Nearly There! - 26th - 28th September

Wednesday 26th September 2018
Hockley Heath to Earlswood
2.75 miles, 0 locks

As you leave Hockley Heath this garden across the cut has had a face lift - at least we don't remember such grand decking in the past

 with a rather fetching clock that does tell the correct time - I was walking the dogs the previous evening!

The main feature of this trip is the low water levels

Every time we pulled over to the towpath to pass oncoming traffic we grounded - it was slow going, but the sun was shining and

the sky was blue, so all was well with our world.

 We are getting back to reality - our local motorway - the M42.  We will go under once more before we get back to the marina.

We moored briefly at bridge 20 - somewhere we always stop to pay a visit to

Wedges, but oh what a disappointment as they are no longer selling fruit and vegetables.  They have extended the cafe which I am sure is more profitable.  The meat, pies, cheeses, bread and cakes are all available, but this is the wrong end of the trip for us to be stocking up, so I left empty handed.

It is almost two weeks since Kiera joined us and she is as laid back as ever!

Just a short journey for us today, but we like Earlswood and with the sun shining it was perfect.

Thursday 27th September 2018
Earlswood to Hopwood
10.5 miles, 0 locks, 2 tunnels, 1 drawbridge

Once again we woke to brilliant blue skies and another very warm day  - definitely an added bonus and a welcome change from the rain and wind.

The question going through Dickens Heath is always the same - will the fountains be working?  Not today - we wonder is that is due to the lack of rain this summer?

A very well 'decked' out back garden

 Despite the fact that we are nearing the outskirts of Birmingham this is still a very rural and pretty bit of canal.

Autumn colours are beginning to appear

The one bit of excitement at this end of the North Stratford Canal is the draw bridge at Shirley and today was just that little bit more interesting than usual.  Quite a while before we left Earlswood a hire boat had gone past us at a very considerate slow speed.  One is always grateful when people show respect for moored boats.  We found out as we approached the draw bridge that 'tick over' is their top speed!   I had jumped ship with the dogs and overtook the hire boat before Chris was even in sight.  They had landed crew to work the bridge - there appeared to be at least 5 ladies!  Now this bridge is electrically operated, so all you need is one person and a key to access the control panel.  A buddy for moral support is an added bonus, particularly if you have never done it before. From there you just read the instructions and press buttons.

The lady in charge of the box was issuing all sorts of instructions - she wanted one of her party to ensure the boat did not stop and two more to stand in the road to stop the traffic!!  I am glad to say that this is not necessary as once the button has been pressed, lights flash, sirens wail and two big barriers descend to block the road.  Mind you I will admit that when one is new to these bridges that involve stopping traffic it can be a bit daunting.  Thankfully traffic was light (just one car), so we slipped through on their tail (they had invited us to do so) and were able to pass them as they collected the crew.  I think we would have lost the will to live if we had had to follow them, especially through the 2726 yard long tunnel at Wast Hills.  You really need to keep a bit of speed on to maintain steerage, especially if you have to pass an oncoming boat.

  The first tunnel at Brandwood is just a tiddler at 352 yards long - we all stayed on deck for that one.

 At Kings Norton Junction we turned left towards Worcester and so re-joined our home canal - Worcester - Birmingham.

I am not a fan of tunnels, so once we arrived at Wast Hills the dogs and I went inside with all the lights on and left Chris to it.  I jumped ship with the dogs at the first bridge after the tunnel to make our way to the moorings at Hopwood.  I could see a lump of some sort on the towpath, but from the distance had no idea what it was.  I was a little surprised to find a man face down, fast asleep wearing a t-shirt and his underpants!  Thankfully the latter were good stout ones - Chris spotted another man on the bow similarly attired, but his were the white/grey baggy aertex ones - affectionately known as Shreddies in the military!  I am glad I did not look back! It was amazingly warm and they were certainly making the most of the weather.

 As we approached our mooring at nearly 3pm, the sky was still clear and blue.

We were far enough away from the road for it not to bother us, although most places in this part of the world it is hard to get away from the sound of motorways.

We also had a not too shabby side hatch view

 Hopefully this sunset will mean a good day again tomorrow, although the forecast does say it will be chillier.

Friday 28th September 2018
Hopwood to Tardebigge
5.5 miles, 0 locks, 2 tunnels

The day dawn dry, bright and sunny, but decidedly colder.  We had to break out the gloves, but not for long.  The dogs and I walked ahead and waited at a bridge hole to catch the boat.  Kiera is getting the hang of alighting a moving target and is quite adept at it now.

The sky was blue with just a few fluffy white clouds

On past Bittell reservoirs - one of my favourite views.  There were a few boats out, so there were some open vistas to enjoy.

On past this lovely cottage in Alvechurch - the owners appeared on a television programme called 'A Place in the Sun'.  They were trying to decide between a house in the UK with a narrow boat mooring or one on the continent with a sailing boat.  The UK won.  Sadly the man died suddenly a while ago, but I am glad to say the boat is still there and looking good.  We met the lady of the house out for a trip with her family sometime last year.

Since we left in April the new marina at Withybed Green has opened for business. It has space for about 54 boats - today there were just three.  We may go and ask them for their tariffs.  It looks a little exposed, but it would save 45 locks every time we want to head north.  We are, however, both rather fond of Droitwich, so we shall see.

At present we can get the car to within a few feet of the boat - a great help when loading and unloading.  I am not sure that we would be able to do so here, but we will go and look.  There is nothing like a good 'neb'!

We have not noticed this pair of patient souls trying to get boats to slow down - they appear to have had a long wait.

This must be one of our more unusual sightings this trip - a very lifelike chimpanzee sitting on someone's garden wall!

And so to Tardebigge where we will wait until Sunday when Kiera's owners arrive to collect her and pay their 'kennel fees' -  a mere 30 locks!!   The ground here is quite soft, so

we have cross pins at the stern, the bow and the middle.  Tomorrow there is likely to be a lot of hire boats setting out from the Anglo Welsh Basin, Tardebigge and Alvechurch Boats at Alvechurch and we have been left adrift once before.  Belt and braces this time!

A late afternoon walk around Tardebigge was the order of the day for all four of us.  I think we consider Tardebigge to be Tentatrice's 'spiritual' home.  The scenery is stunning and with such a glorious blue sky I just had to capture the moment for posterity.

The evening ended with yet another stunning sunset

And Kiera made herself at home on her penultimate night on the boat - definitely a dog under severe stress!