Firstly I must say how much we enjoyed our forty six mile trip down the Staffs and Worcs Canal from Great Haywood down To Stourport. The whole stretch is so well maintained and runs through some beautiful countryside. Well done to those keep it in such good condition. We thought of our old friends Hugh and Frieda as this was their favourite canal during their boating days. They had given us so much useful advice and invited us aboard their boat long before we got onto the water aboard Oakfield.
Seven lambs a-frolicking on the banks of the Severn.
It may be easier to see the Droitwich Canal when coming up the Severn, but coming down you have to turn sharply back on yourself to approach the entrance. Even though we had a good journey down the Severn we breathed a sigh of relief to get back onto the canal system. We had to negotiate eight wide locks which were quite strenuous on the back and arms.
We could just glimpse Mildenham Mill whilst waiting for the nearby lock 4. Beyond the eight locks the canal was well lined with tall reeds and many fishing platforms had been erected along the towpath. So, as there were no designated moorings we had to keep plodding along until we got to the railway bridge and spotted some ‘tin’. We had done 11 locks and over 15 miles, (including the river) thankfully, it had been a long uneventful day, but we were knackered. So we pulled in and quickly nailed the boat to the towpath. Paddy and Ruth soon came up behind us and we all collapsed aboard Oakfield for some well earned alcoholics! As it was about 9pm we had a quick sandwich, then flopped into bed.
At least the weather behaved itself for our journey so we didn’t get blown around or soaking wet, hooray!
If you plan to do the Droitwich, be aware between the town centre and the Severn it is narrow with reeds encroaching on both sides and it is not possible to moor, unless you wish to chance the shallow sides and the reeds.
We will update on the section between the town and the Worcester and Birmingham canal when we have completed it.
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