Guide to Cruising the Staffordshire and Worcestershire canal on Charter Hotelboat Willow

Staffs & Worcs canal:(Adjacent canals can be viewed with the above links)
From the River Severn, the navigation locks up into the Stourport basin - the start of the Staffs & Worcester canal. Here within the basin there is a mix of ‘seagoing’ river boats and the more familiar narrowboats. I find the basin intriguing, with it's mixtures of boats. The basin is pretty well unique - a true inland port in years gone by. Stourport itself surrounds the basin and waterway junction, to which it owes its existence - the town itself is well worth a visit. Locking up again from the basin we enter the canal, proper. Almost immediately the canal hides away from it’s built-up surroundings. North from Kidderminster, now undergoing major canal side rejuvenation, we soon join Kinver Edge. This is a sandstone escarpment the line of which we follow for a good number of miles. It is a feature that makes this stretch of canal most attractive. Perhaps the canal is best described just with some extra photos...


Two shots of the Basin at Stourport on Severn, where the Staffs & Worcs starts. Stourport was a purpose built inland port, linking the navigable River Severn to the canal system.		Caldwell lock, set in the local sandstone ridge feature, just south of Kidderminster lock, set in the local sandstone ridge feature, just south of Kidderminster.	2 to 3 miles north of Kidderminster's centre and we have entered one of the prettiest stretches of canal in the UK.


Debdale lock - another one set into the local sandstone escarpment. The early engineers included a stable/cave, dug out of the sandstone cliff, to give the boat horses/mules a place for overnight food and shelter.	This rather poor quality photo doesn't do Whittington lock justice - totally charming when seen in real life.	Whittington Horse Bridge - wide enough for horse and carriage, but not for modern cars.	The canal winds around the bottom (cliff) edge of the scarp slope of the sandstone Kinver Edge escarpment.


The scene above Hyde lock near Kinver.	The diminutive Dunsley Tunnel - smallest canal tunnel in the UK.	Toll House at Stewponey Lock.	The cave 'boat house' at 'Devil's Den' - In recent years some BW twit thought it dangerous so ordered it 'boarded up' - without the land owners permission - (H&S gone mad).

The Staffs & Worcs is one of the earliest made canals forming an important link between the River Severn in the west to the River Trent in the east (via the T&M canal). Today it’s lock infrastructure is charming. The canal is never far from the Birmingham conurbation to it’s east - but you wouldn’t know it with canal scenery as pretty as anywhere in the country. Passing Kinver we arrive at Stourton where the Stourbridge canal heads off for Stourbridge and Birmingham’s BCN. Staying on the Staffs and Worcs we continue to hug the ‘Edge’ heading NE. At the Bratch we have an unusual, but interesting flight of locks with ‘side ponds’. The intervening pounds are only a few feet long. We boaters tend to think of the Staffs & Worcs canal as being two canals in one - the southern and the northern Staffs & Worcs. To look at the infrastructure of the their respective locks and bridges you could be forgiven for thinking that they are different canals. So firstly here's some photos of the southern, quieter, end of the canal (from Stourport heading NE towards Autherley Junction).


Botterham Staircase locks.	Climbing the unique Bratch locks - not a 'staircase' but a flight with unusual offset side ponds.	The unusual Bratch flight with side ponds, need the 'paddles' to be opened in the correct order - lock keeper gets a good view of proceedings from his tower office.	Attractive road bridge at Awbridge lock.


Dimmingsdale Lock.	Aldersley Junction, with the first of the "Wolverhampton 21" locks, considering proximity to Wolverhampton, a pretty location.	Another Aldersley view - peaceful now, almost 'park like'.	We pass Autherley junction continuing NE towards the Trent & Mersey - but here looking NW up the 'Shroppie'.

We skirt the Birmingham and Wolverhampton area, almost without realising their presence. Here the much more recently built Shropshire Union canal heads off north at Autherley Junction, but we carry on NE. Now on the northern section of the Staffs & Worcs the infrastructure of the canal appears to be the work of different engineers. We pass thru a very narrow sandstone cutting at Coven, cross heath land in the Gailey area then on to join the Penk Valley passing Penkridge heading NE for the T&M. We pass south of Stafford then join the Sow Valley on our way to Gt.Haywood. One of my favourite stretches, with it’s flood plain water meadows - attractive. We skirt the northern end of Cannock Chase reaching Tixall Wide. When the canal engineers were building the canal, permission to cross the land there was withheld - unless the canal company built the canal to pass thru a made ornamental lake. The land owner wanted to have a pretty outlook - hence Tixall Wide. But the landowner must have had a grandiose lifestyle - just look at the photo of his 'gatehouse'. Through the Wide, passing Shugborough Estate to the South, we reach Gt.Haywood junction and the Trent & Mersey canal. A favourite area for narrowboaters and a real boating town/village. So here's more photos, this time of the northern section of the Staffs Worcs....


Narrow sandstone cutting, 'with passing places', known by the old boatmen as "Pendeford Rockin" .	Looking south to Gailey lock and it's distinctive 'roundhouse'.	Waiting in a short queue at Otherton lock.	Filance lock at Penkridge.


The canal near Penkridge, here looking north.	Park Gate lock, with attractive stoneware infrastructure, typical of the Staffs & Worcs canal.	Remote Deptmore lock - the original lock keepers house has no road access. The lady who lived there until spring 2009 had her routine provisions delivered by boat (which she dubbed 'James').	Spring time view of the canal, where it skirts the southern edge of Stafford.


Lodgefield Bridge.	Milford 'turnover' bridge, allows the towing horse to cross over the canal (where the towpath changes side), without having to disconnect the towing rope.	Little Tixall lock raises the level approx 4ft up from the level of 'Tixall Wide'.	Still wide, the canal narrows a bit coming out of the lake at 'Tixall Wide'.


The 'Gatehouse' overlooking Tixall Wide - this was literally just an ostentatious garden gate - with the actual mansion house some distance to the rear.	Tixall Wide is boat depth right the way across, enabling us to get near enough to photo this nesting Grebe.	Swivel Bridge near to Great HaywoodSwivel Bridge near to Great Haywood.	Bridge 109 - the last on the Staffs & Worcs at Haywood Junction.

Home • Charter • Routes • About Willow • Your Crew • About Canals & Wildlife • Costs & Booking • Contact • Site Map