Droitwich Canal

[Dave_P]

To my shame, I'd never been along the Droitwich canal, even though it's been open 3 (?) years now. I thought I'd share my experiences for others who haven't either.

 

Coming off the W&B at Hanbury, you quickly arrive at a short flight of three very deep locks, which had 2 lock-keepers manning them when I arrived. These locks need working a little differently since you have to empty them half-way first with a side-paddle which lets water off into a separate side pound. The lockies both seemed sure that I would stand no chance of getting under the infamous M5 tunnel due to it's low height. My boat has a raised front cratch which can't be dismantled, it's got a high cabin anyway and also has lots of things on the roof including two very large planters and a plastic halfords roof box. At the very least I was told that it would all have to come off. The lockies also told me that there's nowhere to moor beyond Droitwich itself due to lots of reeds along the bank. I've done battle with reeds before so I wasn't put of by that.

 

After going down the three locks, I popped into the marina for fuel. I wasn't very cheap but the man was friendly enough. The marina was fine if you like that sort of thing, I suppose.

 

Continuing on, we then found, to my surprise, a two lock staircase followed by a winding hole. This is your last chance to turn before the M5 tunnel. Then there's one more lock and the tunnel is in front of you. You find yourself on a small section of the River Salwarpe and the tunnel itself is simply a culvert for the river under the motorway, which has been adopted into the canal. The river was very low when I came though so I had my fingers crossed I would make it. Just before the tunnel theres a hanging height restriction, like you get on multi-storey car parks. My front cratch hit it, then my bags of coal, then my planters, then my roof-box! I shuffled my coal bags about and, very slowly, approached the tunnel. My front cratch went under with about 1.5" to spare. Then my planters with about 0.5" to spare, then my roof box with about 0.1" to spare!!! No joke! About 10' into the tunnel, my roof box started rubbing the ceiling, then about 5' later my planters were touching the ceiling too! I checked behind to see if there was any sign of someone coming down the lock behind me, but no. I reversed back to the lock landing. I then dragged both planters and the roof box right towards the stern on the roof and tried again. Success! I still hit the hanging height restriction sign but I went through - just! With my roof boxes just brushing along the ceiling. At the other end, there was another hanging height restriction and I didn't touch it at all. So if you're coming from the east, do not trust this sign! You could clear the height marker but still get wedged in the tunnel!

 

Carrying on to the centre of Droitwich you come to vines park. First there is a flood lock with a swing bridge inside it, like the lock on the New Junction canal, which I forget the name of. Then two more swing bridges, very annoying. Soon after you come to a basin with a good number of visitor moorings. I had planned to moor there but it looked so ugly and dull that I went for the brave option and continued, hoping to find a good place to moor, in spite of the lockies' advice. I did find a truly wonderful spot and had no difficulty mooring at all, since there's no reeds in this section! I'm still there 2 days later and have no intention of moving just yet.

 

I hope some of this info is useful. The M5 tunnel is as low as it's said to be, and if the river was any higher I would not have got through. Overall, if it wasn't for the mooring I've found (not saying where!) I'd probably go via Worcester to the Severn in future, it's much less hassle. I've had roughly 2 boats a day pass me since being moored. It's very quiet.

[magpie patrick]

Good stuff Dave! Glad you made it.

 

Just a note, the culvert (I can't grace it with the term "tunnel!) carries the Body Brook not the Salwarpe, the brook comes in just below the single lock above the culvert

 

The culvert was not intended for navigation, but I do hear tales that Max Sinclair's son was involved in the design, and made it as big as he dare so that boats could squeeze through it. This may be an urban myth.

[john6767]

I agree with your comment on the height gauges at the "unnel.

 

We went through early last summer, and the water level was fairly high. We approached from the east like you and the ring on the top of the domed cover on the chimney collar which is the boats highest point just touched the sign, but I carried on slowly and went under the tunnel with perhaps 3 inches to spare to the top of that cover. I could have removed the cover and got perhaps 4 inches more clearance, but I worked on the fact that the high gauges would be conservative, and it had only just touched. Of course as you found coming out the other side the cover cleared easily, so that hight gauge is a couple of inches higher than the one at the other side, and is probably accurate with the actual tunnel height!

