More Canal Cruising in a COVID World (Part 3)

 The sun rose, the water levels dropped and, after a day and a half at Holt Lock, we were allowed to resume our journey upstream to Stourport-on-Severn. It was clear, sunny, with a chill breeze, but we made good time. We negotiated the two staircase locks up to the basin, filled with water and saw Andrew off on his return home all before taking lunch in, what was for us, a new pub in Stourport.

Stourport Basin

The Angel overlooks the River Severn and is next door to what was The Tontine (which probably explains why we've not been there before!). It was quite busy in the garden and we managed to get the last table in the Bar area. It seemed to be quite a local's bar, from the banter, and I suspected that we'd taken someone's regular table...but nobody said anything to us!

The 'banter' got a bit more interesting when one bloke (his two mates - all middle aged - had popped out for a fag or a comfort break) upped the ante on his banter with another table by pulling down his trousers in the middle of the bar and, when this didn't get enough of a reaction, he pulled his pants down as well! (Fortunately, his shirt was long enough for there to be no real exposure of his parts!)

Once this table of people left, the three blokes moved to that table...and then...when we left they moved onto our table before we'd even got out of the door! (I'd had a feeling all along that we were in 'their spot'!)

We then had a long afternoon of boating along the lovely Staffs & Worcester Canal, passing up several potential stopping places, ending up at Kinver for the first of our three-in-a-row fine dining and drinking sessions.

Yes, we were entering Batham's Country! The Plough & Harrow was taking the COVID restrictions very seriously and we almost had to sit in the garden, but a table became vacant just in the nick of time. Several pints and a few cobs (plus Scotch egg) later and we were sated.

Next morning we continued north along the Staffs & Worcester Canal and turned off at Stourton Junction onto the Stourbridge Canal for our lunchtime stop in Stourbridge itself. It was the first time for many years that we'd ventured along the Stourbridge Arm, but I had a particular pub in mind for our Sunday lunch!

We've visited Stourbridge on several occasions in the past, but never before ventured outside the ring road where this gem, the Royal Exchange, is located.

...and this was our sumptuous Sunday lunch! (I did manage to squeeze in another cob!)

After an afternoon of ascending the Stourbridge Sixteen and Delph Locks we moored up quite late in the gathering gloom before setting off on a longish stroll to our pub for the evening.

Our third Batham's pub in three sessions, the home of their operations The Vine...or...Bull & Bladder as it is more commonly known. More fine dining on cobs, crisps, nuts and scratchings! I must be becoming more attuned to the subtleties of real ale because I could detect that each of the three pubs had a slightly different taste to the bitter! Nothing unpleasant and I'd probably not have noticed if we hadn't done three Batham's pubs in 24 hours.

After a couple of long boating days, it wasn't a long journey to our final Black Country experience.

It's a bit of an uphill slog from the canal but, The Old Swan...or...Ma Pardoe's as it is colloquially known is well worth the effort. The price was £2.60p per pint (Batham's had been a massive £3.10p!) and I had the proper Black Country fine dining experience with a plate of Faggots, Chips and Mushy Peas...luxury!

After this it was, literally, all down hill from here both physically and in terms of the beer! Next stop...Birmingham!

From here onwards our itinerary was exactly the same as for our previous trip in July, so I'll only dwell on the different pubs we visited.

In Brum, whilst The Shakespeare remains closed, the Prince of Wales has reopened and we had a couple of pints there before revisiting the Rajdoot!

The next stage of our trip took us to The Bull (in Birmingham's Gun Quarter), The White Horse at Curdworth, The Fazeley Inn and then The Royal Oak at Polesworth. We had a curry in the same place as before and then popped downstairs for a pint (or two) in The Bulls Head.

This is a pub that has taken a 'light touch' to the COVID regulations, but backed up by a no-nonsense gaffer who knows his customers (mostly of my vintage!) It was interesting to chat with him about how much trade they've lost - no darts, no bowling, no dominoes which would all have been big nights for the pub.

Next day and our destination was Atherstone which we reached in a reasonable time. (Having several volunteer lockkeepers can be a great help!) This time we found that the Market Tavern had reopened and, despite not doing food, we stayed there for the whole session. Sharp's Atlantic Pale Ale (keg version) was very pleasant!
 

Lunch was taken on the boat, on the move, following the acquisition of Cornish Pasties from a local shop...our sumptuous fine dining knows no bounds!

Our next stop was, again, The Greyhound at Hawkesbury Junction which operates by table service and ordering via their app. (No change from previously).

Then we were headed for Newbold-on-Avon where we decided to pay a visit the the Newbold Crown, just a couple of hundred yards from the Barley Mow which is canalside (and our usual go-to pub).

This is a proper pub with two rooms, but I don't think that we've been into the lounge. The COVID signs were all evident and procedures followed that didn't detract from the experience...plus a nice lunch and Sharp's Atlantic Pale Ale on draught.

Our last evening was spent at The Boathouse in Braunston - a fairly uneventful night...no boatload of heavy drinking students this time!

This just left us a short journey back to the marina, pack our bags and get on the road home...but there was still time for one final calamity!

