Left hand down a bit

23 miles, 28 locks  and 2 short tunnels lie between Compton (first lock down from the summit) and York Street Lock (the final lock into Stourport Basins).

In four hops Cleddau descended to Stourport-on-Severn with overnight stops above Bratch Locks, below Gothersley Lock, below Kinver Lock and about a mile beyond Falling Sands Lock.Was it really only three years ago when this outbound route was travelled…?  There were memories of some of the Staffs and Worcs distinctive structures: the circular weirs above some of the locks, the strange slots in the wall above Awbridge Lock, the octagonal toll house above the Bratch locks where care must be taken with the blue (first) then red paddles,       the boundary stone between Staffordshire and Worcestershire near Cookley ( misty photo blurred by rain), the elaborate brickwork at a former carpet factory in Kidderminster  and the railway viaduct towering over the canal bridge at Falling Sands… The further south west you go the more aware you are of effort it must have taken to cut a canal route through the red sandstone and to maintain a navigation above the river floor. A stunning boat emerged from the Bratch Top Lock one morning – this was an original inspection boat used by the directors of the Staffs and Worcs Canal Company – it’s in private hands now, her owner living in Cumbria.  What elegant lines she has… Speaking of boats this was a more modern one pictured a day or so previously – how pink it is!   Another boat that caught the eye was this one moored at Kinver.  Previously owned by the Tentatrice crew she has new owners and a new name now. Kinver is a charming village nestled a little above the canal but below the well-known escarpment of Kinver Edge.   The village was quiet on a Wednesday afternoon, early closing day, it transpired. The butchers and bakers were closed (but there were candles available in a gift shop!)  Undeterred the Captain explored a small arcade – and there, with chairs outside for waiting customers, was a small jeweller’s shop. The mission that had failed at Penkridge (a replacement watch battery and a date re-set) was achieved in Kinver for the princely sum of £5. Friendly service with a smile and unhurried conversation – no wonder there was a queue of loyal customers outside the shop!Below Kinver Lock a commercial operation seemed to be doing well. Canoes and kayaks could be booked online by the hour, a good activity for youngsters and for families.  A boat with three paddlers came along, perhaps the crew were getting tired. “Left hand down,” said an adult male voice, repeating it, “Left hand DOWN…” Aah, “Left hand down a bit…” who remembers ‘The Navy Lark’ of years gone by?  (a BBC radio sitcom show from 1959 onwards)The next lock after Kinver, Whittington Lock, required more than a bit of left hand down – the crew of nb Chouette had recently cruised this way and warned of its very tough paddle gear on the lower gate. On Thursday morning there was already a boat at the lock landing. After the boat had moved into the lock a chap was seen struggling with that tough paddle. Equipped with the long throw windlass the Captain set off to help but with super strength the chap managed to wind the paddle up himself. The Captain crossed the lock to wind up the other paddle.   Once the boat was lowered the offside front gate couldn't be opened by either the Captain or the boater’s crew or by both of them… A very large boat barge pole had to be deployed to dislodge a large lump of wood...  Another case of left hand down a bit…! Cleddau’s transit down through Whittington Lock was less eventful - but up on the lock side the Captain did at least have two windlasses to choose from...The day wore on, the drizzle becoming short, sharp showers – and then longer showers…It was a 7 lock day and at all but one lock the chamber had to be filled before use. At Wolveley a C&RT crew was unloading stop planks, orange netting and heavy tool bags after a morning’s repair work at the next lock along. Onnward, for a canal side top up shop at Kidderminster’s Sainsbury’s.  Kidderminster Lock is overlooked by St Mary’s Church – was it usual on a Thursday afternoon for there to be a bell-ringing practice?   Then, after a top up of water and two more locks, a rural mooring not far from Stourport was found.  High hedges on one side and higher trees on the offside made for a darker than preferred mooring. Too tired to move further, the crew tied the boat up and retreated inside. Phone and internet signal were weak – and that was the evening Cal Gal made a last FaceTime call from Southern California before flying up to college in Washington State. All the best to her!Cal Gal at her high school graduation in June. Next day, with Destination Stourport just a couple of miles away, the boat cruised past the town’s outskirts, past 3 canal side pubs to moor above York Street Lock. Someone somewhere had asked the Captain how far he was going – “Stourport-on Severn” he had said. “Oh, you mean Blackpool-on-Severn,” she had replied.  Now how right was that?

Stats (as corrected at 17/08/24)

Aldersley Junction to Stourport-on-Severn: 25 miles, 28 locks, 0 swing bridges2024 Totals:312¼ miles, 12 tunnel passages, 185 locks, 8 swing bridges *2024 Monkton Moments* (Monkton Moment*- a reference to / recognition of Cleddau’s Pembrokeshire connections) – now 17Tudor Rose enquiries: 2Footballs floating in the cut: 8Supermarket trolleys visible in the cut: 2Snapped in passing: 1. Spot the initials 2.Garden bananafest