The Monk and Handy extended families decided to make a challenge of the Easter holiday by taking a 69 foot, 10 berth, narrow boat round the Stourport Ring. We started at Worcester and travelled north through Birmingham and Wolverhampton and then down to Kidderminster and Stourport, returning to Worcester on the River Severn. The challenge was that the trip involves the longest flight of locks in the country - the Tardebigge flight of 36 locks in 4 miles - one of the longest tunnels in the country, and the necessary drop down again to river level the other side of Wolverhampton. The whole ring is 84 miles and 118 locks, which we extended by a few miles and eight more locks on a detour to Stourbridge, about which the guide book waxed lyrical, but quite frankly was a bit of a disappointment.
The title above is a quote. David was heard to utter this phrase while on the phone to Jane R-O who was recounting the Youth Club's first couple of days out from Guildford. He continued to tell her that five locks was all in half an hour's work for us. Mind you we were very lucky. The weather was glorious so all hands were willing to be out and working and there weren't too many other people to hinder us. We managed to pass a family who pulled into a pub for lunch ("lunch is for wimps" Simon) and get going with advance parties having locks ready so that the boat only had to be stationary while rising in a lock. Thus we were able to get through the 36 locks in about 3½ hours.
The next three days were more restful as we passed through tunnels - good for choir practice - and wound our way past Bournville (smell the chocolate) into Birmingham. We had a bit of fun with a six foot length of barbed wire in the propeller but weren't held up too long. Then we had a day out in the Black Country Museum at Dudley, which is well worth a visit if you are ever up there. It is a reconstructed village from the Black Country's industrial peak complete with school, chapel, coal mine, shops, smithy and a pub where lager was a dirty word but there was sawdust on the floor. Lots of helpful guides in period costume explain the houses, skills and routines of life at the time. We moored here the night before and had one of several band practices on the quayside. We spent a morning in Wolverhampton and David and Lisa showed off their chapatti skills at lunchtime. Then it was back to locking as we descended the Wolverhampton 21. From here it was back to peaceful countryside and birdsong.
The residents of Dimmingsdale probably think we are crazy as we had a Bar-b-que and Murder Dinner Party on the towpath by wonderful sunset. The local joggers and dog walkers found us faintly amusing. By ten o'clock our teenage crew were begging to go to bed!! The fresh air was obviously getting to them.
Apart from David's disagreement with a bridge on our last day, a good time was had by all. We had wonderful views of the comet by night and will be entering a skipping team in the next Olympics. Here's to next year!
5 Locks in 2 days! Get Real! written by Rosemary Monk
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page last updated 8 JUNE 1997