Whilst we are travelling, my car key and my house keys are hidden away in the bottom of a bag and, normally, I retrieve them as I get to the car with my bags. On this occasion I put both in my shorts pocket before we'd moored up. We moored up without incident and, bags ready, William went to find some trolleys to get our stuff to the cars.

Whilst he was gone, as I was standing on the mooring pontoon, I felt a ticklish nose starting to turn to a sneeze so pulled my handkerchief from my pocket. Unfortunately, my house keys came out as well...straight into the water!

It is a well equipped marina (also a boat hire base) and I was confident that they'd have a magnet that we could borrow. William knew the people to speak to and a few minutes later he was back with the magnet. Fortunately, I'd taken note of where I'd been standing and followed the 'flight' of my keys. So, first throw of the magnet...nothing! Second throw...I changed my technique as I'd noticed that 'magnet fishers' tend to drag the magnet along the bottom. So I did this and there were my keys firmly stuck to the magnet!

That's one of the great things about canal boating, some trips pass off without a hitch and the only worry is a bit of rain or whether the pub is open. Others are beset by calamity throughout...we've had a fire in the engine room and floods on the same trip; lock flights closed and 12+ hours a day travelling; vandals emptying lock flights...but that's often what makes these trips more memorable!

#125 The Dry Dock Inn, Windmill End, West Midlands : 1996 to 2013 (RIP)

The first time I ever visited The Dry Dock Inn was some time in the 1980's. I remember it very well as I'd been given the use of a company car (for a business trip the next day) and so took friends out for a trip to a pub we'd not been to before.

My first visit as part of a canal trip was in 1996.

This was on the evening of Sunday 26th May 1996 and we spent the whole evening there. It had an unusual bar (more below) and did great, simple pub food.

We visited again three years later.

This was the view from our mooring at Windmill End Junction on the evening of Thursday 3rd June 1999. Again we spent the whole evening in the pub. The interior of the pub was dominated by the bar which was made from the bow of a narrowboat.

This was also the evening that I attempted a 'Desperate Dan Cow Pie' - I failed! When it arrived it didn't look to be too much of a challenge, but once I'd broken into the pie case and finished the layer of potatoes, the layer of carrots and the layer of meat I discovered that I was only half way and there were just as many more potatoes, carrots and meat! I still gave it a good shot, but I know when I'm beaten!

We were back at The Dry Dock in a couple of years, this time for a lunchtime stop.

This was on Sunday 27th May 2001 and, apart from the complete redecoration on the outside, inside it was largely unchanged.

Our next visit was five years later.

This was at lunchtime on Sunday 4th June 2006 and, although it looked to be mostly unchanged, they weren't serving food at lunchtime! So we had a pint and moved on finding a little local called the Red Lion where we managed to get a sandwich (which was all we really needed/wanted). The nearest pub is just over the road and is a typical Banks's estate pub that doesn't do food.

We made our final visit on Tuesday 14th May 2013.

Another lunchtime stop (it is just under 3 hours by canal from Birmingham via Netherton Tunnel) and it has certainly changed - it is now five flats! Disaster! Well not really as the Red Lion is nearby. (The Wheatsheaf across the road is still open, but still not doing food.) More disaster! The Red Lion wasn't open either - not fully closed down, just doesn't open on weekday lunchtimes.

The silver lining to our cloud was that we ended up in Ma Pardoe's (The Old Swan) just up the road in Netherton. Plain, simple sandwiches and three pints of Old Swan Ale (not bad as I don't drink at lunchtimes and I'm a lager drinker!!)

#093 Albion Inn, Tividale, West Midlands : 2005 to 2012

The canal journey between Wolverhampton and Birmingham is always interesting, but the opportunities to stop and find pubs is somewhat limited. This isn't too surprising as the Birmingham Canal Navigations (BCN) were, until fairly recently, mostly hidden away and closed off to the general public. In their heyday, these canals were like the railways and were extremely busy transporting goods around the Midlands. They were a place of work, not leisure.

Over the years we'd exhausted most of the available stops, usually Tipton and the Black Country Museum, but one day we decided to experiment and we moored up on the BCN Old Main Line near to where it goes over the Netherton Tunnel Branch of the BCN Main Line. We only had our 20-year-old Nicholson's Guide to go on and weren't sure if any of the pubs marked would still be open.

We were in luck and we found three pubs, none of which did food...until a helpful local directed us to the Toby Carvery just up the road. It was only then that I realised where we were as none of the streets we'd walked along were familiar to me.

Today's subject is the Albion Inn which was our last port of call before the Toby Carvery.

This was lunchtime on Thursday 1st September 2005. Although it looks to be an inviting prospect from the outside, inside it is a basic local boozer and there was no food on offer.

Our next visit was on Saturday 25th August 2007, again at lunchtime, but this time it was on the outward trip at the start of our holiday and we were heading for Wolverhampton.

There were no changes of note, but one of the signs still said "Bar Snacks" and there were none!

We haven't stopped there since then, but I was in the environs a few days ago and took this picture.

It was taken on Tuesday 4th December 2012. At first glance, nothing much has changed, but on closer inspection the main signs have been replaced with ones saying "Free House" although the hanging sign is the same as previously. Two satellite dishes have also appeared - a definite sign of the times!