Tuesday 8th October; Tardebigge top pound to Stoke Works visitor moorings
We awoke to gentle rain. The forecast was for rain coming and going all morning, but today’s the day for the descent and we’ll have to get on with it. We just hoped it wouldn’t be as wet as last year, when all movement on the flight was halted for 2 hours to stop flooding lower down – we had to moor in a lock by the reservoir to have lunch and wait it out. No rush today, as only one other boats was moored, and they came up yesterday. These locks mostly drain overnight, so they would all be empty anyway. We started at about 8.45. We were just descending in the first lock when a volunteer arrived to set the next one! Sam was soon joined by Rob, who we have met before.
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| Probably lock 48, near the reservoir. Sam and Rob are following Jess down. |
Progress was swift and smooth, though poor Dave gets a bit bored when there is lots of help to deal with locks, and it’s also much colder standing still on the boat – I was getting hot and peeling layers off while he shivered. The bywashes had been running all morning from the rain over the last couple of nights, and with locks being emptied too there was a lot of water coming down.
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| The extra water was doing the job of the offside ground paddle – lucky, as I was not going to walk round across the bottom gates – and certainly not going to risk walking through that flow! |
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| No need to raise paddles, the locks were filling themselves with the extra water. |
At Halfway House bridge we met a boat coming up, with three more volunteers. Dave, who is still undergoing his training, joined Rob and Sam to help us. We started to get warnings about a hornet’s nest at a house by the canal, apparently in a dog kennel. Where could that be but the Noisy Dog House?
The noisy dog is no more, but last year the other dog, much more friendly, was still around and the house occupied, as ever surrounded by a vast array of radio aerials. The house is now empty, and we realised later that the aerials had gone too.
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| Dave and Dave (and walkers too) at lock 38 |
After the early drizzle it had stayed largely dry, apart from the occasional few spots of rain. Locking ahead, I spotted another boat on its way up, so after relaying the message to the others I waited for them to arrive. With two crew they were working well. While the lock was filling there was a beautiful rainbow.
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| Rainbow at lock 37 |
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| Pot of gold in that field? |
Sam and Dave went back up the flight with the other boat while Rob stayed to help us down the rest of the flight. It had taken us just a few minutes over three hours, and we were easily moored in time for lunch.
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| Community workboat moored near the bottom of the flight. The volunteers had been hard at work cutting back offside vegetation. |
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| Sponsors |
When I made the soup yesterday, we had no idea how cold, wet and tired we’d be by now. We weren't cold or wet, and not even particularly tired! – but it was nice not to have to make sandwiches.
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| Moored at the Queen’s Head – not the best spot. Poor edge and too close to the pub garden. |
The original plan had been to stay here and eat in the pub. But tomorrow morning there is a temporary stoppage at Stoke Bottom lock while a paddle is repaired and an attempt made to lessen leaks. Normally we wouldn’t mind the delay, but Dave needs to collect the car from Stone on Thursday – what if there is a problem with the repair and the stoppage goes on all day? Or longer? The forecast for the afternoon was not good, but fortified by our hearty soup we still had the energy for more locks. We thought we'd best get the wet-weather gear on before we started. It quickly became apparent it would be needed and it rained the whole way down the Stoke flight.
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| Ferns and/or liverworts in one of the locks, enjoying the conditions |
We met just one other boat on the move, and we cheerily waved at each other as we passed. We moored on the rings at Stoke Works, by the new housing and opposite the business park. We lit the fire straight away to start drying out – Dave discovered his jacket was beginning to need reproofing and his jumper was damp. The sun came out for a short while but the rain didn’t stop! We briefly considered visiting the Boat and Railway, where we’ve never been before, but not for long – it was far too wet to be bothered.
3¾ miles, 35 locks.
