Wordsley - amazing what there is to see in an urban area

I needed to be in the Black Country itself today, but I also needed to walk.
So, I parked near a nameless park in Wordsley, Stourbridge.
This a zip wire - why didn't they have those in my day?

But what really caught my eye were these boulders for climbing on. Fantastic.

This one is about 5 feet tall, and great for clambering over. (Yes, I checked - well, there's no age limit sign)

This one is more difficult - but great fun

The seagulls were waiting for the opposition to turn up for a game...

...but they flew away as I tried to photograph them.

Aha. This is what I'm really here for. The Stourbridge Canal.

I headed up it, towards Birmingham

Great views ahead - Wordsley Church stands out

Looking back to one of the locks: this is one of the (pleasingly alliterative) Stourbridge Sixteen 

The signs warn that because of work, the water is low: boats need to keep to the middle of the channel - which must be rather difficult when there are locks to climb.

Is this the reason for the low water? Building work taking place on what was the Stuart Crystal Factory site (I visited it 30 years ago, when you could just walk round the factory, watching the glass blowers at work. Health and Safety would have a fit these days)

There's a lock right next to the site

The old warehouses and factory.

The door for loading goods straight down to the waiting narrow boats below. 

The famous Glass Cone - one of only four left in Britain. this are was once full of them

The cone's design helped the furnace give out more heat. 

More associated buildings

The next lock

The ridges on the brickwork stop the horses hooves from slipping. They were quite useful to me too. Slightly icy underfoot.

This was a really upsetting sight - a sunken narrow boat

The boatyard have set up two pumps to empty it and re-float. Very sad though

Further up the flight.

There was so much to see I'll have to continue tomorrow, with apologies to the ladies who were out with the Healthy Walking Group from Mary Stevens Park. Your picture will be here tomorrow.

Today's walk: from the park near Ashwood Park Primary School (not sure of its name) just hit the canal and keep walking. Return by the same route. Distance - whatever you want it to be!