Dudley

When I last left you I had disclosed details of my travels to Cambridge and Wisbech.  Lucky for you, that was not all I did over the Easter Holiday.

Once I had left Wisbech, I headed up to Dudley.  Dudley is in the Midlands, close to Birmingham.  I went up there to stay with my good friend and fellow geologist, Joe.  This was also the hometown of Chris and James, two of my other good geology friends.  For this reason I know we would have a great time during my week with them.  The first night I got there, Chris and Joe and I were invited to see Joe's Grandad's folk music get together.  Essentially, this was a gathering of folk enthusiasts that got together every week simply to have a good time playing music.  I must say, it was something completely amazing.  It reminded me of home in some respects, and that might simply be because folk is big in Minnesota.  

The next day, James came over in his sweet Mini, and we drove over to do a cave tunnel tour.  Dudley is very hilly, and because of this, it was sometimes easier to make canal tunnels through the hills rather than try to snake around them.  In addition, the hills of Dudley were rich in limestone and coal, and were had been mined for them for years, meaning there was already large amounts of the hill carved away.  We got into a canal boat, which is a very narrow boat indeed, and headed into the tunnel. We learned about the history of Dudley as well as a bit of geology regarding fossils that could be found in the limestone.  We also saw many filled in and abandoned forks of tunnel.  One of the caverns we went into was so large, it could fit the entirety of St. Paul's Cathedral inside of it. The route took us through the Tipton Portal of the Dudley Canal Tunnel, into Shirt's Mill Basin, on to Castle Mill Basin (where the Wrens Nest Tunnel Project is visible), through New Tunnel to the Singing Cavern, returning (backwards) through another New Tunnel and Rock Tunnel, back through the two basins to re-emerge at the wharf.   They started building these all the way back in 1775!  At one point in the 19th century I believe, they were able to fit some 20,000 plus people into the caverns for a celebrating and fireworks.  On the way back, James and I were allowed to "leg it" which is where one uses their legs against the wall of the tunnel to propel the boat forward.  This is how the canals often worked before they had engines for propulsion.

 

After this we went to see the Crooked House, which was a pub and house that halfway collapsed in the lat 1800's, and as a result, is a crazy mind-bending location to have a drink or bite to eat.  It is one of those places where things seem to roll uphill, etc.  Just being inside of the pub makes one feel intoxicated, mostly because your mind is trying to figure out the forced perspectives and false angles, etc. 

From there, we decided to walk along the canal, since it was such a gorgeous day out.  After walking it, we decided we'd come back later in the week for a bike ride on the same trail.

Joe's family were so nice and hospitable, and were very fun to talk to, especially because they had been to the states before. 

Fossilized crinoids

Joe had made an appointment to meet with the Head of the Dudley Geological Society for the day, so we were able to see a lot of the behind the scenes work at the Dudley Museum. We saw some very nice fossils, as well as learned loads more about Dudley and the geology at work there.  Later that night we went to a local joint with some of Joe and Gemma's (his girlfriend) friends.  They were a super-friendly bunch, and made me feel very welcome.  It ended up being a very fun night, and I made many new friends as well.

Canal drain

The next morning, Joe and I met James at his house for our bike ride.  After about 2 hours or so of setbacks such as missing axles and deflated tires, etc, we set off for the canal on yet another gorgeous day.  We stopped and looked at the different locks for the canal boats on our fairly large ride. We ended up in a small canal town, but unfortunately every restaurant was closed for some unknown reason. Even the fish and chip joints were shut.  So we had to get lunch from a grocery store.  It was a gorgeous ride, and from there James had to go to work and Joe and I went to meet up with the friends from the night before. 

Canal Lock

The next big thing we did was take a family outing to the first iron bridge ever constructed, which marked the start of the Industrial Revolution.  This was also constructed in 1775.  And what a gorgeous bridge it was!  We then took a short drive to Bridgnorth, where we would take a genuine steam train through the Severn Valley.  The town of Bridgnorth itself was so lovely that I could easily spend the whole day there.  As it were, though, we were trying to catch the train, and had to walk at a brisk pace.  The train station was like stepping back in time.  All the porters had old-fashioned uniforms on, and the train was of course from the golden age. It is 16 miles long, and is in a stupendous state of preservation and restoration. Even the tickets were authentic to the period.  Our car was at the very front, right next to the giant engine.  Eventually, the whistle blew, and the sound of pressure escaping from valves filled our ears.  Looking out the window, one could see the soot billowing from the stack and steam bursting from the wheels.  Slowly and begrudgingly, we started off, to the the tell-tale "chuggachuggachugga" that can only be made by such locomotives.   Surprisingly, the seats of the carriage were more comfortable than modern trains, in my opinion. These trains also still used signal boxes, telling them when to stop and go so as to avoid collisions.  It was a mixture of stepping into Harry Potter and Thomas the Tank Engine. We got off at Arley, where we were meeting Joe's cousin for food and to watch the Grand National, which is a giant horserace. The station we got off at was old-fashioned from head to foot.  They even had signs of the period and and old telephone booth with war posters. 

We watched the Grand National and Joe won about 15 pounds. My horse, Santa's Son, had been in first place until the 2nd to last jump.  The odds were 100 to 1.  I would have won 400 pounds.  Oh well, next time! 

Before I left, Joe's Family got me a West Bromwich Albions football jersey.  This is the team the family supports, and they were avid that I take it home and spread the news to other potential American fans.  Of course, my words can't do justice to Dudley, especially writing about it a few weeks after the fact.  But I do hope to return there someday, if I am permitted.

Joe and his parents