Bartimaeus

We made a less than purposeful exit from Kinver.  The water and waste tanks were both needing attention, so we drove through the lock to the service point and filled up the water tank.  While that was in progress, I pulled the suction hose out and concluded that though it might just be possible to get it on to the canal side of the boat it was going to be tricky at best.  Once the water was full, we drove on to and through the next lock so that we could wind.

Having worked the lock again, we returned to the services with the boat pointing the right way for the pump-out.  We moved on through Kinver lock again and soon found ourselves back at our mooring.  Neither of us were keen to go any further, so we stayed another night.

The following day we winded again and yet again went back through the same pair of locks.  We found a pleasant mooring just above the second one and stopped for the night.  In the morning I cycled back to the baker and pharmacy in Kinver before we set off again on a cloudy day - quite a change.

The canal here winds through tree-lined slopes as it switches between different river valleys.  At the Stourton Junction we carried on, rather than turning towards Stourbridge (recently in the news as wildfires destroyed dozens of houses only a few miles from where we were moored).  Our route parted with the River Stour on an aqueduct, but it was hard to see signs of a river below.

It was about here that the rain started, but it was feeble stuff.  The deck didn't even get completely wet and there was certainly no need for us to take shelter.  We saw two kingfishers on a wooded stretch before finding a mooring with enough open sky to get some sun on the panels should the clouds part.

We were also conveniently placed for a route through quiet lanes to a National Trust property I had spotted. We had debated annual membership when we visited the Rock Houses in Kinver, and decided to see if we feel we can get our money's worth.

Before committing to a ten mile ride (each way), I decided to get on with some overdue maintenance on the tandem.  As we push, we "stretch" the chains. Eventually they become slack and an adjustment is needed.  A tandem often has two eccentrics in the saddle, but ours also has two around the bottom brackets.  These allow the pedals to be moved forward slightly to take up the chain stretch.

The front eccentric had now reached its maximum adjustment.  To resolve this, a pair of links can be removed from the timing chain and the eccentric rotated back near to its minimum.  I had managed to purchase a very high quality chain breaking tool in Stourport, so the job was surprisingly quick and easy.  I was pleased I'd remembered to use a pair of the disposable gloves I had previously bought for painting.

In the morning we set off for Dudmaston Hall.  The day was overcast, but there was no rain forecast. I was aware of the crisp response from the pedals on the gentle climb up to the watershed.  The route was almost entirely quiet lanes, many tree-lined.  We took ourselves straight to the cafe when we arrived - some things don't change.

Once fed, we went to enquire about tours of the hall.  We were told that a Gardeners Tour was about to start and that we could see the hall later.  We agreed to the change of plan and were led around the garden by a very friendly volunteer, telling us details of the history, botany and artworks as we progressed.

After another cafe visit we went to look around the hall too.  One of the volunteer guides spent some time explaining the layout of one of the rooms, and then almost as long chatting to us about our life on a narrowboat.

The heating system in the house was not discussed in any detail, but there was a relic of an earlier system, reputedly invented by Charles Babbage better known for his "difference engine". 

One room in the hall was dedicated to objects considered important to its history.  A tricycle in the centre of the room was one of many used by workers as personal transport around the estate.  Its solid chain case made it impossible to see how the user compensated for chain wear.