Exploring the Birmingham Canal Navigations and more

Well it's been a while since I posted anything on this blog.  My excuses are that we had visitors over last weekend, we changed our method of internet connection and then, to cap it all, the fridge broke down.

As it has been a while I think the best way to catch up will be to tell you where we've been and then show a few photos of memorable people and places rather than the usual day by day account of our travels.

We returned back along the Stourbridge branch and then turned right up the 16 locks of the Stourbridge flight.  We then explored the Fens Branch, a couple of dead ends, North of the Stourbridge Canal.  There are some really nice green areas around Birmingham which have been developed on the location of old colliery workings.  Goodness it must have been grim when these were black rather than green.  We stopped below the 8 Delph locks last Friday and waited for our visitors, our daughter Lucy and her friend Becca.  They had expressed a wish to do some locks with us, so the following day we climbed the 8 locks to Merry Hill and moored by the shopping centre for Ian to sort out problems with charges on the dongle we have been using.  It took ages but we now have a "free" tablet to play with too.

We carried on to Park Head and walked up the three locks to see the South portal of the Dudley Tunnel and then cruised on to Windmill End (by the entrance to the Netherton Tunnel) for the evening.  We followed a recommendation from a fellow boater and went to Ma Pardoe's at the Swan at Netherton which was reasonably priced and excellent.  On Sunday we visited Hawne Basin via the Gosty Hill Tunnel.  This is only 600 yards long but varies in height from huge to just above our roof line.

Back down that branch and then through the Netherton Tunnel (which is cavernous) to Birmingham where we met with David and Victoria on Pas Mèche who we had not seen for nearly two weeks.  Cue for some photos:

This is taken part way up the Stourbridge 16 locks.  The curious cone shaped building is the Red Cone Glass Works.  Stourbridge is famous for making quality glass.

Here's our new lock crew for the eight Delph Locks.  Lucy is on the left and Becca on the right.  While the two young ones are posing you can see Helen in the background setting the next lock.  Actually Lucy and Becca did help a lot.

Here's a nice picture taken by Becca of the Wrights (though obviously without David) sitting on a lock beam on the Delph Locks.

This view is at Park Head looking down the three locks which lead up to the Dudley Tunnel.  The tunnel is not open to diesel engined boats unless under tow by an electric tug or by legging through.  We didn't.

Gosty Hill Tunnel has this odd picture of Dracula which looms up in the headlight.  You can see the drop in height of the tunnel at this point.

This interesting representation of spraying graffiti is one of several information boards on the Hawne Basin branch of the Dudley Canal.  It is beside a toll island in the canal where loaded boats were measured and charged tolls.

Netherton Tunnel is about a mile and three-quarters long with sufficient width to pass and a towpath each side.  It was one of the later canal tunnels built.

Coming into Birmingham we went round the loops of the Old Main Line and here is a most unusual situation with a cross roads of canals.

Here's a nice photo of Becca and Lucy.  Note that Becca has her hand on the tiller.  She proved to be an excellent steerer.

And here we are coming into Birmingham.  Pas Mèche is the green boat with the red flowers on top on the right.  We moored right behind.  It was lovely to see David and Victoria again, if only fairly briefly.

We had to say goodbye to Lucy and Becca who had to drive home and then we had a meal out with David and Victoria.  On Monday we descended the 13 Farmer's Bridge Locks and the 11 Aston Locks mooring together at Cuckoo Wharf close to Salford Junction which is a canal junction almost underneath the M6 junction known as Spaghetti Junction.  Here sadly we said our goodbyes and Pas Mèche went right on the Birmingham and Fazeley heading South while we turned left on the Tame Valley Canal.

We had problems with dry pounds on both the Perry Bar Locks (13) and the Rushall Locks (9) but since reaching the top on the Wyrley and Essington Canal and its branches we have had no problems other than the fridge which stopped working on Tuesday evening.  We only bought it last October and Shoreline who made it said it was an unusual fault and would have to be returned.  This is difficult from a canal boat but we were delighted that Darren Cook of Midland Chandlers who supplied the fridge agreed to deliver a new fridge to us at the top of the Rushall Locks on the same day we phoned them.  That really is excellent customer service.  Thank you Midland Chandlers for getting us out of a difficult situation.

On Thursday we cycled into Walsall and visited the Leather Museum.  This is well worth a visit and is even free!  Did you know that Walsall was, and to an extent still is, the centre of leather manufacture in the UK and at one time in the world?  Wendy in the museum who used to sew and make leather wallets and purses showed us how to stitch leather and went on to demonstrate the other machines common in a leather workshop.  Fascinating.  Even the coffee was cheap and good.  We had a quick look at the Town Wharf on the Walsall Canal but have decided not to cruise this canal.  The Town Wharf was deserted of boats and looks pretty exposed as a place to spend the night.

We are enjoying the Wyrley and Essington Canal and tonight we are moored on a branch called the Cannock Extension Canal.  Having moved a few hundred yards to avoid a noisy road we first got a mattress round the prop (stopped the engine instantly) and then Ian managed to fling the mallet into the canal.  All now satisfactorily resolved we're pleased to say, though the mattress was heavy and very difficult to remove.  Cue for some more pictures.

The Farmer's Bridge flight of locks creeps under buildings and railway arches as it heads downhill.

This is taken at Salford Junction and you can see Pas Mèche heading away as we turn the other way.  We are keeping in touch but there will be no more cruising together this year.  We haven't fallen out though so we hope to meet boats next year sometime.

The Tame Valley Canal finds its way at first among the columns that support Spaghetti Junction.

This shows part of the Perry Bar flight of locks.  It is close to houses and the Alexander Athletic Stadium but looks green and peaceful despite the anti-vandal locks on the paddle mechanisms.

The Tame Valley Canal is very straight with deep cuttings and a high embankment.  This tall bridge is called Chimney Bridge and spans the cutting.  There were distant views from the embankment of central Birmingham and of Netherton Hill.

This was one empty pound on the Rushall flight which we had to fill from above.

And further up the flight we came to a standstill aground and stuck under this bridge.  Though CRT said they would sort the problem in the end Helen cycled up to the next lock a mile and a half away and slowly managed to fill the long pound.

There are lots of weeds (or should that be flowers) on the Rushall Canal.  One CRT chap told us that only one boat a week comes up here, though in fact we've seen a very few boats on the move so it must be more than that.

A rare picture of Ian at the tiller having just come through the narrows at Catshill Junction where the Daw End Branch meets the main Wyrley and Essington.

On the Anglesey Branch there were lovely views of countryside so the BCN is not all built up townscapes.

This is the peaceful end of the Anglesey Branch and the Dam of Chasewater Reservoir is behind the buildings.  The Reservoir feeds the BCN canals.  There are a couple of short moorings right at the end where the water comes in from the reservoir, though we did not find these until we had turned and moored further back.

Chasewater Reservoir is a playground with sailing, water skiing and this 'wakeboarding' where the skier is pulled along a static wire.  All good entertainment for boaters!

We are forecast torrential thunderstorms for tomorrow, but unless the weather is dire we will cruise on the Wyrley and Essington (sensibly nicknamed the 'Curly Wyrley') to Wolverhampton before going down the 21 locks there on Sunday.  And then the Shroppie beckons.