Previous Year : 2010 The Bona Boater's Trips Following Year : 2012

2011 - The Stourport Ring & Droitwich.

Crew : John, Nursie, BTS1, Stan, Ernie, Alan, Pete M & Pete W

Boat : Enterprise [cue all the Star Trek comments]

From : Anglowelsh, Tardebigge Wharf.

Route : Tardebigge > Alvechurch > Birmingham > Brierley Hill > Stourbridge > Kinver > Kidderminster > Hawford Lock [closed] > Worcester [Droitwich by bus] > Tibberton > Hanbury Junction > Stoke Works > Alvechurch [w] > Tardebigge.

Coverage : 105 Locks and 87 Miles.

Notes : As this was a Friday to Friday trip, both Pete W and Stan would be working and would be unable to meet up with the rest of the crew at the boatyard. Instead, they would need to be picked up in Birmingham on friday evening. We were also aiming to attempt to do the Droitwich Canals as it had been recently reported that they had been opened earlier in the month. As it turned out, that 'opening' was just for publicity linked to a National Lottery Grant. Showing the canals to be navigable would ensure the remainder of the grants could be paid. The canals were then promptly closed again to complete the works - but we didn't know this at the time.

Friday 20th May

Lunchtime : Tardebigge Wharf. The crew minus Stan & Pete W picked up the boat. As they knew they would be absent due to work, they had agreed to meet up at New Street Station in Birmingham and go for a few pints in the afternoon. After a few pints, Pete W & Stan eventually made their way to The Penny Black, a Wetherspoon pub in The Mailbox complex to wait for the boat.

Afternoon : Alvechurch. After setting off from Tardebigge, the rest of the crew meanwhile had moored up at Alvechurch and gone into to The Weighbridge for a wee afternoon snifter or three before continuing on to Birmingham to pick up Pete W & Stan.

Evening : Birmingham. Pete W and Stan were waiting to be picked up outside The Penny Black. It actually has a waterbus stop right outside the door, and this was where they were hoping to be picked up - unfortunately Pete M who was steering didn't see it and sailed straight on past... Pete W and Stan then had to try to catch up with the boat, which they had done by the time the boat reached Worcester Bar. We continued the last few hundred yards and moored up on The Main line as our 'usual' spot by the NIA was already taken. We went to The Prince of Wales for some beer and had a curry at The Barajee on Broad Street before returning to The Prince of Wales for some more beer.

Saturday 21st May

Lunch : Brierley Hill. After taking our usual slightly circuitous route via The Oozels Street, Icknield Port & Soho loops, we headed for Netherton Tunnel and Brierley Hill. On arrival at the top of Delph Locks, we decided to moor on the now disused arm which leads to the old locks. There is a good mooring there but as we were to find out, the water level can fall when the locks are in use. We moored up and went to The Bull and Bladder for a few beers.

Approaching Dudley Port Junction

Windmill End - the junction in the background

The Bull & Bladder, Brierley Hill

Evening : Stourbridge. Suitably refreshed from The Bull & Bladder, we returned to the boat, and BTS1 began to reverse it out of the old arm. Not realising that the water level had dropped, he proceeded to find a submerged cill which dislocated the rudder. Still usable but a bit awkward, we set off for Stourbridge arriving there about 20:00. As Stan winded the boat opposite the Bonded Warehouse at the end of The Stourbridge Town Arm, another boater came out and suggested that we would be best breasting up to the trip boat as there were no other moorings free. We breasted up and went to The Royal Exchange. Unfortunately they were not doing food this evening. All they had was some cobs - cheese, cheese & onion or cheese, onion & Black Pudding. We proceeded to eat them out of cobs and drink them out of Batham's Mild !

The Royal Exchange, Stourbridge

Sunday 22nd May

Morning : Getting the rudder fixed. We decided that it would be prudent to call out narrowboatrepairman to fix the rudder. The man-in-the-van duly arrived and had it fixed in about 5 mins flat. Meanwhile, Pete W was still suffering from the after effects of a surfeit of last night's Mild and Cheese, Onion & Black Pudding cobs - so much so that he very nearly left his freshly-eaten breakfast on the towpath.

