Stourbridge Canal and Delph Locks

This cruise saw us descending the 8 Delph Locks (also called the Delph Nine as there used to be one more). We'd often cycle to the 10th Lock pub for a drink or snack when we lived locally so we had fond memories of the area.

We've found the best system for working locks and managing the dogs is for Vicky to take Leo in a bag and Tiger on a lead and harness while Will steers the boat. Vicky can set the locks and begin to fill or empty and Will can hop on and off. Tiger doesn't need to worry about being on board while in the locks and Leo doesn't need to worry about being left behind. The furries do complicate things but we wouldn't be without them!

Half way down the flight and Vicky was beginning to get a bit tired. A number of people had passed by but a family of 4 stopped to watch. The son seemed particularly interested so Vicky asked if he wanted to open on of the gates. He was really keen and in the end the mum, Dad and Older daughter all helped us down the rest way! Will gave Noah a ride down the last lock as a thank you. As they continued on their walk and we continued on our cruise it emerged that Will had been the Dad's maths teacher at Hillcrest School! It's a small world 😊

The bottom of the locks marked the change from the Dudley No1 Canal to the Stourbridge Canal. It was shallow, making navigation difficult and various obstacles such as shopping trolleys didn't help. We eventually found a part of the bank to moor that wasn't silted up. The area is extremely industrial with a large number of small businesses lining the canal.

Will had scoped out a place to park Martha at the next bridge, so
walked back to Merry Hill to fetch her. The following day we drove Whiskers to PA Stewart Vets for his second booster. They'd been our vets previously so we knew they were good and they already had our details on their system.

Having Martha with us has some advantages but generally they are outweighed by the disadvantages. We considered driving into Stourbridge for supplies but for the amount of time it would have taken to find parking then walk into the centre of town it was easier to take the bus instead. We plan to return Martha to storage in Northumberland soon.Okumaya devam et