Onefortheditch

Hello everyone. Wanted to thank you for your advice. Had the best week. Beautiful leafy chilly days and log burner at night. Flat out by 9pm and a brilliant cure for insomnia. Didn’t decide on route until we got to Autherley and then went with the original plan and headed to Kinver. Bratch was fine.. really helpful chaps both down and back up. Met some folk at Botterham who insisted bottom lock full and empty top into bottom and let it go over weir. I wasn’t in mood to argue about their “forty years of experience” but it made me uncomfortable as I tend to prefer to stick to the official advice. Did it on my own on way back up way I wanted and it was fine. Beatiful clear canal, hardly any boaters, and learned quickly about bends and windy canals and a 62foot boat. I actually found there canal much more interesting than he Shropshire Union and it felt very traditional with some lovely remote moorings but access to shops too. Cant wait until the next time.

Remote and quiet but with good pubs at stopovers is ideal. Red wine and gin lol

Does Fradley junction have a decent place to turn? And a nice pub at all?

Thank you everyone. ive been distracted by the thought of Fradley junction and back so we can visit shugborough at Great Haywood. Opinions on this route versus kinver/stourport please?

Thank you all. That's really useful info. Im a bit worried about it being a stretch for a week so perhaps kinver and back might be less of a push.

Hello everyone Please could you answer the following for me. We are hiring a boat from Norbury tomorrow as the one my parents own and we share isn't big enough for all of us for a week. I am an experienced boater but suffer with stress these days and going a route I don't know hence the questions: Bratch lock. Is it true there is someone there now to do this lock for you? What's the situation. Assuming we get to brewood on Saturday is there anywhere in the route you would recommend we avoid mooring from Sunday on coming to Stourport... I would like to enter and turn and come back to be a bit away from the busy section due to us having dogs. Is it an easy turning point for a 60 footer? its either go to stourport or stay in Kinver. I want a quiet holiday with no stress I have enough of that the rest of he year lol Thanks in advance for any info and the time you give typing