Dudley - Tipton

Before we set off Mike went to look for a newspaper - it was at the third shop that he succeeded. Of course, it turned out that this was nearer than the other two places!

The weather was very different - the morning saw fine mist/drizzle for much of the time but it was still much warmer than up until the last few days. However, we did need waterproofs.

Our plan was to spend some time visiting the Black Country Living Museum. We came here when the children were very small and, although we have been past by boat several times since then, we have not had another visit since that first occasion.

The first part of the journey was along the New Main Line, straight and wide. The photo shows both this and the drizzle - photos not good this morning!

Dotted along the New Main Line are gauging islands, mostly near to the many junctions.

Although the Old Main Line, also known as the Wolverhampton level, is still available as a route running parallel to part of the New Main Line, at first there are only side loops left, some navigable but mostly only noticeable from the towpath bridges which once gave access. at this point it looks as if one entrance on the right was over the old route and the other was access to a loading wharf.

One short tunnel - Galton Tunnel - does not even warrant turning on the headlight! It has been re-built in recent times with solid concrete sections.

The M5 towers overhead, drawing even the Stewart Aqueduct which we will see again a little later this morning as we pass overhead. The constantly changing illuminated advertising screen looked strangely bright against the dark clouds and is visible for some distance along the long straight.

Shortly afterwards we made a very sharp turn, almost pointing now in the opposite direction as we climbed up the three Spon Lane Locks. There are four links between the Old and New Main Lines, each of which has three locks.

At the top the turn onto the Old Main Line was even tighter and a very strong wind funnelled down under the motorway stilts so that we ended up having to assist the manoeuvre with a rope at the front to turn the boat around.

The weather now brightened as we cross over the Stewart Aqueduct looking down where we had been shortly before.

The motorway strides over the canal for about a mile before they eventually go their separate ways.

Although we have seen swans nesting for a while and the ducks and Canada geese have their chicks, the coots seem to be only just now building their nests.

By lunch time we arrived at Tipton Junction and turned up towards the tunnel. After using the sani station we moored on one of the 24hr moorings and a bowl of soup with freshly baked bread.

The afternoon was spent wandering around the museum which was much as we remembered. We found the staff all very friendly and welcoming - dressed in costumes of former periods.

We took a ride in a bus up to the main entrance so that we could obtain the 12 month free pass with today's entrance.

The Newcomen pumping engine is the only working replica of this early machine - which people like Watt used as the basis of the much more efficient engines that followed.

We joined a tour that had just started down the mine re-construction. Although inside it feels that we really were a long way underground, it was built to explain different levels of the mines of the area. Life for the miners was hard and dangerous with life expectancy about 40. (Which, incidentally, Mike read this morning is the same as it was in New Testament times)

The person in the Mine Office - which had a sign offering a talk at 3.30 - was somewhat surprised when we turned up as it seems that many visitors pass him by! At least it was an amusing look around the re-built mine surface facilities.

As we walked down one of the streets of shops, Christine felt an indulgence coming on - a portion of chips in paper. The original 1930's shop had been re-built here complete with the striking tiled pictures on the walls.

We took a ride on the tram back up to the top of the site and then waited until it brought us back down again!

At the canalside we were shown a demonstration of chain making. originally, workers had to make around 30 links an hour for this sze chain. It was hard but poorly paid work.

After a quick look at the tunnel entrance and the electric trip boats we returned to our boat - by now the rain had returned. As a result we felt that we would stay put for the night!

9.5 miles - 3 locks