Just a quick summation of the last week, daughter Natalie and Co. arrived last Friday and joined us at Stoke Wharf. Saturday morning we set off, Tardebigge (Accent on the BIG) ahead. The first six locks are officially the Stoke Flight, followed by the thirty of Tardebigge, don't let this fool anyone, they are all one flight!
These are two adjacent locks with a pound of only a few hundred yards between so how are they two flights?
A note for anyone planning to moor in Stoke Pound before tackling the flight, get there early, by 1430 yesterday it was moored boats nose to tail, not a spare space to be seen.
The locks come thick and fast with the top paddles being stiff and heavy but the gates are quite easy, for a given value of easy.
These three stalwarts had no problem with them.
Still the locks come one after another until you see
the old engine house that used to pump water from the reservoir to the top of the flight, it means that all you have left is
the very deep top lock, once the site of an experimental boat lift, it seems the old time boatmen weren't gentle enough with it so it was replaced with this lock.
Also spotted on the flight, I thought all these horrors had been consigned to the black museum of waterways history but two survive at Tardebigge.
The locking crew pose for posterity.
By Sunday we were in Brummagem and Monday we went into town,
The Floosie in the Jacuzzi was running well and we did the family photo
at the Bullring.
Back at the boat it was bubble time,
guess who was having the most fun?
It seems there was a riot in the city centre but the Gas Street area saw none of it, all was quiet.
Tuesday down to the Black Country Museum, a winner with the grandsprogs, especially the fairground.
and Wednesday back to Brum, still all quiet at Gas Street. It was then the trip in reverse, back to Tardebigge, passing the IWA Rolt/Aickman memorial,
now looking a bit shabby, down the flight and this morning we bade farewell to the family and life is now back to normal. We've had a great week.
Watch this space..............
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