Hawne Basin

 Today's Canals - Titford, Old Main Line, New Main Line, Dudley No 2

As we were moored directly alongside the facilities, it seemed a waste not to use them before setting off. As Mike was putting the hosepipe away, the chap who lives on the adjacent boat and seems to be a caretaker and member of the BCNS (who use the Pumphouse as their headquarters), came to give us a commemorative brass plaque for having visited the Pools yesterday! After chatting canals for a while he asked if we would like to see inside the Pumphouse. Of course!

Originally the building housed a large steam engine but that has long since disappeared although pumping still takes place regularly, mainly to help capture heavy rainfall into Tat Bank arm that feeds into the main nearby reservoir. Of course it is now an electric pump and hidden away underground! The top half of the building has been converted into an apartment which rented out as a private residence whilst the ground floor houses a meeting room. On display are a number of the original gauging sticks that were used at toll stops to determine each boat's fees.

Outside he was also keen to show us the newly commissioned seat in memory of Fred Heritage, a character that lived for a long time in the cottage at the bottom lock (see later)

Eventually it was time to set off down the flight. The top pounds were now full and we made good progress don the first three. The bottom gate at one of the middle locks proved too difficult for Christine to close so Mike had to pop back from the next one to shut is - this slightly disrupted pour well-oiled schedule so that we ended up doing the six in about an hour - although we did most at a rate of one every 8 minutes. A couple of locks were also empty which added a few minutes but we did nit have to run any water as we did yesterday.

At the bottom lock we could see the cottage that was Fred heritage lived in. It has now been extensively altered and converted into two residences. Not a lot of the original can be seen from here.

At the junction we again found ourselves in the maze of concrete supporting the elevated motorway. We turned left to re-trace our steps for about a mile to Brades Junction.

The first two (of three) locks are formed as a staircase. We were nearly caught out by assuming that they should be operated as most - the lower lock emptied and the top one filled, then emptied into the lower one.

However, this is different (like Caldon Canal?) as described on the instruction board. The top lock is emptied regardless of whether the lower one is full or empty (in our case it was already full). The lower lock as a special overflow (on the off side) to take away the excess water.

At Albion Junction we turned left out onto the wide New Main Line but only for the short distance to another left turn at Dudley Port Junction onto the Netherton Tunnel branch.

These splendid cottages are alongside Tividale Aqueduct (that carries the Old Main Line at the Wolverhampton level) They do seem to ave retained more of the original character than the one at Titford.

We had Netherton Tunnel all to ourselves - it is long (2768 m), wide, cavernous, sometimes wet and with towpath either side (although is is now kept locked and out of use). A grown-up version of Coseley that we came through yesterday. It is also dead straight - look closely and you can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

We moored just after the tunnel at Windmill End. the mooring was just after the turn to Hawne Basin, along the Dudley No 2 canal, so after lunch we first had to reverse back for a short distance. Our direction is under the bridge to the right.

This area was once dotted with numerous small collieries - just after the junction we passed this unused basin that once served Warrens Hall Colliery. The otherwise waste land has been developed as a country park and takes its name from this particular colliery.

We believe that these remains of a small cottage for the toll keeper who used the narrows to ensure that boats paid their fees! These toll or gauging narrows are quite effective. being so narrow they slow boats right down as water struggles to let the boat pass. No 'jumping the lights' here!

This canal is far from straight and we had to put in quite a bit of effort to get around a number of very tight bends, often accompanied by bridges.

Uncharacteristically, this small footbridge (Totnall) is not on a bend but does look attractive, even the graffiti seems to add character.

We arrived at the start of Gosty Hill Tunnel - the narrows abut the entrance and were part of a scheme for pulling the boats through. Today it is just DIY! 

They slowed us right down - the width of the tunnel also meant that we travelled through very slowly indeed. Even so, we made a hash of taking photos - only this one survived!

After passing through the tunnel and, eventually, emerging at the other end, we passed the huge retaining walls that once formed the edge of the huge Stewarts and Lloyds Coombeswood tube works that finally closed in 1967. See here for some history.

The entry into Hawne Basin is extremely narrow and took some time but we just managee to avoid scraping more paint off the handrails! We made our way across the basin to the service point only to be told by the lady who runs the site that they finished serving diesel half an hour earlier! However, she immediately said that we were welcome to stay where we were for the night and would serve us in the morning when they opened. She also showed us the electric hook up. Later she offered to take Christine with her to he nearby Asda for some shopping! Oleanna and others have told us before of the famous welcome that the Coombeswood Trust offer to those who manage to get this far and we will be adding ourselves to the list of internet 'influencers' that commend them!

8.4 Miles - 9 Locks