... or if I were to give this post an alternative title, it would be called the Wolf Mountain, Wildside and Whitmore Reans trip. Lockdown Mk II is still curtailing my exploration horizons but the need to keep close to home does mean I can report on a stretch of canal that sometimes gets overlooked on the pages of this blog, namely the section from Compton through to Dunstall Park.
- Wolf Mountain -
Sunday 22nd November and this 'All the Ws' affair commences at Compton Park. I've mentioned St Edmunds School and the Wolverhampton Wanderers training ground before but one new item for my archive is the Wolf Mountain Indoor Climbing Centre, positioned to the rear of City of Wolverhampton College's Paget Road Campus. The facility is closed during the second lockdown and hopes to reopen in December, while in normal times it offers indoor climbing, caving, bouldering and archery activities.
- Tettenhall Old Bridge -
And so to the Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal which I join at the ever-familiar Compton Lock. It's a little squelchy underfoot but the crisp morning sunshine encourages me on towards Tettenhall where bridges of differing vintages stand almost side-by-side. Tettenhall Old Bridge is definitely the more interesting and used to carry the main coaching road to Holyhead until Thomas Telford re-routed things via The Rock. Wolverhampton's Multiple Sclerosis Therapy Centre is a notable amenity nearby while Tettenhall New Bridge is sturdier than its earlier counterpart if rather less photogenic.
- Wildside Activity Centre -
Beyond Newbridge, the canal flanks a small wharf and the local playing fields before also passing an entrance into the Double Pennant Boatyard as guarded by a Mobil sign. Next up is Hordern Road where I branch off to investigate the Wildside Activity Centre (again currently closed due to Covid). A wooden walkway is adorned with creature caricatures including hedgehogs, swans and flapping bats, while the centre's resident narrowboat is moored up waiting for services to resume. Wildside ordinarily is an important resource providing outdoor learning and environmental education opportunities.
- Tunstall Water Bridge -
Rejoining the Staffs & Worcs, I soon reach the intriguing Tunstall Water Bridge, otherwise known as Dunstall Water Bridge although the nameplate retains the original 18th century spelling. This structure is a combined aqueduct and footbridge that is said to date from the 1770s; it carries the Smestow Brook over the canal and is part of the long-term drainage infrastructure for this corner of Wolverhampton. A short distance further brings me to Aldersley Junction so that I can switch attentions to the BCN.
- Dunstall Park Bridge & Lock 19 -
The Birmingham Main Line Canal runs from Aldersley all the way into the centre of Brum and intrepid boaters first would have to negotiate the famed Wolverhampton flight of 21 locks. I'm only focusing on the last few locks on this occasion, hence No. 21 is immediately adjacent to Aldersley Junction Bridge whereas No. 19 accompanies Dunstall Park Bridge in the shadows of the racecourse. Oxley Viaduct is an unmistakable presence as I approach Lock 17 from whence a footpath leads me into the new(ish) estates off Gorsebrook Road.
- Dunstall Park Lodge -
Despite taking various pictures around Dunstall Park over the years, I can only recall attending an actual race day just the once when I was a kid. The racecourse is an integral component of the Wolverhampton economy with its all-weather track, Holiday Inn hotel and as a venue for other leisure events, while the lodge has been a firm fixture for as long as I can remember. Dunstall Lane, Gatis Street and Riches Street provide a sunkissed-slice of Whitmore Reans on my way home, with the Gatis Community Space adventure playground being an excellent closing photo target - the former Farndale Primary School and the Victoria pub having long since been demolished. Cheers!
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