Monday 20th May
2019
We left the mooring, crossed over the junction and immediately entered
the Droitwich Canal, via the very narrow bridge hole and, after just 100 yards,
encountered the first lock.
The Droitwich Canal provides a through route from the River Severn,
through the town of Droitwich, to the Worcester and Birmingham Canal. It was
actually built as two separate waterways, the two being just 7¼
miles long with 16 locks.
The Droitwich Barge Canal leaves the River Severn at Hawford Junction
and terminates in Droitwich. This was one of the earliest canals built, engineered
by James Brindley and opening in 1771, to a wide gauge allowing Severn Trows
and Wych barges to transport salt to the ports of Gloucester and Bristol.
The Droitwich Junction Canal was one of the last canals to be built, on
a narrow gauge, being completed in 1852, well after the period of “canal mania”
and after the advent of the railways. This not only connected Droitwich to
Birmingham but also to the newly opened salt works at Stoke.
The last boat navigated the Barge Canal in 1918 and the last boat on
the Junction Canal carried a cargo of bricks in the mid-1920’s. The entire
route was abandoned by an Act of Parliament in 1939.
The Droitwich Canals Trust was established in 1973 and worked
tirelessly to restore the entire link which eventually reopened in 2011.
The first three locks are very close together and use side pounds.
When emptying a lock, the first half of the water passes into a side pound
before the remainder is emptied into the canal below. Similarly, when locking
up, the lock is first filled from the side pound until the waters level and
then filled from the canal above. This method of working conserves water
supplies as the amount of water to fill a lock is roughly halved.
After these three locks the route of the canal diverts from its
original course. It passes under a small road bridge with large inflatable
buoys chained to the sides as protection and then reaches a newly constructed
staircase lock.
The Body Brook comes alongside the canal at this point and, below the
next lock, runs into the canal. One of the pair of paddles on both the last of
the staircase gates and the bottom gates of the next lock are chained shut to
restrict the amount of water passing into the pounds below so as not to raise
the level of the river too much when emptying the lock.
The whole length of the canal is exceptionally well maintained with
lots of wild flower planting. Very attractive and well used by walkers and
cyclists.
Just beyond the last lock is the M5 motorway and the combined
canal/river pass below it through a very small culvert. This culvert could
easily have prevented any chance of the restoration of the canal. Apparently
when the M5 was built, no provision was made for any future restoration of the canal
and the culvert tunnel was going to be made big enough to accommodate just the
brook. John Prescott was Transport Minister at the time and passed a bill
obliging any development to provide infrastructure for any future canal
restoration project. Hence the tunnel was enlarged to accommodate boats, but
only just.
The pretty Droitwich Junction Canal
M5 Motorway Tunnel and Height Gauge
We had heard stories of this tunnel, to have full water tanks so as to
lower the bow and if the boat so much as touches the height gauge, not to
proceed any further. We had previously walked to the tunnel and found the
height gauge to be much lower than the tunnel entrance, but then discovered the
tunnel roof slopes down dramatically throughout its length, this to speed river
water through the tunnel and prevent silting.
Our water tanks were full, everything removed from the roof and a remaining
bag of coal placed in the front cratch, and yet we still touched the height
gauge and were 1” too high. We reversed onto the lock landing and transferred
all the beer, wine and food out of the cupboards up to the front and
tentatively approached the height gauge again. This time we cleared by just ½”, it was
a stressful time.
Beyond
the motorway we entered into Droitwich itself, passing through lock 7 and back
onto the original course of the canal. At Vines Park the Junction Canal
terminates and the route continues on the Barge Canal, borne out by the wide
Barge Lock in the middle of the park with its awkward swing bridge crossing
over the lock.
Vines
Park is a beautiful spot, regularly being awarded a Green Flag. This has not
always been the case though as the park is on the site of salt works that date
back to ancient Stone Age times and only ceased commercial production in the
1920’s.
Barge Lock in
Vines Park
The
park contained no fewer than three more swing bridges in a few hundred yards,
although one is now kept open. Aaron had jumped off to do the Barge Lock and
finished up doing all the swings bridges too, on his own.
We
then came to Netherwich Basin where there are a number of private moorings and
a dozen or so public 48 hour moorings. Here we stopped. It had been an exciting
day.
We
had a walk around Vines Park, a lovely green spot right next to the town centre
that belies its industrial past. We had a pint in the Gardeners Arms, an
eccentric pub, very cosy inside but with rambling gardens outside all separate and
themed. A pint followed in the Railway Inn with a game of pool. We were both
rubbish but I still beat Aaron 2 games to 1.
Weather:
gloriously hot and sunny.
Day Total: 8 locks; 2 miles; 1 Tunnel; 3 Swing Bridges; 0 Lift
Bridges; 0 Boat Lift; engine running hours 2.9
Overall Total: 511 locks; 903 miles; 46 tunnels; 14 Swing Bridges; 3
Lift Bridges; 2 Boat Lifts; engine running hours 593.2
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