We are coming to the end of our trip on the Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal and , by the time you read this, be moving on the the River Severn.
We joined this canal at Great Haywood and we will be leaving it at Stourport on Severn. So far this is my favourite canal and its definitely quieter than the other canals we have been on. This may also be partly due to the fact that while we have been on this canal the schools have gone back !
It has been nice to get away from the “suburbs” that we seem to have been skirting for quite a bit of our journey so far. We had a lovely clear night one night and I thought I would try some night photography, we were away from any town so no “nearby” street lights but when I started I still had an orange sky from the light pollution from Birmingham. It does make me appreciate some of the places I’ve been where you look up and it looks as though someone has spray painted the sky with stars. I do also wonder about the long term effects of this light pollution on the other animals and insects that inhabit this planet with us. It really has been noticeable that the closer to a town you are the less variety of wildlife you see……
One of the most memorable moments has been the kingfisher that flew alongside us for quite a while. He would fly ahead of the boat to a branch and then, when we were almost level he would fly on again….. it was the flash of vivid blue that first caught our attention. At night we have been lucky enough to share the canal with many bats…
I haven’t seen any swallows recently. I’m not sure if that is just there aren’t many around here or if they have now all started their migration. It is amazing when you think they cover about 200 miles each day to reach their winter home in Africa. I’ll miss the swallows until their return next spring.
We have heard quite a few owls at night when we have moored away from towns but are yet to see any. We have, however, seen plenty of buzzards. I love watching the way they fly. It’s also fascinating to watch how the crows fly and attack the buzzards, shooing them away from their roosting areas.
My favourite place on this canal has to be a spot just outside of Kinver. The What 3 Words location is originate.edicts.slung. It is an easy walk in to Kinver and I just thought it was amazingly beautiful. Far enough “out” to be quite quiet but with a good towpath and mooring.
One place I wanted to stop at was Tixall Wide but by the time we got there we couldn’t find a mooring spot so we continued on. Hopefully we’ll get the chance to return one day…
Anyway, here are some photos from the Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal 🙂