Lunch : Kinver. Eventually, and a little later than usual due to the repair, we set off for Kinver. On arrival in Kinver, we went to The Plough and Harrow for some more Bathams, as a sort of 'hair-of-the-dog' for Pete W.

Evening : Kidderminster. After leaving Kinver at about 16:00, we arrived in Kidderminster about 19:00 and moored up behind the new Sainsbury's Supermarket. We set off walking towards the town centre by following road signs to the Railway Station. Unfortunately, this meant that we walked virtually all the the way round the one-way system when we could have gone straight across the town centre in a quarter of the time. We eventually arrived at The King & Castle to find no food and a rather loud 60's theme night in full swing. After a few pints here, we decided to look for somewhere to eat and we found a slightly odd-looking curry house. It had some very un-curry-house-like decor - in fact it looked more like a 1970s country pub than a curry house, but the curry was nonetheless excellent. As it was quite late after the curry, we went straight back to the boat, but this time by a much more direct route.

Moored in Kidderminster

Kidderminster.

Monday 23rd May

Morning : Hawford Locks and The Droitwich Barge Canal. We set off from Kidderminster and headed for Droitwich, not sure whether or not we'd be able to get there. Recent information had been that the The Barge Canal was [..or at least had been..] open from Hawford Lock on The Severn up to Vines Park in Droitwich. There were still some minor works ongoing but those should by now have been just about finished. We did not stop at Stourport as it was too early for the pubs and it would have made us late getting to Droitwich - a good decision in hindsight. After Stan's valiant battle against the strong gusty wind blowing directly across the basin in Stourport, we eventually locked down onto River The Severn and set off for Hawford Lock, arriving there about 13:30. On our arrival we found the lock locked against us. It transpired that although the Barge Canal had indeed been opened, that this opening was in fact a bit of a publicity stunt linked to their funding... it had to be open by a certain date in order to secure the final funding. Once the restorers had shown it to be navigable, then the final funding was released and the canal could then be closed for the final works to be completed in time for the 'official' opening now due in July. We spent about half-an-hour at Hawford Locks then decided to press on to Worcester.

Leaving Kidderminster

There was a strong gusty wind blowing straight across the basin at Stourport.

The River Severn

Hawford Lock

Hawford Lock was chained up and locked

Evening : Worcester. Having been unable to access The Droitwich Barge Canal, we set off for Worcester. By now it had begun to rain, and the rain got progressively heavier as we approached Worcester. We climbed the locks to the basin and moored up. We went to The Anchor by the basin for a couple of pints and to try to dry off, but that closed at 16:00, though by now the rain had stopped. We walked round Worcester looking for somewhere decent to eat, and we found a curry house not too far from the canal basin. After the curry, we sent a runner back to The Anchor by the basin to see if we could get a last orders but we found that it was already shut.

The River Severn, Worcester

Worcester basin.

Tuesday 24th May

Morning and afternoon : Droitwich. Having taken on water, we decided to leave the boat in Worcester and go to Droitwich by bus. Due to a breakdown in communication, Pete M & Alan went to the railway station instead of the bus station and thus the crew became separated. Thanks to that miracle of modern communication known as the mobile phone, we were able to tell them where we were, but not before they had missed the bus. They managed to get the next bus and they arrived in Droitwich only about 20 minutes behind us. After a visit to the tourist information office, we set off to try and find a pub. We found an excellent pub called The Hop Pole where we had numerous pints of refreshment. We then decided we would have a look at the canal. After a visit to the old-fashioned sweet shop, we took a walk through Vines Park and had a chat with a BW chap. We eventually found another pub overlooking the new moorings at Netherwich Basin called The Railway Inn so we decided to partake of a little more refreshment here. Suitably refreshed, we set off back for the town centre and followed a signed short-cut which actually took us past the front door of The Hop Pole again, so we felt that we just had to go in for some further refreshment. Well, it would have been rude not to. Refreshed as newts we set off back for Worcester, and added Droitwich to the list of canals still to do. On arrival in Worcester, we got off the bus by The Green Dragon and went in there for even more refreshment. We then went looking for somewhere to eat, and decided on The Wetherspoons pub The Postal Order for some reason. After a meal and numerous pints here, we headed back to the boat.

The Hop Pole, Droitwich

The canal goes through Vines Park in Droitwich

The Railway Inn, Droitwich.

