To Crick: Day 10

Really sunny and warm today, and we were having a day off, with a bit of sightseeing and some boat jobs.  After breakfast we changed the bed and walked up to Five Ways to a dry cleaners, where we put the bedding in for a service wash.  We could easily wash it all on board, but we don’t have the drying capacity.  From there we walked down to the Worcester and Birmingham Canal, along to the Mailbox, and into town.  Among our discoveries was the Great Western Arcade.

We also went to see the well known bit of the Bullring shopping centre.

On our way back, we walked past the Floozie, who while having more water than when she was in a flower bed for a time, was in no way in a Jacuzzi.

We had lunch on board and walked down to the rubbish and recycling compound, and then decided to visit the Library of Birmingham, which we haven’t been to for a while.

Perhaps the best bit is the Secret Garden on the 7th floor, with great views in all directions.  Dominating the skyline these days is the Octogon building, which isn’t finished yet but is now the city’s tallest.

In the opposite direction, we could see the canal and Briar Rose.

We had an ice cream from a van outside the library, and then walked up Broad Street to get our washing.  Boats have been coming and going throughout the day, and the towpaths are busy with people.  We haven’t really seen signs of the Birmingham bin strike, except that all the streets seem a bit dirty.  It could be because street cleaning vehicles have apparently been redeployed to collect refuse.

Tonight, we have tickets to see a play at the Crescent Theatre, just a short walk away on Sheepcote Street.

0 miles, 0 locks.  (56 miles, 54 locks)

To Crick: Day 9

Mad O’Rouke’s Pie Factory last night was very good again — and very good value.  And we had a very quiet night on the moorings by the health centre.  This morning, a boat came past heading towards Wolverhampton while we had breakfast, and another followed just as we were about to leave.  We made a very short journey through the bridge to Coronation Gardens  where there’s a rather anonymous water point.  The park has a statue of the boxer, William Perry, the Tipton Slasher.

We got washing going while the tank filled, and then set off again at 8.30, through Tipton Junction without turning down to the museum, and on along the Old Main Line.  One thing we’ve noticed in the urban areas is the proliferation of coots.  Lots of them seem to have very small chicks at the moment, with the mothers sitting on nests with her wings over them.

There’s always plenty to see on the Old Main Line, including lots of old basins.

We passed Brades Hall Junction, where we had an unfortunate incident with the staircase locks a few years ago.

Before Oldbury Junction there are some new houses being built, sandwiched between huge warehouses, and with the M5 thundering overhead just a few dozen yards away.

Then it was our turn to head under the motorway.

There’s a huge new waste to energy plant being built alongside the canal.  In fact it turned out it’s right by the Spon Lane Locks.

We went over the Stewart Aqueduct over the New Main Line, through Summit Tunnel, and took the obligatory photo of Smethwick Pumping Station.

At Smethwick Locks, the pound between the top and the middle locks was very low, so we spent a few minutes running water through the lock to get some depth.  It was no hardship waiting in the sunshine.

I’d also opened a top paddle on the middle lock to fill it, so we could go straight from one lock to the other.  But then we spotted someone at the middle lock trying to empty it.  As Adrian was now heading out of the lock, he sounded his horn a few times until the guy closed the bottom paddle, and shrugged in the direction of his boat.  When I got to the lock I explained to him that we’d spent a while topping up the pound, and he’d just been emptying it again.  It may have been that the guy was a novice, because when Adrian had left the middle lock he closed the gate, before his boat had gone in!  Anyway, we then had the unusual sight of boats swapping between two locks on the Smethwick flight.

After the third lock we joined the New Main Line at Smethwick Junction.

The housing development at the Icknield Port Loop has now reached the Main Line, with one block of flats finished and lots more scaffolding going up.

We headed through the Oozells Street Loop, hoping for a mooring there, but the only space was under the bridge, which we didn’t fancy.  So we continued through, and reversed up the Main Line.  We are next to a garden in memory of Albert Rooke, apparently known as the Harbourmaster of Birmingham.

This afternoon, we wandered along through Gas Street Basin to The Mailbox to buy something for dinner tonight.  The actor, Simon Williams, was sat outside one of the restaurants there — he’s probably recording The Archers at the moment.  Since we’ve got back there’s been some thunder and a few raindrops, just as we’re heading out to meet a former colleague of Adrian’s for a drink in town.

9 miles, 3 locks.  (56 miles, 54 locks)

To Crick: Day 8

The moorings at Autherley Junction were really quiet; as I mentioned last time we stayed there, some years ago you’d have avoided the area completely.  With a lot of locks to do today, we were up early, and set off at 7.45.  Within the first few yards, a dispute between ducks resulted in one of them landing on our plank, and then appearing quite surprised that it was moving.

It was 8am when we went into the bottom lock.

The first two locks were full and needed emptying, but then a whole load were empty ready for us.  Adrian worked the first ten before we swapped over.  There are lots of huge railway bridges, and there was a family of goslings.

It began to look as though I’d got the raw end of the deal, because from Lock 9 they started being full, and needing to be empty.  But then we met a boat at Lock 6, a young Belgian couple who’ve rented a boat for six weeks from near Oxford, and were planning to get back to the countryside up the Shroppie.  We also met a boat at Lock 3, immediately after yet another rail bridge.

We didn’t set any records today.  We were ready to leave the top lock three and a half hours after we started.

We paused on the moorings above the lock for a little while, then set off again to make a small detour.  Just before Horsley Fields Junction, where the Wyrley & Essingtom goes off, the areas both sides of the canal have been cleared.  It feels much more open.

We turned onto the W&E, under the junction bridge and through the narrows.

