A cock up and a flight

Reader slight cock up in the filing department and this post should be read prior to yesterdays post.

 So here we are at the bottom of the Delph Flight.  A sunny morning, up and dressed and ready for action.  My arms were aching a bit after being at home for two weeks then coming back and doing those heavy Stouridge Locks, no matter how pretty and interesting they are.

All ready to go when a crew off of a boat appeared from down below, windlasses in hand.  

Bugger.  

We had missed the empty locks, still we did have the whole flight yesterday empty for ourselves so in the mean time David suggested we wash the side of the boat, which we did.  Then immediately behind that was another boat, hmmmmm

We were the third boat in quick succession and the pound was low.

Well washed and wiped it looked good in the sunshine and we followed them in.  Progress was a tiny bit slow as you would expect, the two boats were making progress but we were catching them up and waiting slightly.  So David had the idea that we was the other side of the boat which we did.  

Bish Bash Bosh bucket out, shampoo squirted and away we go.

We didn’t take long, him washing and me following along rinsing and wiping.  Good team.

Shiny boat again now.  The grass was full of Doggie Doo, for once we avoided.

The two boats in front got away and later when we got to the top you can see the route the old flight took to the left.  

The old flight collapsed into mine workings in the 19th century, that old flight had 9 locks and the pub at the bottom hence called The Tenth Lock, today the “New flight” has 8 locks so the pub name looks out of place at first glance.

Ex- stable block for the horses almost at the top of the Delph Flight.

On and around the corner to arrive at Merry Hill Shopping Centre.  The canal is high above the shops with a big Sainsbury’s and a big everything.

Merry Hill (Ex-Pat family member called it Merry Hell) The car park was full all day and almost till midnight.

The Centre was built on the site of a former British Steel Works and brought by two brothers Mr & Mr Richardson, they sold off the discarded steel onsite and raised more money than the price they paid for the site. 

After two nights at The Bull & Bladder/Vine/Delph we had a skinny veggie curry. No beer.