Bumbling around Bumble Hole

One of the reasons we fell in love with narrowboats was that they gave us access to the towns & villages of England via the waterways.

We, like most people had jobs, bought a house, raised a family and couldn’t wait to explore other countries on our holiday. Trying to balance life’s demands can seem hectic at times, so it’s good if you can slow down and enjoy the moment rather than planning the next ??. I suppose you can’t get much slower than drifting along at 3mph and mooring up to explore what’s around you.

As we travel sometimes we find a gem that simply takes our breath away, not necessarily because it’s better than anywhere we have been before but because “the place fits the moment”. Bumble Hole is one of those gems for us, a surprise.

Our journey had been cold and wet and we were just looking for somewhere to stop and warm up on the way to Hawne Basin to refill with fuel. We had been told about Bumble Hole by our friends on Bluebell, yet didn’t expect this “a green oasis in the middle of a sprawling urban desert”.

Canals were built to support the Industrial Revolution, as a result huge amounts of heavy goods were produced and needed to be moved. Roads just couldn’t handle the weight, and the vehicles needed simply didn’t exist then. The Black Country was at the epi centre of this revolution as it had one of the highest concentrations of wealth sitting there waiting to be uncovered. Ironstone, limestone and coal could be exploited with just a shovel.

Following the demise of the canals in the late 1850's to 1870's a lot of places like Bumble Hole became blots on the landscape, scarred by their industrial past.

Today trees sway gently in the breeze while birdsong fills the air, the dancing reflections of narrowboats illuminate the water, broken for a moment as a coot emerges from feeding below the waterline.
People cycle or walk along the paths and apparently you might even see water voles splashing into the canal. Once the scene of industry, including coal mining, clay extraction, coke furnaces and boat building, the area has been transformed.

Trees, lakes and grassy slopes saturate your senses making it hard to believe you are still in a city. Trails tease you to explore woodland paths and the rich hidden stories and history of this part of the Black Country.

“Friends of Bumble Hole and Warrens Hall local nature reserve” was established in 1993 when members of the local community volunteered to start discussions on ways of improving and regenerating the area.

Every morning you can see these volunteers - wheelbarrow, litter-pickers and rubbish bags in hand, combing the area like a well-trained army, seeking to maintain high standards they have set for themselves for others to enjoy. If you dare to stop them for a minute, you will be warmly greeted by a broad smile and a keenness to share yet more hidden secrets from the past. A canal-side visitor centre run by volunteers offers information on the reserve, as well as refreshments and toilet facilities.

The reserve is also the site of an annual boating festival. The event attracts canal boats every September and features stalls, canal trips, a funfair and a beer tent (obviously an added attraction for us).

Piercing the local skyline like a historical beacon of yesteryear, standing tall and unashamedly bold is Cobb's Engine House, a Grade II listed building built around 1831.

It once housed a stationary steam pump used to pump water firstly from Windmill End Colliery and later other mines in the area. 1,600,000 litres of water were pumped from the mines into the canal daily which is the equivalent to ten thousand family baths of water. We have been to so many of these historical monuments in the past, only to find them used as a dumping ground for things that should go down the toilet. This however was spotless, a testament to the hard work and dedication of the local volunteers.

Finally, the pups were in heaven, they had been brilliant, taking their daily exercise on leads over the past weeks.

Yes, keen on sniffing and trying to consume the contents of a discarded McDonalds’ or other takeaway containers, but now they could run free, and enjoy the peace and tranquillity of their new surroundings. The storms and high winds that had hit the country over the past few days had subsided, so long (lead-free) walks were back on the agenda. A circular 10 miles walk along the Dudley No 2 canal to the entrance of the Dudley tunnel, over the top and back through the Netherton Tunnel was definitely something we all benefitted from. The fact the sun had also decided to join us made the walk even more memorable.

We have heard many times, “education is the key to progress”, once some volunteers on the Atherstone flight of locks told us the solution to the Dog Poo on the towpath was through engagement and education. All around the area are signs like these that we think are intended to do the same. A truly fantastic idea.