All set for the river tomorrow

Monday 7^th September; Wolverley to nearly Stourport

Overnight I had noticed the water pump cutting in now and then, when normally it may only be once, if that.  At breakfast Dave realised it was every 30 seconds!  So before we did anything else I emptied the cupboards under the sink so that he could start crawling around checking for leaks.  Nothing at all, nor in the bathroom or under the calorifier.  Before starting on the radiators he gave the inlet valve on the calorifier a wiggle just to check there wasn’t a tiny leak.  There wasn’t, but by the time he had checked the cabin bilge and put the steps and the covers back in place the noise had stopped.  In the end it was 10 o’clock before we moved off.  A boat was coming up Wolverley lock – this is very deep and getting across the lock when the bottom gates are open involves climbing a stile into the pub entrance, walking along the pavement by a busy road, and climbing over railings to avoid a longer walk.  It is not far to Wolverley Court lock, which is quieter but has its own peculiarity. 

The gear for opening the gate paddles is short and there isn’t enough space to stand to open them in the normal way, at least not for a short person.  I found it easiest to sit on the beam to open them safely.

There is a wide grassy area between the canal and the river and it wasn’t just people and dogs striding out.

We moored above Kidderminster lock for a trip to Sainsbury’s and Halfords, and Dave bought a new pair of trainers in Mountain Warehouse which was conveniently close too.  It was approaching 12 as we set off again – the church above the lock, St Mary and All Saints, has a carillon which plays a tune just before midday and possibly other hours too.  The lock is another very deep one and horrendously noisy with the ring road crossing just yards away.  A hire boat was waiting below and we were soon on our way away from the traffic.   There were two more locks to be done, neither of which is very deep.  Caldwall was full and Falling Sands nearly so, and we were soon through.

The red sandstone overhangs the approach to Caldwall lock

We stopped for lunch once we found a stretch of Armco, then moved on to moor in our usual spot between Oldington and Bullock Lane bridges – close enough to Stourport but still in the countryside and nice and open for the solar.  Dave carried on with the varnishing and I dismantled the roast chicken and boiled up the bones.  Plenty of left-overs!  Before we went to bed we hauled out the anchor from its hidey-hole under the bed as we’ll be on the river tomorrow.  The lifejackets live with the waterproofs so they are easily accessible in the morning.

4½ miles, 5 locks.