Through Cut End and a Chance encounter

The Shropshire Union Canal was known to the working boaters as the Shroppie Cut, so its terminus at Autherley Junction was called Cut End. Having covered the solar panel yesterday to protect it from any flying debris as we came through that part of the world, we set off today in good heart. Sheila started out at seven whilst I had breakfast, then I took over for the rest of the trip.

It was a very pleasant morning for it, sunny and not too cool. No boats were encountered through the narrows of Pendeford Rockin', but I had to wait at the junction for a boat to work down the stop lock that protects the Staffs and Worcs water from running away down the Shroppie.

These days, of course, it's all C&RT water anyway, but once upon a time these things were important. Both canals are actually fed from the same, steady source now, in the shape of the water treatment plant (aka sewage works) that sits in the armpit of the junction. I wonder if C&RT have thought of asking the Wolverhampton and Dudley Brewery to become a corporate partner, since their products (Banks's and Marston's ales) make such a contribution to the water supply of the canals to the north of Wolverhampton?

Eventually, that is.

/wahaha

By now, traffic was building up, and I stemmed Sanity Again up getting too close to the towpath waiting for a boat to emerge from the first of the narrow sections on the Shroppie. We had to do some pushing and poling to get off again, but then had an uneventful plod to our favourite moorings on this stretch, the ones kindly provided by SUCS just north of Bridge 7, or alternatively, just south of Bridge 8.

It would have been perfectly possible to go on to Brewood, but the moorings there tend to be busier, and are down in a dark cutting. Here we have the pleasure of looking over the lower ground back towards Coven whence we have just come. We got here at half nine, just as our in transit washload was finishing off. There were a couple of spaces, and more soon appeared as folk made rather later starts than we had done.

Doug and James on Chance turned up a bit before lunch; we've had one good natter with them already, and they're coming round for a drink later on.

/blur

Fortunately, we don't need a very early start tomorrow; we plan to go just as far as Wheaton Aston, about 90 minutes cruising away.