 

We had a very enjoyable sunny Friday night moored in the basin in Droitwich, I liked Droitwich and would stop their again.

[Emerald Fox]

And Hanbury Wharf is a really nice spot! At least I have had 2 pleasant experiences there, and the chaps in the chandlery are cheerful and helpful.

[Paul C]

Yeah the M5 "tunnel" is low but on a par with other low bridges on the system such as the trip down the Stratford Canal to Stratford; and a few bridges on the Caldon canal (not its famously low tunnel, which we've not done).

 

We too found a mooring on the barge canal section (the bit with the broad locks) but the reeds are impressively well established, so I wouldn't fancy trying to moor in them even if they were cut away to allow, since its not going to be possible to cut much below the surface of the water etc. I'll dig out a pic of the mooring at some point - its the furthest we've been from the bank, whilst still tying onto it, due to the rocks and shallow edge/beach.

[john6767]

Yeah the M5 "tunnel" is low but on a par with other low bridges on the system such as the trip down the Stratford Canal to Stratford; and a few bridges on the Caldon canal (not its famously low tunnel, which we've not done).

 

We too found a mooring on the barge canal section (the bit with the broad locks) but the reeds are impressively well established, so I wouldn't fancy trying to moor in them even if they were cut away to allow, since its not going to be possible to cut much below the surface of the water etc. I'll dig out a pic of the mooring at some point - its the furthest we've been from the bank, whilst still tying onto it, due to the rocks and shallow edge/beach.

It is much lower than the two bridges at the bottom of the Stratford, probably 6 inches or so I would say, the Droitwich M5 tunnel is the lowest flat topped structure I have come across to date I am certain. Not done the Caldon though.

[Mac of Cygnet]

We easily got through the M5 tunnel, with a lot more clearance than, for example, the bridges in Slaithwaite on the HNC (also flat topped), one of which I hit. But at least you have the option to lower the pound, which you don't on a river, however small.

 

I didn't think the Droitwich moorings were at all 'ugly and dull', but I did think the pub at Hanbury Wharf (I have thankfully forgotten its name) was pretty awful. We were there on our 40th wedding anniversary for an extremely rare meal out, one of the worst I've ever had.

[bottle]

Don't know when you were there Mac but it is now part of a chain known as the 2,4 6 pub.

 

The menu is £2,£4, and £6 and the prices reflect the quality, pretty dire.

[steven wilkinson]

We thought we would try the Droitwich in the summer, rather than up through Worcester. We wont bother again! Hard work for little return!

[alan_fincher]

It is much lower than the two bridges at the bottom of the Stratford, probably 6 inches or so I would say, the Droitwich M5 tunnel is the lowest flat topped structure I have come across to date I am certain. Not done the Caldon though.

How much clearance there is obviously depends on the river level, which I gather can change considerably.

 

From memory when we did it it was not significantly worse than the lowest of the rail bridges on the Stort, (but there again I think the river levels are not necessarily constant, and the clearances can change).

[Dave_P]

There's definitely less headroom under the M5 than the low bridges on the Stratford canal, even though the river levels were very low. I'm glad I did it but not sure I would again. As I was going under, I was panicking the whole time that someone would empty the lock behind us!

[cotswoldsman]

When I went to go down the Droitwich I was informed at the top lock that I would not make it with my Solar Panels I did walk it to Droitwich and was glad I did not try as a boat was reversing back who also could not get under the M5

[Dave_P]

When I went to go down the Droitwich I was informed at the top lock that I would not make it with my Solar Panels I did walk it to Droitwich and was glad I did not try as a boat was reversing back who also could not get under the M5

I tend to ignore people who tell me it can't be done. Every person I saw from Hanbury onwards told me I wouldn't fit.

