We set off in good time on a day that was very sunny and warm, apart from a couple of the briefest of showers. After re-tracing back along the Stourbridge Town Arm to the main Storubridge Canal, we set about the Stourbridge Sixteen flight of locks. Although they were almost all empty and set for us, we were rather pleased to complete them in 2 hours 45 minutes.
Part way up we passed a huge glass bottle kiln, now a museum about glass production. Just above there is also a basin for a former warehouse which is now used for boatbuilding. Shortly after completing the flight we stopped for a much deserved early lunch - and took over an hour!
Next came the Delph Flight - originally known as the Nine Locks (still used locally) but two locks were later re-built as one so now it has 8 locks which we completed in 68 minutes! (We did have help at one lock where BW staff were carrying out repairs to the lock surround - not sure how many of the 'gang' were actually doing anything!)
We were now really beginning to enter the Birmingham conurbation - although the canal itself is generally lined with greenery, much better than when we came this way many years ago. Merryfield is a huge retail and office and includes a very smart central area built around the canal - wide and impressive - a good place to moor. However, after passing under the last bridge, the original style of canal returns quite abruptly.
After passing the turning to the Dudley Tunnel (which we decided not to try to explore at this stage in proceedings!) we took the Dudley No 2 Canal (No 1 was the section from the top of Delph to the tunnel) At Windmill End there was a pleasant nature reserve and country park surrounding the canal as it prepared itself for the Netherton Tunnel.
Netherton Tunnel is very wide - enough for boats to pass with a towpath (currently closed) on each side. After a while, we seemed to be able to see flashing lights. A little later we discovered that they marked a work boat moord in the tunnel. Further on there were another three (all together) similarly marked.
Once through the tunnel we were quickly onto the Birmingham Main Line - the later canal from Wolverhampton to Birmingham which is very straight and very wide. At various junctions with other loops and older canals, the remains of toll islands reduced the navigable width to that hardly wider than the boat. At many points along the line the towpath rises over a short bridge, indicating what was once a wharf or local loop line - this highlights just how busy and important this canal was to the prosperity of Birmingham and an industrial and commercial centre of England. Many of these bridges were built from cast iron shapes, showing how the original developers did not always lose their sense of good looks, even for what was essentially a functional necessity.
A huge motorway bridge provided a sharp contrast in design. Most of the BCN Main Line is in a deep cutting - work to provide good quality towpaths and to allow the natural ground coverage of the banks to develop means that far more people use the canal for walking, jogging and cycling than for boating. (In fact, we passed only three boats on the move all day!) The sad fact is that this huge asset for the conurbation is still not considered safe for overnight mooring, even allowing for the fact that a busy railway runs close by. Even some of the side arms could easily be converted into secure moorings. (Even being in a supposed secure mooring last night did not prevent one of our fenders from disappearing by morning!) We continued into the central
areawhere there are many boats moored overnight and a quick foray suggests that we will be spoilt for choice in looking for an eating place once this blog is finished!
