Narrowboat Epiphany moors in an historic place

Wednesday, 29 February 2012 21:50

But first we had to "unmoor" narrowboat Epiphany from our quiet mooring out in the sticks on the Worcester and Birmingham Canal.

About to leave

We had two tunnels, another hire boat base and more countryside to cruise through ......

Our first tunnel was Shortwood Tunnel - a short tunnel under woods and a couple of fields! Only 613 yards long it did not take long.

Entering Shortwood Tunnel from the east

Leaving the west end

Right as we exited there were floating branches - results of the tree control just down the cut. The mess on the towpath is a real nuisance, as is the saw dust left by other boaters right by moorings. It gets everywhere. At Hopwood I was for ever sweeping it up, even though we avoided it as much as possible. Boaters' litter!

Felled trees and sawdust

Open countryside followed and a good view of HMP Hewell on the off side over the fields. We tried to moor around here, but the edge of the canal is so shallow that we went aground and had an alarming list. We gave up and continued!

View across to HMP Hewell

The moorings at Brockhill, just before the Anglo Welsh Hire base are on the off side. Narrowboat Shilling caused John to comment "I guess this belongs to two leather workers". He had to explain, can you work it out?

Narrowboat Shilling

No? - well read to the end and I promise to elucidate! We made our way through all the hire boats at the base - a narrow gap with permit moorings opposite. All the boats were looking smart and up to the standard we expected from Anglo Welsh in our hiring days.

Anglo Welsh Wharf and boats

Silver Dove was the name of our last AW hire boat back in about 1999 on the Kennet and Avon Canal. We stayed the night on her in Bath the day before Epiphany was launched in 2006 (Thank you, Richard!). This is the same hire narrowboat in the new green livery.

Silver Dove

Our next tunnel was Tardebigge Tunnel: rather longer and more spectacular. The western portal spills right onto Tardebigge Wharf and a piece of waterways history.

Exiting Tardebigge Tunnel

We pulled into the sani-station to fil up with water and dispose of some rubbish before going over to the moorings above the Top Lock of the Tardebigge Lock Flight.

Epiphany moored above Tardebigge Top Lock

Right opposite us, beside the permanent moorings here is where Tom Rolt moored his narrowboat Cressey in 1946. Here, he and Angela Rolt met Robert Aickman and decided to found the Inland Waterways Association. An historic place to be and where we planned to stay for a couple of days to explore. So there is more to come soon.  

And John's "joke"?  - an obscure reference to the fact that a "tanner" was sixpence in old money and two sixpences made a shilling -  yeah, OK!