Walsall Top Lock

Last nights moorings tucked up at Ocker Hill were first class, we reversed in through this small bridge safely behind a steel fence and locked gates. Due to the angle of the entrance its easier to leave and face  Birmingham and then reverse to the Tame Valley to wind to carry on up the Walsall canal. Once winded we headed towards Walsall, passing some fishermen one said its like the M1, your the third boat today that’s gone by. It wasn’t long before we caught up with the Rothen workboat with 2 crew in the hold with long handle nets and grabs picking up rubbish, but not until after we had passed the disused Old Gospel Oak branch

A little further on we passed the entrance to the Bradley Arm which is presently being restored by the Bradley Arm Restoration Society

As we chugged on, the Rother boat pulling over to allow we finally caught up with the other boat, it turned out they had also overnighted at Ocker Hill but further up the arm.

We had a couple of trips down the weedhatch for a mixture of weed and plastic and it was slow going at times but eventually the Walsall bottom lock came into sight so we stopped on the lock moorings for a bite of lunch. We had just tied up when the boat we had been following came out from the basin and tucked in behind us, they were also going up the flight and also stopping for a bit of lunch, so when we went up the flight we back set every lock for them, it seemed only fare as the locks were with us. Once at the top of the flight we pulled over onto the visitor moorings until they went by, then we reversed into the lock to fill the water tank, even then the hose was only just long enough to reach from the tap. Once full of water we returned to the visitor moorings for the night.

The route so far on Gogle Maps 

Todays Journey
6½ miles, 8 lock in 4½ hours