Tag Archives: Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal

Friday 11 April – Straight Lines, Speedwell Castle, and a Swan’s Nest

Easter 2025, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Distance travelled: 23 miles (by boat from Gailey Visitor Moorings above Lock to Norbury Junction Visitor Moorings)

Map showing a route marked in blue, connecting various locations in a part of the countryside. Several points of interest and landmarks are labeled along the route, which travels through a mix of urban and rural areas.
All our canal route planning came from CanalPlan

Locks: 2. Total so far: 63

A canal boat is traveling along a misty waterway, surrounded by trees and power lines. The sun is rising in the background, casting soft light over the scene, creating a serene and tranquil atmosphere. A life buoy and ropes are visible on the boat's deck.
A narrowboat floats along a misty canal at sunrise, with soft sunlight illuminating the scene. Trees line the banks, and a life buoy rests on the boat's roof alongside a coiled rope. The atmosphere is tranquil and serene.
My Dad is annoyed that the stuck his finger over the lens in the left hand image, so he asked ChatGPT to fix it. It’s a good effort but it isn’t right is it.

I used to think all canals were just bendy and slow with lots of locks. But today wasn’t like that at all.

A young girl in a bright orange life jacket stands alongside a narrowboat named "Eleanor" at a sunny canal dock. Lush greenery and blooming trees surround the area, while other people are seen in the background. The scene captures a charming outdoor setting.

We joined a new canal called the Shropshire Union Canal, or the “Shroppie” which people call it for short. It felt totally different. We travelled 23 miles and only had to do TWO locks. One of them only changed the water level by 10 centimetres, which is basically nothing.

That’s all thanks to Thomas Telford—the same man who made Harecastle Tunnel from earlier in the week. He didn’t bother following the land, he went through it. He cut through hills, built embankments and bridges, and did everything he could to make the canal level and straight. The Shroppie was the last narrow canal built in England and opened in 1835. When it was new, people called it the “main line”. It was like a motorway for boats.

A view from the top of a canal boat, showcasing a blue cover, orange life buoy, and a length of chain. In the background, tall trees line a path, and fence borders the canal as it crosses over an aqueduct, against a clear blue sky. The setting appears peaceful and rural.
Going over Thomas Telford’s Stretton Aqueduct that crosses the A5 – which follows the route of an old Roman Road!
A narrow, tranquil canal surrounded by lush green trees and steep, natural banks. The water is gently rippling under a clear blue sky, with a path running alongside the right side of the canal. The perspective looks down the length of the canal, creating a sense of depth.
This is an example of how Telford would ‘cut’ through the landscape to carve out the canal.

We stopped at a village called Brewood (which is actually pronounced “Brood”, weirdly). On the way to the playground we passed “Speedwell Castle”. Apparently someone built it in the 1700s after their horse won a race.

Three-story brick building with large, arched windows, featuring intricate designs. The structure has a prominent entrance and is situated at a street corner, with a sign indicating it is a hotel. The surrounding area includes additional buildings with traditional architecture, under a clear blue sky.

Even better than that fancy building was stopped at a bakery. And then stopping there again for cake on our way back to the boat. Yummy.

Back on the boat, I learned a game called Citadels with my godfather Dave. It’s a card game where you try to build a city and do sneaky things. I think I got the hang of it!

We finished the day at Norbury Junction. A long time ago, the Shrewsbury Canal joined here, and some people are trying to bring it back. Right now, the junction is home to lots of moored boats—and also to a pair of swans sitting on their nest. I didn’t get a photo, but I did catch a glimpse of the eggs when one of the swans shifted around. It felt like a secret moment.

A narrowboat is moored by the edge of a calm canal, beside a concrete path. To the side a swan is sat on top of its nest, incubating eggs.

We had dinner at the Junction Inn, sitting in the garden by the water as the sun set. The light made the whole canal glow golden. Today was a really good day.

Thursday 10 April – Ice and my First Lock

Easter 2025, , ,

Distance travelled: 20 miles (by boat from Upper Burston Bridge No 86 to Gailey Visitor Moorings above Lock)

A map showing a route with a marked path in blue, connecting two points. The surrounding area features various place names and geographic details, indicating a rural landscape.
All our canal route planning came from CanalPlan

Locks: 15. Total so far: 61

When I woke up and looked out the window, the roof of the boat was covered in ICE. In April! I touched it and it melted straight away but still. Ice. In the morning. On a boat!

A misty morning scene with a calm canal reflecting the early sunlight. A solitary tree stands on the riverbank, casting a shadow on the water. A narrowboat is visible on the right side, with a bright orange life ring on its roof. The atmosphere is tranquil, with soft colours of dawn.

But once the sun came out it got properly warm and the whole day turned out to be lovely.

Today we didn’t really have any big stops, just kept going along the canal. We changed canals again, this time we joined the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal – and that’s a long name to type every time. It’s part of something called the Four Counties Ring.

I was getting better at helping with the locks. I was really becoming a good Lock Labourer. Some of the locks are really deep and the gates are heavy but I liked doing them. Hard work and great exercise.

At one point we went through some locks right next to the the M6 motorway. It was loud and full of lorries and not very pretty. Once upon a time there was a lock keeper’s cottage here but it’s long since been demolished. 200 years ago it was probably really beautiful here but today you’d get a motorway for a neighbour!

A clear blue sky above a scene that used to be the site of the lock keeper's cottage but is now cleared scrub land and a brick wall in the foreground. The canal boat is visible in the lock in the foreground while in the background the passing traffic of the M6 motorway is visible.
Would you have wanted to live this close to a motorway? I don’t think so!

When we got to the Gailey Roundhouse, I got to do a lock paddle all by myself. Dad stood nearby just in case but I did the whole thing. I loved it and was very proud!

A brick tower with a rounded top (the Gailey Roundhouse) stands beside a canal. In the foreground, a lock mechanism is visible, and two children in orange life jackets are preparing to close one side of the lock gates. The lock gate is designed at a right angle because it is so close to the road bridge. The scene is bright under clear blue skies.