Tardebigge

Today's Canal : Worcester and Birmingham

We awoke knowing exactly what we had to do today: 29 locks to the bottom of the Tardebigge flight! Not only is this the longest flight on the system (30 including the Top Lock which we did yesterday) but does not, except perhaps in an emergency, have anywhere to stop overnight between the next to top and the bottom locks.

It was was wonderful, bright autumnal - well wintery - day with cloudless skies throughout. It was also pretty chilly, there was a coating of frost and our ropes were quite solid. We wrapped with as many layers as we cold manage - almost Michelin Man! - gloves, scarf and wooly hats.

We also needed to be especially careful around the locks as it was slippery in places. The first lock was full, with the gate open but this was rarely the case and all but six of the locks were empty, needing to be filled before we could start down them.

Some of the locks in the flighty, by by no means all of them - have their number carved into a wingwall below the lock, as well as having the usual cast metal place on the balance beams.

Tardebigge Reservoir was much fuller than we have sometimes seen it but kit could perhaps still take a bit more to be sure of lasting through next summer.

Someone may have been magnet fishing (but perhaps just fishing if it was made of aluminium) or was this left behind by the volunteer lock keepers, now stood down until the start of the 2024 season.

In some ways, at this time of the year the trees and bushes are more interesting as they show their structure, which during the summer is hidden under their cloak of leaves.

The house with the aerials is an obligatory picture, never looking better with the almost cloudless blue sky in the background.

Eventually the end was close and at the penultimate lock we could see how close it was to sunset with the long, low light and shadow.

And the bottom lock now appeared - hooray we might make it before sunset.

Just!

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So, here we are at the Bottom Lock. Last year we came down in 6 hours 13 minutes - but 6 weeks earlier, well before the clocks went back and a much later sunset. (We did make it up in 4 hrs 38 minutes in April but we had a lot of help from a large gang of volunteers. You only have to save just a bit on each lock to make a real difference overall) And this time? 6 hours 47 minutes which we though not bad given how so many were against us and that we did not encounter a single boat coming up.

Needless to say we moored immediately after exiting the last lock. To our surprise two more boats arrived down a little later, the second by now in the dark.

2.4 Miles - 29 Locks