One of the many attractions of a canal break is the fun in planning your route in advance: you can study the guide books, search the internet and even refer to the 'Good Beer Guide' if that's your taste.
The really keen can work out their timings and decide just where they want to moor for lunch or spend the night in a quiet country location. Then, of course, you arrive at the boatyard, pick up your boat and throw all the plans out of the window and go in the opposite direction having a great time anyway. That is what happened to a group of five of us who enjoyed a spring break from Worcester. Two of the five-man crew shared a birthday - and this year it was a 'significant' one for both of them, a 50 and a 60. Such a landmark had to be celebrated and they decided to get away from it all on the Worcester and Birmingham Canal. The plan was to pick up a boat from Viking Afloat - part of the Drifters consortium of quality hire boat companies - in Worcester and head down to the River Severn, nip up to Stourport and join the Staffordshire and Worcester Canal. This delightful canal winds through some of the loveliest countryside on the canal network and was deemed to be ideal for a get-away-from-it-all break. But it had been raining. And while this does not matter on the canal system, where rivers are involved it can make a dangerous difference. High water running down the Severn from the Welsh hills could have proved very difficult for a narrowboat and we might even have been left stranded up stream. As soon as we arrived at the boatyard, the friendly and helpful staff opened with the question: 'Which way are you going". When we replied that we would have liked to have gone up river but thought we might be better going the other way, their relief was palpable. It epitomised their whole introduction; they were first and foremost concerned with our safety while leaving us alone to run our own break in our own way. The boat they showed us round was spacious and well-appointed - plenty of bunks and cooking space along with a shower and two toilets. Even though we were an experienced crew the staff made a point of satisfying themselves that all the controls were fully understood and left us with emergency contact numbers if necessary. So then we were off, up the Worcester and Birmingham. Well, no, not quite. For two locks up from the boatyard a working trader butty - that's an unpowered boat pulled by a powered one - had turned out to be an inch or so too wide and was stuck fast. So it was back to plan A and a run down to the famous Diglis basin where the canal joins the river; this is a fascinating spot which is the subject of a massive urban regeneration project.
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A bit of pondering as to what to do next was solved by the attentive staff at Viking. They rang the mobile contact number we had left them to say the lock was now free and we could start our trip in earnest. So it was back to plan B - or was it now plan D? - and up the canal. British Waterways' staff spent the next few days shaving a bit off the lock stonework to make sure this problem did not arise again.
The W&B is a fascinating canal for the newcomer and enthusiast alike. It runs for 30 miles through rural Worcestershire into the heart of Birmingham and has a rather daunting 58 locks. But 30 of them are in the famous Tardbigge Flight in the run-up to Birmingham, which makes a great experience for those lucky to be on a long trip but a bit time consuming for a short break. However the stretch from Worcester to Stoke Prior at the bottom of the flight was perfect for a short break, running through some beautiful countryside and by friendly villages - ideal places to moor. The final night was spent back in Worcester before handing the boat back. It is always an enjoyable experience to find quiet and safe moorings in the heart of a busy city and those outside the Commandery in Worcester are very attractive. And a significant birthdav trip was enjoyed by all. As one of the principles said: "Many people go on a cruise for their sixtieth, but they couldn't have had more fun than we had on this cruise." Short breaks are the ideal way to discover the pleasures of narrow- boating and a canal like the Worcester and Birmingham has plenty to interest and whet the appetite. Weekend breaks from Viking Afloat run from Friday afternoon to Monday morning while their midweek breaks are even better value, running from Monday afternoon to Friday morning. It is then time to start looking at one and two-week breaks to really wind down and enjoy life at a human speed. • An enjoyable day out can be had at one of the waterways museums. The Waterways Trust owns Britain's three leading waterways museums and The Waterways Archive. The National Waterways Museum, Gloucester, Boat Museum at Ellesmere Port and Canal Museum, Stoke Brueme, attract more than 100,000 visitors each year to a mix of events, exhibitions and fixed displays Previously independent, the three museums came together in 1999 with the formation of The Waterways Trust. |
