Droitwich Bound
April 2015
Well, its the end of another era - after nine years at Calf Heath Marina we have finally left for the very last time.
We have just set out on a leisurely journey to St Richards Festival in Droitwich and after a two week lay over before the Alvechurch festival we will be taking the boats back to their new home at Longwood Boat Club on the Doe End Canal.
Out first task was to sort out all the preserves which have been locked away for the last couple of months and then load them into the butty ready for our trip south. Our first evening was only as far as the Fox and Anchor in Coven but along the way we passed Tycho in her new livery and Comfortably Numb and Echoes en route to Norbury.
Wightwick Manor
Our second day was down the Staffs and Worcs stopping at Wightwick to visit the National Trust property for the first time. If you are ever in the area this is an Arts and Crafts gem just five minutes walk from the canal and three miles from Wolverhampton.
It was the home of the Mander family who owned the paint empire and who played a prominent role in Government just before WW2. The house is a splendid tribute to William Morris et (Pre Raphelites) and is probably the finest house of its type, harking back to an older and simpler way of life.
Main hall Wightwick Manor
As for the boats, they are having their share of early season glitches including a proken door hinge on the butty, now jury rigged with plastic ties and the Morse control's innards all came apart but luckily all the bits staked in the baot and I was able to reassemble it as we stopped on the visitor moorings just above Bratch Locks.
No comments:
Post a Comment