Returning to Dunhampstead

Looking_down_toward_Diglas_Basin

Side of the Worcester china factory reflected

Sign on the edge of the canal

We had breakfast on the boat again, and our SIL jogged up as far as the railroad bridge, came back and showered. They had been awakened in the early hours by a mother swan chasing her adolescent cygnets down the canal. She did the same about 7 in the morning. Apparently the lower gates of lock #3 were open a little bit, and the cygnets were sticking their heads between the lock gates and trying to get into the lock, and she didn't want them doing that.

Bridge and canal gate

Adolescent cynet

I thought we should get a jump start on everyone (including all the duck feeding people) and leave early. We could see the lock #3 was in the down position, so all we would have to do is open the doors - we wouldn't have to empty the lock first. And in fact all but one lock all the way back all we had to do was open the doors and drive in and then fill the lock and drive out.

Going up to open lock #3

Looking up from inside the lock

However at the first lock, we had a slight problem in that the engine was running (and was putting out a LOT of black smoke - it was a diesel so it always put out some, but this was more than usual),

Smoke from the engine

but the transmission wasn't engaging so the boat wasn't going forward.

Inside the lock

Bob managed to keep the rudder off the gates, and then when we got to the top of the lock, I handed my daughter and SIL a line and they pulled us out of the lock. We tied up and Bob opened up the little prop box to see if it was fouled, but didn't find anything. And when he started the engine again, everything appeared to be fine.

Houses beside the canal

House infested with ducks

Docks and private mooring

Mother and ducklings

Moorhen hiding

Mute swans

Under the bridge to the lock

open lock gates

daughter pushing lock gate lever

Then we ran aground in the middle of the canal and had to back off (using the punting pole) and try again.

approaching lock

Daughter at closed gate

Approaching lock

Approaching lock

Lock gates

Daughter beside lock

A little later at lock 5 or 6, a piece of wood got stuck in the lock gate, and kept it from opening all the way, so when we tried to drive into the lock, we got wedged in and couldn't go forward any more.

Lock gates being closed

Bob had me come back to run the engine, and he and our daughter and SIL pushed the boat backwards using the boat hook and pole as I revved up the engine in reverse until we got unstuck.

Down in the lock

Then they shut the gate the piece of wood dropped out and the gate could open again. We stopped about 10 am after lock #8 (bridge 15) where there was a Leisure Center with a playground, and let our grandson off to go play

Fisherman and playground

grandson

We had morning tea with scones and clotted cream and jam. We hadn't been able to get a morning paper, or we would have read it then.

This time when we went through the 6 Offerton Locks, our daughter drove and her husband and Bob worked the locks

Daughter at the tiller

Bob at the lock gate

Swan looking at son-in-law

Grandson and son-in-law pushing lock gate

Hand on the tiller

Approaching lock

daughter at the tiller

Son-in-law and Bob walking the canal path

Bob by the open gate

Daughter at the tiller sitting on the roof

Bob with winder in his hand

We stopped at Tibberton again and had lunch on the boat, and took naps

Then we proceeded to Dunhampstead

Reflections

Reflected bridge

Bob and daughter at the tiller

Calm canal - rushes intruding onto canal

reflections

private boat reflected

Beautifully painted private narrowboat

so that our grandson could drive back to their house with his dad so he could go to camp and his father could go to work in the morning. We tried to fill up with water, but the sign said there was a charge. Actually according to the hire boat guy, the sign was wrong, and we could have gotten water without paying because it was the hire boat company's water point.

Sign pointing to water point

We moored in the hire company basin, and unloaded stuff.

Dunhampsted hire company basin

Unloading the boat

After Bob wandered around and looked at the spray booth and the new boat they were building there,

Dunhampsted spray booth

we went and had dinner at the Fir Tree Inn (which I have been told is now closed)

sign for the Fir Tree Inn by the last bridge

The Fir Tree Inn in Dunhampstead served Greene King IPA and Old Speckled Hen. It advertises the murders at Oddingly as part of the ambience. We decided to eat inside. It was too hot to eat outside because there was no shade. They had a lunch board which said 2 course lunch was £7.95, but they said it was too late for lunch. The dinners started at about £10.95. They changed their minds and said we could have lunch after all. I had roast beef with yorkshire pudding (which wasn't a real one - more like a muffin than a popover), Bob had turkey and dressing and our daughter had pork and dressing. I had Bristol crème Brule for dessert, and Bob had chocolate fudge cake with ice cream

After we got back to the boat another couple with two teen age boys came in and moored next to us. They had the boat for a week and had done the whole ring up through Birmingham. They said it was nice except for the Wolverhampton part when some boys made rude remarks like they were going to break in a steal stuff off the boat (the TV) and asking them for a ride etc.

In the loose-leaf binder that came with the boat (in case we forgot the operating directions) it said in that case to take their pictures (which I probably would have done anyway - I came back from this two week trip (the whole trip not just this weekend) with 26 floppies of digital pictures (between 6 and 20 per disk) and 12 rolls of film). This particular day, since it was bright and sunny, I took a LOT of pictures.