Wednesday 25th May

Lunch : Tibberton. We left Worcester for Tibberton, arriving there at about 11:30, which was before either of the pubs were open. Some walked down the village to see if the "calor gas & ice-cream shop" was still there. We all met up again outside The Speed The Plough. The sign on the door said it didn't open until 12.00 so some of us walked back to The Bridge. Although that also said it didn't open until 12.00 and the front door was locked, the back door was open so we went in and managed to get served. Eventually, the whole crew arrived in The Bridge so we had another couple of rounds here, and then set off for Hanbury Wharf.

The Bridge, Tibberton

Afternoon : Hanbury Junction. We decided to make a short stop at Hanbury Junction, where the other end of The Droitwich canals join the Worcester & Birmingham Canal. We moored up and walked down Hanbury Locks. They all looked in good condition and ready to use, apart from someone's washing line being tied to one of the locks' paddle gear. There was a pub called The Eagle & Sun close to the Junction but as it was shut we decided to press on to Stoke Works.

Hanbury Junction.

The Droitwich Canal starts under the bridge visible behind Nursie

The Worcester & Birmingham canal goes through the bridge just visible behind Ernie.

The Eagle & Sun, Hanbury Junction

Evening : Stoke Works. On arrival at Stoke Works, we were confronted by a boat across the cut. Having done our bit and secured it, we went into The Boat & Railway and decided to eat there. Having ordered our food, we were ushered into the large restaurant next door, where we were the only ones in. I seem to recall this being a very busy place in the past, and would have expected it to be much busier given its waterside location. There was some discussion as to whether we were going to go to another pub, but we decided to stay there in the end.

Thursday 26th May

Morning : The Tardebigge Flight. We left Stoke Works and climbed Stoke Locks then on to Tardebigge. As we climbed The Tardebigge flight, the clouds closed in and it got progressively darker. One of the pounds near the top of the flight was very low and the boat slid or ploughed its way along the bottom virtually all the way. We reached Tardebigge Top Lock by about 12:30 just as the deluge was about to start. We passed through Tardebigge and Shortwood tunnels, went past Alvechurch and winded the boat at the junction with the disused Crown Meadow Arm. We then returned to Alvechurch, moored up opposite the boatyard and went to The Weighbridge for a few beers, and to book a table for the evening meal. As it was still raining, and as we weren't going anywhere else today, we stayed there until it closed at 15:00. Still raining at 15:20, we went back to the boat.

Tardebigge Top Lock 58 under threatening cloud.

It was still raining as we left The Weighbridge..

..but the rain soon eased off..

..and five minutes later, the sun was out.

Evening : Alvechurch. At about 16:30, Pete M, Pete W, BTS1, Alan & Stan decided to walk into the town for a quick look round and a maybe a wee snifter or three. We went to The Swan - the pub where in 1992 on the first trip, we bought BTS1 five pints of mild at last orders and he had managed to drink them all. The pub has since been done up and is now barely recognisible. After a few pints here, we walked down the road to another pub called The Red Lion. We had a quick half of rather expensive and mediocre Wadworths 6X before setting off back to The Weighbridge for the meal, arriving there at almost the same time as the rest of the crew. We had an excellent meal and several pints of excellent ale before settling the mess bill. The last photo of the trip showed Stan on The Black Spot. Evidence that he would need to remember to bring it next year.

The Swan, Alvechurch.

Closing time at The Weighbridge, and Stan is on the Token until next year.

Friday 27th May

Morning : Tardebigge Wharf. We left Alvechurch and arrived back at the boatyard just before 09:00 and proceeded to unload the stuff. Loading the cars up was a bit tricky. Coming down, Pete W, Stan and all Stan's stuff came by train but going back, we somehow had to fit all the stuff which came down plus Pete W plus Stan plus all Stan's stuff into the two cars. It was a bit tight but we somehow managed to get it all in. We set off back, and after an emergency toilet stop at the first motorway services, and dropping Pete M at Trowell Services, we went to The Karachi for a Curry and the Al Halal for some shopping then home to relative normality for another year.

Back at Tardebigge Old Wharf.

Previous Year : 2010 The Bona Boater's Trips Following Year : 2012