UK Canal Boating

Route

Turn north from Hinksford Wharf.

There are occasional locks and canalside pubs including a 2 step staircase at Botterham lock which has 4 locks in total.

After Bumblehole Lock you reach the 3 Bratch Locks just north of Wombourne. These locks are open from 8am to 8pm and you should carefully study the operating instructions before use, or consult the lock-keeper if in any doubt.

The Octagonal toll house, lovely setting and unusual layout of the locks make an interesting view, but just treat each one as a separate lock & you should be OK.

You are soon approaching the outskirts of Wolverhampton, there is a handy supermarket near Compton Lock.

Compton Lock marks the end of a 31 lock climb from the River Severn at Stourport a rise of 294 ft. , the canal manages to preserve its rural character on the outskirts of Wolverhampton.

You pass the Aldersley Junction where the Birmingham Mail line branches off to the right, and soon after the Autherley Junction where a big white bridge marks the entrance to the Shropshire Union Canal.
Known to local boatmen as “Cut End” due to it being where the Shroppie met the much older Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal,

Autherley Junction was once a busy place with workshops, a toll office and stables, today Autherley has a boatyard with a hire fleet and a club house. Many of the original buildings still exist and it is home to bridge #1 on the Shroppie which is an original design by Thomas Telford. There is also the original shallow stop lock where Sam Lomas used to control boat movement and issue toll tickets. Autherley is very attractive and full of canal history and it is worth giving yourself some time to look around!

Turn left at Autherley Junction along the Shropshire Union Canal.

We soon leave Wolverhampton behind and head northwards through a series of rocky cuttings, passing a disused airfield, a boat club and then traversing under the M54 motorway which is one of the only main roads that the canal encounters for around 50 miles when it reaches Chester.

Chillington Hall, close to the village of Brewood (pronounced Brood), is home to the “Fancy Bridge” named by the workers who built the Shroppie.

Powerful landowners demanded grand and ornamental bridges where the canal crossed their properties and this is a fine example of such work.

A tree lined avenue crosses the canal here leading up to Chillington Hall which is now a venue for Weddings. Just a short distance upstream from Chillington Hall is Brewood and you will find shops, pubs and restaurants close at hand and there is also a boatyard all of which should meet any of your requirements.

There is a winding hole to turn your boat just after Bridge 14.

 

NB: This route has been provided as a guide only. Information may become inaccurate or out of date. You should always check with the marina that the route is possible within your time frame, current weather conditions and canal stoppages etc.