Thursday 12th October
Catherine de Barnes to Birmingham
10.25 miles, 25 locks
We woke to a wonderfully still day - a huge relief after the wind of yesterday.
An early start was called for as we had a long day ahead. The general advice is to do this route in one go as there is nowhere desirable to moor on the long haul into Birmingham.
Today I was spoilt for choice for blog titles, but the squirrels won the day. Monty and I headed off on foot as we frequently do, but things did not go entirely to plan. The tow path is relatively wide and good underfoot, but there are a lot of trees. To Monty trees only mean one thing - squirrels! All went well to start with, but in the end he must have decided he needed a better view, so the only answer was to back up. Unfortunately he went just a little bit too far and in he went! This is a dog who does not like water and barks at any dog 'stupid' enough to go swimming, so he panicked. He was a good 100 yards from me and he set off swimming away from me. Nothing for it, but to do a 100 yard sprint (I don't think I would have won any races!) shouting encouragement and blandishments to him to wait. He did and must have managed to get his back feet on the canal bottom as he had one front leg on the edge of the towpath and was completely stationary with wide staring eyes waiting for rescue.
Thankfully he was wearing his boating harness with a big handle to aid rescue from murky waters
He is light enough to yank out easily, but I am not that quick at getting up off my knees these days, so had no chance of escaping before he shook that long hair all over me!
Chris was round the corner behind us and was blissfully unaware of the drama unfolding ahead of him and was surprised that we had turned round and headed back towards him. Once on board Monty had to submit to the disgrace of his drying coat, or as Oakley (guide dog from nb Sola Gratia) calls it, his 'numpty coat'! It does the trick and dried him fairly quickly, but the biggest bonus is that it stops him shaking and sending muddy wet splashes all over the place!
Before we set off again Chris made the first trip of the day down to the weed hatch.
The plan was to travel about 3 miles where we were picking up two friends - extra crew to help with all the locks. Weed hatch trip two was made as we collected Steve and Dee with one more before we arrived at the first of the locks. There was time for coffee and biscuits before we got there - fuel required for the work ahead. The canal is secluded and quite pretty - it was hard to imagine that we were approaching a major city.
As we neared Birmingham the 'red doors' in the bridges became very noticeable - these are fire doors for the fire brigade to use to extract canal water in times of need.
They are even in modern railed bridges
Just before the first set of locks at Camp Hill is a service area where we stopped to empty and fill as required. In the elsan building is this sign
I guess at some point in time someone has tried to get rid of a sleeping bag in an elsan disposal unit!!
And so to the first lock of the day
and the beginning of my second choice of title - 'Graffiti Alley'.
It was everywhere - I guess they write hanging upside down to 'adorn' bridges
On and on it went
Some more far more artistic than others
Nowhere even vaguely accessible escapes
As you get to Typhoo Basin there is some point to it and it could be called artwork, but even here others have defaced what should be a pleasure to look at
Thankfully most has escaped untarnished
but sadly, not all - why do people feel the need to make their mark?
The artwork continues for quite a while at Typhoo Basin showing various aspects of life in this city.
I don't think any brick wall or bridge that can be reached in the three miles from the first lock to Birmingham centre has escaped. It was relentless.
Then there is the amount of litter to contend with
Despite all of the above we had a really good day. There is plenty to look at - not stunning countryside, but some of the buildings and views have a charm of their own. Then there was the sight of a traffic warden making someone's day - mind you the car had been 'abandoned' in a very inappropriate place, so they only had themselves to blame for picking up a ticket.
The second set of locks,University Ashted Locks, are well named as they (see comment at the bottom of the post) pass right by Birmingham City University
The locks keep coming and the crew kept at it.
There are a couple of short tunnels on this flight, the second of which we had been warned about some weeks ago (thank you Adam from nb Briar Rose) - Ashted tunnel is narrow and we had been told to ensure someone walked through with the middle rope to keep the boat well over to the towpath side. We only met one boat all day coming towards us just before we got to that tunnel and they told us they had got stuck. Was it time to worry? Well yes, just a bit as we are quite high at the front and they weren't! When it came to it, Dee and Steve sat in the bow and I walked through with the rope and all was well. We survived with room to spare. However, we should have sent a runner ahead to prepare the lock as it is immediately after the tunnel and had a boat been coming down, I think we might have to have reversed back before we could have passed.
One more lock in that flight and just time for us all to get back on board and have a quick lunch - the sandwiches had been made prior to arriving at the first flight of locks. We did feed our 'volunteers', but they did't get much time to digest their food before getting off to tackle the last and longest flight of the day - Farmers Bridge Flight. New water to Tentatrice, but Chris and I did them the other way some years ago on a hire boat with another set of friends.
At the bottom of this flight Canal and River Trust welcome you to Birmingham
There is nothing pretty about this section, in fact it can be quite unsettling - I certainly would not want to be around here late at night!
The only pedestrians we met today were all upright citizens and presented no reason the be alarmed. Go through here early in the morning, as we did last time, and there are many prone bodies sleeping in all sorts of nooks and crannies - not that they presented a threat. You just have to feel sorry for them that they have no roof over their heads whatever the weather.
As you near the city the canal actually goes under some buildings - a very weird experience
What a view from these apartment balconies - a good place to 'gongoozle' (watch people locking)
and downstairs they have a very convenient Indian Restaurant
Monty supervised me all the way
Then there was the lady busy at work overlooking a lock - I am sure I would never get any work done if I was in her shoes
and another lady enjoying a quiet cup of coffee in the sun
It may not be scenic countryside, but it does have a different sort of charm
The crew kept working
Just before you arrive at the top it becomes more attractive with the PO Tower in the distance
All the locks in this flight (13 of them) had been against us, but it was not until three from the end that we became aware of the boat we were following
Suddenly you are there - Birmingham has done a great job of making boaters welcome and the waterways around the centre of this city so safe.