[Paul C]

I couldn't upload the pics last night, but now I've managed it on my slow connection: Same boat, different (low) bridges. I've also been under "new bridge" on the Weaver which is also quite low, but this is swingable (in working hours).

 

Droitwich headroom sign:

 

Droitwich tunnel itself:

 

 

 

Bridge at Red Bull (T&M):

 

Stratford canal 1:

 

 

Stratford canal 2:

 

 

Caldon Canal:

[Dave_P]

Paul, your air draft is clearly a lot less than mine.

[Paul C]

For completeness, new bridge on River Weaver (swingable if needs be, we've never needed to though):

[john6767]

I don't have a pic actually going under the M5, but here we are approaching. The first height sign is the one that the top of the chimney cover touched. I think this sign on the foot bridge is a bit lower than the ones on the actual tunnel ends.

 

Here is the other side as we came out, and the chimney cover did not touch that sign. The water level looks reasonably high in that pic to me.

[cotswoldsman]

I tend to ignore people who tell me it can't be done. Every person I saw from Hanbury onwards told me I wouldn't fit.

That is why I walked down and with the river level at that time no way I would have made it

[Dave_P]

I don't have a pic actually going under the M5, but here we are approaching. The first height sign is the one that the top of the chimney cover touched. I think this sign on the foot bridge is a bit lower than the ones on the actual tunnel ends.

 

Here is the other side as we came out, and the chimney cover did not touch that sign. The water level looks reasonably high in that pic to me.

 

 

Interesting. I don't remember seeing any hanging signs on the tunnel ends when i came through. What i can say for sure is that the hanging sign by the west end is set too high. My roof box was scraping the roof of the tunnel most of the way through but it went under that hanging sign easily. That means that, potentially, a boat coming from the west could go under that hanging sign and then get stuck in the tunnel.

[alan_fincher]

No hanging boards at least at this end when we went though in August 2011

 

The thing, of course, is that headroom is not constant, and can only be determined in connection with river level - you will see in first picture that well over 1.8 metres should have been available, but not as much as 2.1 metres.

 

Looking at these pictures now, it was perhaps tighter than I remembered, but I still think we have been under lower flat topped structures on other canals and/or rivers.

 

 

[Dave_P]

Wish I'd taken a pic now. I was too busy freaking out!

[nebulae]

We have been through the Droitwich twice. Very enjoyable trip. Droitwich is a pleasant town,Vines Park a credit to the town and the moorings in the basin convenient and secure .We had no trouble going under the M5,but we never carry anything on the roof .We have about 10" clearance under the lowest bridge on the Caldon.

[Andy Healey]

We went through last year, we only just fitted through, our cratch is about 4" higher than the roof at the front, it was a tight squeeze, if there had been any rain or a boat come down the locks we would have struggled. We enjoyed the canal, however Vines Park and basin seemed to be the only opportunities for mooring.

[Traveller]

Don't know when you were there Mac but it is now part of a chain known as the 2,4 6 pub.

 

The menu is £2,£4, and £6 and the prices reflect the quality, pretty dire.

We were there last year looking at the lodge homes by the side of the canal. We popped into the 2,4,6 for a snack........ugh! The beer was not much better either.

[oboat]

We have been through the Droitwich twice. Very enjoyable trip. Droitwich is a pleasant town,Vines Park a credit to the town and the moorings in the basin convenient and secure .We had no trouble going under the M5,but we never carry anything on the roof .We have about 10" clearance under the lowest bridge on the Caldon.

 

I would agree a very enjoyable trip,well worth it IMHO. The only problem with the tunnel for us was the vision! But the wind & the noise from the M5 at the top of the locks is unpleasant.

Mooring in Vines park is great, It has an eye in the sky, but look out for the projecting bolts in the bank where timber lining has broken away.

Did you go through Froghall Tunnel? Now THAT is a tight fit, but again well worth it.

PS We also keep the roof clear and have flat stick on solar panels.

Edited September 29, 2014 by oboat