We had an appointment at the Urban Moorings.  They accept deposits from compost loos, and we had a bucket full to donate.  They have big purpose-built compost bins, which we could do with more of around the network.  Also, a gas bottle ran out last night, so we bought a new one.  The price was £45.50 which is pretty standard these days, and we liked that we could support them.  We moored up alongside the boats on the outside, with our bow next to a stern, so we could get across.

Unfortunately as Adrian took the new gas bottle, he hurt his arm.  We’re not sure what it is, but probably a ligament that’s pulled somehow.  When we had paid and untied, we reversed back to the junction, which was achieved without getting too stuck in the shallow edges, and then turned towards Birmingham.  There were lots of people out on the towpaths enjoying the sunshine, and we had our photo taken many times.  Everyone seemed very pleased to see a boat.  At Coseley Tunnel, I always wonder the the houses built on top have problems with insurance.

Just before Factory Junction is a huge new housing development.  I’m sure the site has been vacant for many of the years we’ve been coming this way.

We turned right at Factory Junction, onto the Old Main Line.  There was some sort of event on at the Malthouse Stables Activity Centre, and people came out to wave.  There were some old cars parked outside.

We moored up just round the corner on the John the Lock moorings about side the health centre.  This evening we’re going to Mad O’Rourke’s, because we enjoyed it so much last time we were here.

8 miles, 21 locks.  (47 miles, 51 locks)

To Crick: Day 7

We had a lovely evening with Helen and Andy last night.  Their journey north to Penkridge took a bit longer than estimated, so when we knew they were close we walked up and set Otherton Lock for them.

They moored right behind us, and we had a good catch up over dinner and drinks.  This morning, Adrian had a conference call at 9, so by the time we’d said our goodbyes it was 10am before we were moving.  A boat had just come down Otherton Lock.  Rodbaston Lock is right beside the M6, and it’s no wonder the lock keeper who used to live there couldn’t stand the noise, with his cottage later being demolished.

At Bogg’s Lock a boat appeared just as we’d left so we could leave the gate open, and at Brick Kiln Lock another boat was coming down.  There were four volunteer lock keepers at Gailey Lock, three of them being trained.  The Roundhouse still looks lovely, and the shop is still open, and provided ice creams.

We stopped on the water point, after a bit of juggling with the boats waiting for the lock, and also got some washing going and got rid of the rubbish and recycling.  Then there’s the long lock-free section, which first passes through the chemical works, with signs about not stopping or mooring.

There are some ridiculous corners on the next section, particularly around Hatherton Junction.  But there are also some very pretty bits.

As we passed under the M54 bridge, we finally escaped the clutches of Staffordshire, passing into the West Midlands.  Apart from our weekend in Cheshire, we’ve been in Staffordshire since 5 April!  The motorway bridge has some decent graffiti artwork underneath it.

Shortly afterwards there’s a new development of massive warehouses, with a coffer dam in the canal and signs asking boats to coast past.

Then comes the Pendeford Rockin’, where the stone was so difficult to cut through that a channel was only a boat wide, although there are passing places.  In fact we met a boat at the first one, quite conveniently.  The next narrow is much longer.

By now we were in the housing estates of Wolverhampton, with a few shopping trolleys in the water, and electric bikes and scooters buzzing up and down the paths.  As we approached Autherley Junction, where the Shropshire Union Canal goes off north, a very long boat came out.  We waited for them to turn north, then went across the junction and moored up.

10 miles, 5 locks.  (39 miles, 30 locks)

To Crick: Day 6

I had a look out of the window at 5.30 this morning when I got up to go to the loo, and Tixall Wide looked so beautiful, with mist rising off the water and the sun just coming up, that I had to take a photo.

We set off about 8.30, and it seemed much further to Tixall Lock than we remembered.  A boat had been passed about 20 minutes before we left so the lock needed turning, but a boat arrived as we were about to leave.  It’s a pretty lock, but the cottage appears to be empty at the moment.

Along the next section the railway is very close. One house has a very elaborate treehouse and even a train for their kids.

Before Baswich, there’s a lot of work going to where the link to Stafford is planned.  At Deptmore Lock, a boat was coming out so we could almost go straight in, and there was another waiting above.

Above the lock is really lovely, although the M6 is beginning to make its presence felt.  It’s a while before you can actually see it though.

We met a whole procession of boats through Acton Trussell, and at the next lock there was again a boat coming out and another waiting above.  But Park Gate Lock needed turning, although a boat turned up just as we were going in.  Above the lock, the Georgie’s Trip Boat was about to set off with a lunchtime afternoon tea cruise, if such a thing exists.  We went under the M6, then at Broom Lock we caught up with the boat ahead.  While they went up and one came down, I quickly made some sandwiches which we ate between there and Penkridge Lock.  There, Adrian went to work the lock and found a couple of CRT volunteers there, who suggested he go ahead and get Filance Lock ready; the boat ahead of us was on the water point.  As I got to the top of the lock, the boat ahead set off for the next lock, so Adrian ended up working it for them as well as us.  The volunteer lock keepers had a nice little set up to work from.

We moored up between the lock and the next bridge.  Adrian had walked ahead to see what spaces were available, and mostly they were on bends.  But the next boat said they were almost finished their lunch and would soon be leaving, so when they’d gone we moved into their space.  Robbie Cumming’s boat, Naughty Lass, is moored a little way back.  We’d seen him go past at Tixall yesterday.

This afternoon we walked in to Penkridge, mostly to go to Jasper’s the baker for something for dessert.  The Tidy’s a due here later and we’re invited for dinner.  We also needed to pick up a delivery from a locker — but that turned out to be at the town’s other Co-op, so we ended up doing a circular walk.

10 miles, 7 locks.  (29 miles, 25 locks)