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)

Wending to Wales: Day 28

We had a great evening with Helen and Andy last night, involving eating, drinking  and chatting.  It’s always great to see them, and it’s been a while since the last time.  This morning, it had rained overnight but wasn’t actually raining when we set off to walk down through town to the Birmingham Back to Backs.  We’ve been trying to visit this National Trust property for years, but we’ve previously either been here on days when they were close, or we left it too late and they were fully booked.  This time we’d worked out a plan, and booked a couple of weeks ago.

The houses are small, so there are timed guided tours.  We were on the first of the day, with three generations of the same family making up the rest of the group.  The kids, aged six and seven (nearly eight!) added to the whole thing, because the excellent guide got them involved in doing things children would have been doing in the 1830s.

The tour lasts quite a long time so afterwards we had lunch and did some food shopping for the next couple of days on the way back to the boat.  This afternoon we walked along to the Roundhouse and had a look at their exhibition.

They were showing some tv films from the 1960s and 70s about plans for the regeneration of Birmingham’s canals, we were fascinating.  One of them showed a trip up the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal from Salford Junction to Cambrian Wharf, but apart from the BT Tower it was difficult to recognise anything, it looked so different from today.

We also walked up to the Port Loop development to have a look at what’s going on.  Only one side of the island has houses so far, with lots more foundations on the other side.  The houses appear to come as prefabricated units, which are then clad.  On the way back, we passed one of the groups who were paddling a kind of double canoe type thing, not sure if it was for pleasure or team building.

The weather hasn’t been nearly as bad as forecast.  It’s hardly rained, although it has been a bit blustery at times.  We start moving again tomorrow, and it will really feel as though we’re heading home.

0 miles, 0 locks.  (315 miles, 218 locks)

Wending to Wales: Day 27

We had an undisturbed night opposite the Titford Pump House, and all the locals seemed pleased to see a boat.  This morning dawned sunny and still.

We were ready to go just before 8, but as I knew most of the pounds between the locks were low yesterday, I thought it would be a good idea to walk down to see what the levels were like.  The pound a couple of locks down was about two feet low, so I ran some water down.  Then the pound between locks 4 and 5 was to all intents and purposes empty.

I ran water down all the way to that pound, but because they’re quite small it didn’t take long to get them reasonably full.  We got into the top lock, and while I was down opened the gates of the next couple of locks one of the residential boaters came to speak to Adrian, to ask if we wanted a brass plaque to mark navigating the Titford Pools.  The BCNS now charges £7.50 for them rather than giving them out for nothing, but we were happy to pay and topped it up with a donation.  I also had a look in the meeting room in the Pump House.

Once we were under way, things went smoothly down the locks.  Strangely, though, all the chambers are right up against the towpath, which seems unusual.

We were both a bit worried about Lock 5, which is where we got stuck on something as we tried to get in yesterday.  We thought it might be worse today, as going downhill the stern would also have to get over the obstruction.  Sure enough, when the lock was empty, the boat came to a halt halfway out the lock.  I had to open both top paddles to provide enough water to flush us out.

We turned right out of Oldbury Junction onto the Old Main Line.  The next major landmark is the Steward Aqueduct, which takes it over the New Main Line, which itself has the columns of the motorway down the middle.

Lots of the M5 still has huge amounts of scaffolding underneath it, but some of it is being removed.  We went under a chap on a platform who was unbolting things.  He waved.

There’s a riot of bridges before the Summit Tunnel, then we passed the Smethwick Pump House.

At Smethwick Locks, the little octagonal building has been rebuilt again.  The top and bottom locks were full, but the middle one was empty.

As we came out of Smethwick Junction, and boat was just turning in from the Birmingham direction.  They said the city centre was pretty empty if boats.  The new housing on the island formed by the Icknield Port Loop is gradually getting closer to the main line.  It’s distinctly modern, and we rather like it.

We turned down the Oozells Loop, meeting a trip boat almost immediately, in the hope our favourite mooring would be free.  However there were already three boats there and no room for us  so we came out and reversed up the main line to a space.

We went into Brindley Place for lunch and to do some shopping, then later in the afternoon we walked into town and went to see Ozzy the Bull at Grand Central.  We just missed him last time we were here.

Helen and Andy coming to dinner, so we are guaranteed a good evening.

6 miles, 9 locks.  (315 miles, 218 locks)

Autumn Cruise: Day 7

The water level went up by several inches over night, so we were no longer so far from the bank this morning.  It also rained during the night, and was trying again when we set off at 8am.  The bottom of the three Minworth locks needed emptying, but the other two were ready for us.  At the top lock, there was a rainbow over the A38.

The next section doesn’t have a huge amount going for it, and we also caught up with a boat travelling on tickover.  He eventually pulled over and let us pass, while at the same time surveying the damage a bridge had done to his pram cover.  We got to Salford Junction, and turned second-left to stay on the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal.  The M6 is above, and spaghetti junction is a little further along.

We entered the bottom lock of the Aston flight at 10.20.

After a few of locks we met a boat coming down, at which point there was a torrential downpour.  No photos, it was just too heavy.  There was another boat coming down at the next lock too.  The locks towards the top of the flight are closer together, so things pick up pace.  We left the top lock at 11.45, so the eleven locks had taken an hour and 25 minutes.

There’s then the briefest of breathers before the Farmer’s Bridge locks.  We entered the bottom chamber at a couple of minutes to 12.

There’s always plenty of interest on these locks, with one being under the railway line, and a couple under the BT Tower.

At lock 7 we had a brief pause while a boat came down the lock above.  The pounds are really short, so we pulled into the side to let him pass.

We seemed to be a source of fascination for the locals, with one man videoing the whole of one lock operation, and a woman being flabbergasted by the water entering the lock.  I’d have thought these were reasonably busy locks, so it’s surprising people haven’t seen lots of boats before.  We got to the top of the 13 locks in an hour and 25 minutes.

The centre of Birmingham is pretty quiet, so we reversed into the Oozells Street Loop, where our favourite mooring was free.

We decided to go out for lunch, and then walked into town to see what’s changed since we were last here.  Lots of the building work has been completed, although there’s always more.  We were hoping to see the Commonwealth Games bull, but he was apparently moved on Thursday — Centenary Square is being filled with marquees for the Tory Party Conference next weekend.  The PoliNations garden in Victoria Square was being dismantled, but we were glad that the Floozie is back in a jacuzzi rather than a flower bed, and that Anthony Gormley’s Iron Man is back.

Looking at the stoppage emails, we noticed that the Curdworth flight was closed again today (it had been shut on Friday as well) because of water leaking through broken paddles.  It’s just as well we got up the flight yesterday, but does explain the lack of water.

8 miles, 27 locks.  (97 miles, 77 locks)