The Art of the Lock Flight

Settling down to the relative flat of the Birmingham levels we enjoyed a period of gentle cruising enabling us to do what all those tourist brochures promote when showing the delights of narrow boating - sitting at the front of the boat, cup of tea in hand absorbing the landscape or reading safe in the knowledge that the helm has everything under control. Even the weather was kind for whilst not exactly the balmy spring-like conditions we craved it was dry and comfortable enough to sit outside in a warm fleece.

We stopped off at Alvechurch, a pretty village with beautiful half timbered houses where the canal sat high above curving around its westerly boundary allowing us to look down on the red clay roof tiles and array of chimneys.  Its attractive Norman church had a very contemporary glass hall attached resembling the prow of some great 18th century tea clipper. Impressive. 

Shopping done in the trustworthy Coop we continued south to our next challenge, the Tardebigge flight of locks, 30 little beauties packed into a steep descent of only just over a mile and a half.  Such a challenge required us to be fresh and rested so we postponed the attack and decided to use the afternoon for some education. So we unloaded our bikes for the first time and cycled to the Avoncroft Museum of Buildings at Stoke Heath.  Now this meant cycling down the towpath past all 30 of the locks we were to grapple with the following day giving us a preview of delights to come.  We chatted to a father and son about half way down who had started earlier that day and noted a certain lack of spring in the young man's step.

The Avoncroft Museum was a fascinating visit with its eclectic collection of 15th and 16th century houses, farm buildings, public buildings of all kinds (toll houses, counting houses and public toilets) and the largest collection of old phone boxes in the country.  This brought back boyhood memories of the dreaded A and B buttons in the box that took your pennies (old money of course) and where when attempting to make a call you'd inevitably struggle to get the B button to engage and allow your call to proceed.  How far we've come with phones.  Kids at the museum were bemused at the sight of these red, yellow and even blue boxes that once upon a time were a vital link in our communications but really do feel part of a bygone age now we all have our mobile phones. 

The whole visit had a slightly surreal feel to it as the museum was occupied for the weekend by groups of american civil war reenactors. Trying to keep a straight face while a motley crew of "soldiers" marched past being screamed at to "left, right, left" by their temporary superior, who was clearly loving his moment of power by the way, whilst shouting in the broadest of midlands accents was not easy.  But worry not, I didn't sign up even if the shooting practice with ancient rifles looked fun.  

And so to the prime purpose of this blog. The art of the multiple lock.

Lovers of the canal system are fascinated by locks, their many varieties and evolution. I have to admit I personally find them all pretty similar - gates at either end, water goes in or out, boat goes up or down and hey presto you've solved the problem of how to move a boat on water over a change in topography without hurtling down a set of rapids at risk of life and limb.

But there's a whole history of paddle and gate design and preferred solutions that enlivens the conversation of the experts in the towpath pub of an evening into such fascinating subjects as to whether the British or the French winding system is the more efficient. Personally, I'm not too fussed as long as its not too much like hard work and the damn things do what they're supposed to. However, I must reluctantly be honest here for as this "experience" of ours progresses even I find myself noting which winding mechanism glides effortlessly up its ratchet - oh dear, is a conversion going on here or is it just a form of lock stroke?

Anyway, back to the Tardebigge. 

Up bright and early, we were relieved to find the day dry with a watery sun and little wind. The Tardebigge locks are all the same with a single gate at the upstream end and two smaller gates at the downstream end.  I've asked my resident expert why this should be so but unfortunately she doesn't know and my cursory glance at the Nicholson guide provides no answer either so I leave it to you my loyal readers (if there are any that is) to do the research and get back to me.

Of course being the Scotts we were very competitive about the perfect system for efficiently overcoming this challenge. I could bore you with details of this carefully considered solution but I don't want to lose you so early on in our adventure. Suffice it to say that after persuading my wife that it was possible and safe to step from an open gate to a closed gate without tumbling into the watery depths and thereby speed up the progression of our boat we happily shared the physical manual labour of lock operation and the more skilled touch-less entry of the boat into the lock.  

We were a team and smiles ensued.

And we did the 30 locks in three and half  hours. Not a bad effort considering every lock had been against us - of course.