We always try to moor in Cambrian Wharf as it is secure and there is grass nearby for the dog. We were in luck with a couple of spaces to choose from. I am not sure if Chris is laughing with relief or about to expire!
We had made it in 7 hours. A very long day for us and we are eternally grateful to Steve and Dee - without them it would have taken a lot longer.
After a bit of a rest, a wash and brush up, we headed off to Brindley Place to get some dinner only to find it heaving. A show was about to start at the Indoor Arena, so we had a bit of a wait to get a table, but we ended up at Café Rouge and we all had an excellent, well deserved meal.
Thank you both for your help. It was great to see you again and we are really grateful that you were there for us.
And so to the first lock of the day
and the beginning of my second choice of title - 'Graffiti Alley'.
On and on it went
Some more far more artistic than others
Nowhere even vaguely accessible escapes
As you get to Typhoo Basin there is some point to it and it could be called artwork, but even here others have defaced what should be a pleasure to look at
Thankfully most has escaped untarnished
The artwork continues for quite a while at Typhoo Basin showing various aspects of life in this city.
Then there is the amount of litter to contend with
Despite all of the above we had a really good day. There is plenty to look at - not stunning countryside, but some of the buildings and views have a charm of their own. Then there was the sight of a traffic warden making someone's day - mind you the car had been 'abandoned' in a very inappropriate place, so they only had themselves to blame for picking up a ticket.
The second set of locks,
The locks keep coming and the crew kept at it.
There are a couple of short tunnels on this flight, the second of which we had been warned about some weeks ago (thank you Adam from nb Briar Rose) - Ashted tunnel is narrow and we had been told to ensure someone walked through with the middle rope to keep the boat well over to the towpath side. We only met one boat all day coming towards us just before we got to that tunnel and they told us they had got stuck. Was it time to worry? Well yes, just a bit as we are quite high at the front and they weren't! When it came to it, Dee and Steve sat in the bow and I walked through with the rope and all was well. We survived with room to spare. However, we should have sent a runner ahead to prepare the lock as it is immediately after the tunnel and had a boat been coming down, I think we might have to have reversed back before we could have passed.
One more lock in that flight and just time for us all to get back on board and have a quick lunch - the sandwiches had been made prior to arriving at the first flight of locks. We did feed our 'volunteers', but they did't get much time to digest their food before getting off to tackle the last and longest flight of the day - Farmers Bridge Flight. New water to Tentatrice, but Chris and I did them the other way some years ago on a hire boat with another set of friends.
At the bottom of this flight Canal and River Trust welcome you to Birmingham
There is nothing pretty about this section, in fact it can be quite unsettling - I certainly would not want to be around here late at night!
The only pedestrians we met today were all upright citizens and presented no reason the be alarmed. Go through here early in the morning, as we did last time, and there are many prone bodies sleeping in all sorts of nooks and crannies - not that they presented a threat. You just have to feel sorry for them that they have no roof over their heads whatever the weather.
As you near the city the canal actually goes under some buildings - a very weird experience
What a view from these apartment balconies - a good place to 'gongoozle' (watch people locking)
Monty supervised me all the way
Then there was the lady busy at work overlooking a lock - I am sure I would never get any work done if I was in her shoes
and another lady enjoying a quiet cup of coffee in the sun
It may not be scenic countryside, but it does have a different sort of charm
The crew kept working
Just before you arrive at the top it becomes more attractive with the PO Tower in the distance
Suddenly you are there - Birmingham has done a great job of making boaters welcome and the waterways around the centre of this city so safe.
We always try to moor in Cambrian Wharf as it is secure and there is grass nearby for the dog. We were in luck with a couple of spaces to choose from. I am not sure if Chris is laughing with relief or about to expire!
We had made it in 7 hours. A very long day for us and we are eternally grateful to Steve and Dee - without them it would have taken a lot longer.
Thank you both for your help. It was great to see you again and we are really grateful that you were there for us.
Friday 13th October
Cambrian Wharf to Tardebigge
14.75 miles, 0 locks
When we returned to the boat last night this was the sky, so we hoped for a good day today. Well Chris and Monty did! I was jumping ship again and they were doing the trip alone.
Dee, Steve and I travelled on the boat the short distance past Gas Street Basin to The Mailbox where (after Chris made yet another trip down the weed hatch to clear the propeller) we left Chris and Monty to it. I did not have the camera, so you will have to imagine the black and white face of a very confused dog sailing off into the distance without me. The journey, I am told, was uneventful and they made it safely - I had made Chris a sandwich for his lunch, so I had not left without some thought for his needs!
So why did I go off again? Well I was going back to the NEC. It was our daughter's birthday and she had won two tickets to the Grand Designs Show, so how could I turn down such an opportunity for a Mother/Daughter day out? We enjoyed our time together and left with a few goodies, but nothing massively exciting! Sarah drove me back to Bromsgrove and dropped me at Tardebigge where Chris was on the service point filling the boat with water.
We moved across to the other side for a quiet night before the rigours of the Tardebigge flight next day.
2 comments:
They're Ashted Locks, not University Locks -- the university has only been on that site for a handful of years. When I did my postgrad at that institution, it was called the University of Central England and was based at Perry Barr. Since then the name and location have changed. I believe the building called University Locks is a hall of residence.
Thank you Adam.
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