Sent to Coventry

Well perhaps more cruising towards Coventry might be more accurate.  We are now on the Coventry Canal heading south and moored tonight just outside Atherstone looking out at the rain, which will be welcome here as the canal seems to be about 4 inches below normal.

We left the Black Country Museum last Wednesday.  The Museum is well worth a visit and the volunteers in each of the buildings brought to the site were a mine of information about the people that used to live there and about the life in the industrial Black Country.

The previous evening we were joined by two illustrious narrowboats, President and its butty, Kildare.  President is a coal fired steam powered boat built in 1909 and Kildare is an unpowered butty built just a few years later.  Both boats left at 7 am heading for Audlem.

We cruised back a different way to central Birmingham.  We followed the Old Main Line for a few miles and then turned left on the Gower Branch.  This branch has the only staircase lock on the BCN, a double.  Leo is shown here in the lower lock of the two.

In Birmingham we moored opposite the Roundhouse.  This lovely circular building was built in 1873 by Birmingham Corporation as stables and stores.  It is presently being renovated.

A neighbouring boat was home to a dog, Cassie, that delighted in cavorting in front of this road sign.  Why we don't know, but it did manage to get plenty of exercise without involving the owner.









On Thursday we left Birmingham which means going downhill and that day descended 24 locks, mooring at Star City at Aston.

Here is Leo coming to Cambrian Wharf where the Farmers' Bridge flight of locks begin the descent.  You can see the first lock in the middle of the photo and the BT Tower beyond which you pass on the way down the 13 locks in the flight.

Here we are part way down.  The pounds between the locks are quite small and it can be difficult to pass boats coming up and we did meet one.  Office buildings are built on stilts above the canal.

One of the locks is under railway arches and it is difficult to get off the boat to help work the lock, or at least that is Ian's excuse.

 Here is the BT Tower seen from right below it.

Near the bottom of the flight the rain began.  We turned right at Aston Junction and this led us to the Ashted locks.  Below the first lock is the Ashted Tunnel.  This is short but very low on the side away from the towpath.  We had previously scraped the hand rail of Leo on this tunnel and unfortunately we did so again.  The canal was very full and this probably caused our problem.

Below the flight of 6 locks you turn sharp left and go through an old stop lock shown here.  Unusually the gates can work whichever canal has the higher water level.  There are two gates above and below facing different ways.

Soon we came to Bordesley Junction where the Camp Hill locks are ahead.  These lead up on the Grand Union Canal heading out of Birmingham towards London.  Our way lay left under the bridge you can see to pick up the far northern end of the Grand Union down Garrison Locks to Salford Junction.

This route out of Birmingham can not be described as pretty!  The Garrison Locks are lined with derelict factories.

Shortly before Salford Junction you pass Star City and there is a pontoon mooring here which is secured by a locked gate.  The surroundings are also open and fairly green and pleasant.  We think this is preferable as a mooring to Cuckoo Wharf below the Ashton Locks which is an alternative.






We did have a look round Star City.  It is a strange place, reminiscent of places in the US.  It is a combination of adult entertainment - casino, cinema and ten pin bowling - together with kids entertainment and play areas combined with a selection of restaurants.  Not our sort of place, so we walked over to Cuckoo Wharf and followed the canals via Salford Junction back to Leo.

On Friday and into Saturday we finally shook off the outskirts of Birmingham by cruising the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal which Leo hasn't travelled before.

Here is the signpost at Salford Junction where four canals meet.  We had come from Bordesley and Digbeth and were heading for Tamworth.  We have previously been up the Perry Bar locks and followed the alternative route from the City Centre.

Having turned right we followed the M6 on piers above us.  Given the sign warning of congestion on the motorway, we were happier being on a pretty empty canal.  Not many boats come this way.

Soon you come under industrial buildings built out over the canal.  This was like going under a tunnel but with windows on the side.

The three Minworth Locks drop the canal 17 feet towards Warwickshire.  Not sure why the sofas were outside this cottage beside the top lock.  Given the rain the previous day, I doubt they were much used by passing boaters.

We moored overnight at Curdworth having come through the short but again very low Curdworth Tunnel.  More paint damage and we scraped a hole in the cratch cover too.  On Saturday we descended the 11 Curdworth Locks.  This photo shows Leo in Lock 4.  By this point we could see fields and sheep and cows - very welcome after a week in the smoke.

Coming out of lock 5 you can see how the tow ropes have carved grooves in the stone with horses pulling boats out of the lock.

We moored just below the bottom of the Curdworth locks, next to Kingsbury Water Park.  This park was formed out of previous gravel pits but now has a lot of wildlife as well as some lakes for pedal boats, and sailing dinghies as well as a miniature railway.

We  had a good walk round the park passing some lovely lakes both sides of the M42.  An underpass connects the two parts of the park.

The big pedal boats were in the form of swans.  That's what we need, a giant swan to tackle the nasty aggressive real swans!  That would teach them.

Out the other side of the park we crossed a footbridge over the River Tame shown here and went into the village of Kingsbury.  This didn't have much to recommend it apart from the Royal Oak, which we felt obliged to visit for a refreshing drink.







Yesterday (Sunday) we reached the end of the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal and turned right at Fazeley Junction onto the Coventry Canal heading south.

Drayton footbridge is a unique structure with two 'Rapunzel' towers with spiral staircases connected by a walkway.  Next to the footbridge is a swing bridge presumably built to allow farm carts to cross the canal.

Here is a close up of one of the towers with its Gothic shaped doorway.

Approaching Fazeley Junction there is a fine chapel on the left (shown here) and a rather dilapidated old mill on the right.  The Coventry Canal can be seen through the arched bridge on the right of the picture.

The toll house on the Coventry Canal is very similar in appearance to the one we saw recently at King's Norton Junction where the Stratford Canal meets the Worcester and Birmingham Canal.

The picture above shows the signposts at Fazeley Junction.  We turned right towards Coventry.

Very soon we crossed an aqueduct over the River Tame.  This is a pretty impressive river which later joins the River Trent near Alrewas on the Trent and Mersey Canal.

There are two Glascote Locks that we ascended on Sunday afternoon.

We found a country mooring near Alvecote and managed to find these remains of Alvecote Priory shown on the map.  The Priory was founded 1159 by William Burdett.  After returning from a crusade, Burdett accused his wife of being unfaithful and stabbed her, and as penance founded the monastery.  Quite a lively lot those Normans.





Today we've come up the 11 Atherstone Locks and we are moored just beyond the houses of Atherstone.  The rain began soon after lunch so we are hoping for something better tomorrow.

We passed this poor neglected old working boat at Grendon Dock.  I do hope someone restores it soon.

Here is Leo waiting patiently below Lock 10 of the flight (they are numbered from the top, so this is near the bottom).

This cottage is at Lock 5.  We met lots of boats coming down which makes life easier.   

The Atherstone Locks have side pounds which unfortunately are not used but the top one has this fine duck and moorhen floating home in the pond.  There is even a baby moorhen next to the little bridge.

And here is Leo in the top lock at Atherstone.  A volunteer was keeping a tally of boats and, by the time we passed about 1 o'clock, there had been 18 boats going down and 6 coming up.  Apparently on Wednesday there were 59 boats through the flight.  So perhaps it's no surprise that the rest of the Coventry Canal is a bit low.





Tomorrow, subject possibly to weather, we will carry on, passing the junction with the Ashby Canal towards Coventry.  Aside from the rain, we are in a fine spot with horses and rabbits in the rough field opposite.  It is good to be out in the country again!