitely a place we will revisit.