All different on the canal in January

Out on the usual dog-walking expedition on Monday afternoon, I was astonished to see the number of visiting boats moored around Audlem.

There were 18 below the locks, and all the lengths in between the locks in the village were full: a total of 46 boats. And it was only 4:30 in the afternoon! Apart from festival times, this must be a record, and surely good for village trade.

But for late arrivals it would be like trying to find a car parking spot in the village on a sunny Sunday afternoon: no room at the inn, so another hour and a half of locks to be tackled if going uphill.

It will all be different in 2016: the locks will be closed for maintenance from early January until mid-March, so no boat movement at all. This closure hasn't yet been finalised yet, but it looks pretty certain to happen.

Whilst out on our summer cruise of the Midlands, we were able to have a tour around the Bradley Workshops in Bilston (near Birmingham) where lock gates are made for the whole country.

In the yard we came across "our" new lock gates, ready for delivery. The photo shows intrepid Audlem boaters with the labelled gates.

Why intrepid? The workshops are at the end of a mile-and-a-half canal arm: to say it's rarely used is an understatement, so thick weed and urban detritus are major hazards. They make the waters around Audlem look like a sparkling spa!

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