Final locks and a good mooring above Lapworth

Monday, 09 January 2012 08:04

The last four locks on the Lapworth Flight are in pairs. Leaving Lock 6, there is about half a mile to number 5. This is where we had remembered our nice mooring - above Bridge 31, not 34!

Possible mooring and plenty of room above Bridge 31

But I am forgetting Lock 6 - what did we see .....

We saw three ships - none of them sailing in and none of them on the move! 

Strictly speaking none of them were "ships"

Poor toy sailing boat, I hope its owner returns to claim it. The rowing boat is somebody's "tender" and there is a narrowboat in the distance.

Bridge 31 - note the white triangle warning of the low headroom 

14D Moorings free! But not for us this time

Locks 5 and 4 are close together, separated by Bridge 30

Lock 5

Lock 3 is not far above 4 and then it was the Top Lock, number 2. Phew, nearly there.

Yew Tree Cottage below Top Lock

The Top Lock is number 2, as the guillotine lock at Kings Norton Junction is number 1. The lock is now obsolete, but the guillotine gate remains. Tired, but satisfied at the achievement, we were glad to reach the top.

In the Top Lock

This may be the last lock we do for a while, so now our exercise will be down to walking and maybe a game of golf for John. We had decided to go on to be near Hockley Heath, as then we could go to church on Sunday. We had a lift bridge to do - now that was hard and heavy! I tried and failed, so John had to take over. It is raised by hydraulics using a windlass and my lung were just about bursting after three turns of the windlass!

Lift Bridge 28

A long line of permit moorings until we reached Swallow Cruisers at the next bridge followed; then they continued after the wharf too. 

Swallow Cruisers Wharf

The canal enters a cutting near Hockley Heath and, as we wanted a TV signal, we moored before the next lift bridge, within walking distance of Hockley Heath.

Moored below Bridge 26 and John puts up the satellite dish

North Stratford Canal, Bird in Hand Bridge 34 to Hockley Heath
2 hours 50 minutes, 1.91 miles, 13 locks