Wednesday 25th June An idyllic boating day. The Staffs and Worcs is a beautiful waterway and as the locks are further apart you get time to appreciate the views - and what views! Kidderminster is much improved since I last visited (28 years ago) - much of the run down and derelict areas I saw then have been replaced with new developments. It's now possible to buy almost anything and get almost anything to eat, all just off the towpath. Oddly enough, the powerful electromagnet allegedly used by the supermarkets to (allegedly) attract boaters in steel boats wasn't working today - we almost sailed passed Sainsburys and passed Tesco without any problems at all! As we passed under the SVR we were fortunate to see a Black 5 passing overhead with a rake of LMS-liveried maroon coaches. The locks got further and further apart until we arrived at York Street Lock in Stourport to find the painter who had first painted Tam Lin waiting for the lock. We locked down into the basin (and saw the "new" one) and managed to find a mooring just ahead of the Dartingtons (Narrow Dog to Carcassonne).
Tiller Pin of the Day - Kingfisher Totals: 38 miles, ¾ furlong, 45 locks Brian L Dominic Web Sites: Canals: http://www.brianscanalpages.co.uk
