Some Locks for the accompanied Soloist

Wednesday, 15 September 2010 14:50

Onward towards Lapworth

My good friends Gill and Geoff aboard narrowboat Petroc had to catch up this morning. They set off around 7.20 am and I prepared to cast off and then waited for them.

Here they come - with Barney!

Gill was on foot, so offered to open Shirley Draw Bridge. I lent her my Watermate Key, but it wasn't quite as easy as it should have been. Eventually the two of us extrapolated from BW's instructions and worked out how to operate the console. I reboarded Epiphany and led the way through.

From just past the Railway Bridge I was following the same journey as we did on February 25th this year, and strangely enough took similar photos. So clickety click for the usual detail! My latest pictures are here: clickety click

Friend Stephen emailed me to ask how I was going to cope with the offside lift /draw bridges on the North Stratford Canal - answer below:

The 4th of that set is courtesy of Gill on narrowboat Petroc - thanks!

It's been a while since I single-handed through a lock, but with narrow ones like the top four on the Lapworth flight, it's relatively easy:

....especially when "angels" appear to help. Sadly these ladies were with their boat coming UP the flight. By the way, Lapworth Top Lock is numbered 2 - as the Guillotine Lock at Kings Norton Junction is number 1. So it was just four locks today, and I / we moored just west of Bridge 31 - Epiphany is building a memory! Tomorrow to the bottom of the flight...

3 hours 35 minutes, 7.07 miles, 4 locks