Hopwood again

  We we were dead lucky with the weather yesterday not getting wet, from the TV reports other places in the midlands got around 40mm of rain, We did get heavy rain overnight and this morning the canal was a few inches higher, this was grass not water when we moored up last night.

The weather was much different from yesterday, bright and clear with a slight chill in the wind. We were away at 10 and soon passing Alvechurch Marina where a boat was just being lifted from the water, probably for a survey as it had a for sale notice in the window.

The held the operation while we passed and then continued once we were on our way, it was a very slow lift.

Ahead of us lay Shortwood tunnel, this is another fully bricked two way tunnel but today we didn’t meet anyone.

There was a serious land slip at the south portal of this tunnel earlier this year and the bank is now supported but ton bags of ballast.

A short way after this we passed the old Anglo Welsh yard, they closed it earlier this year and apart from a moored boat and a van, it stands empty.

Only a few hundred yards passed this and you come to Tardebigge Tunnel, this one is brick for about half its length and then the rest is cut from paw rock. We couldn’t go much further as its not far to the top of the Tardebigge flight of lock and once you set off down the flight there is no where to turn for 34 locks and then we would have to come back up again. The wharf here by the winding hole where we turned, is one of the few places for segregate recycling waste. Last time we were this way, this old full length Narrowboat hull was a floating patio outside the canal side property. Now its a sunk patio and the property has just been sold.

I spent quite a bit of time photographing bushes where a few seconds earlier there had been a Kingfisher sitting, this was the only one where I timed it correctly.

Looking across the fields we could see this stand of conifers, interestingly they were neatly trimmed for almost half their height and then left wild.

We were of course by now retracing our step and heading north again. On the offside on the edge of someone’s garden I spotted this canal company sign that would have marked the companies boundary, so half the edge wall is on the canal companies land.

If you know what the letters stand for please lit me know, it looks like SND & C & B NC.
The Floating Pennywort is getting quite a hold in places and of course when bits get broken off they float away and start another colony.

In the distance we could see HMP Hewell its some complex and houses over 1000 male inmates.

Coming back past Alvechurch Marina the boat being lifted was high and dry sitting on blocks, it has rather a strange stern IMO. It also looked quite shallow draft.

One of the house owners would rather people didn’t moor opposite the gate they have out onto the towpath, I wonder if they pay CRT for access, even so I don’t see how a boat on the water could make it difficult for them. The other notice they had I couldn’t read but it concerns a dog I think.

  Back at Hopwood we moored almost in the same place as last night, but on the visitor moorings as they are not water logged. Moored a bit closer to the bridge was a hire boat, its the first electric hire boat I have see and looked a very high specification.

Ollie Owl and its even dog friendly, but I am surprised the navigation light have survived.

Today’s Journey

11 miles, no locks in 4 hours

Hopwood

UPDATE
The winter mooring signs have been removed from the services and will be moved over to Cambrian Wharf.

This was our mooring last night, as you can see there are just the two of us.

It rained lightly during the evening and then more heavily over night. Bizarrely we lost two items off the roof overnight, one was a small circular fender that I found and which I kept on the roof for the exhaust to sit on and the other, one of the two rags that lived in the chimney cap just to wipe grease and mud off my hands.

The mooring lines and boat hook were not touched nor the rope mat that covers the bulls eye. Most strange.
This morning it was not raining but very low cloud with lots of the tops of the flats out of view.

I reversed out onto the main line as we wanted to go on the Worcester and Birmingham canal. Directly opposite the junction is a large carved bee.

There was only one boat moored in Gas Street and we stopped at Holiday Wharf to fill with water, not the fastest tap on the system, but it gave me time to check a couple of things on google earth before setting off again in the gloom.

 

Our first stop was Selly Oak to visit Halfords to get a new Stanley Knife to replace the one that I lost down the weed hatch. Mooring up opposite Sainsbury's there was again more CRT litter and waste, I removed and binned them all before I left.

We started meeting a few boats after this, probably 6 or 7 in all. At Kingswood Junction we carried on straight ahead  passed the refurbished Toll House. I didn’t realise that the house had road access but there was a car in the garden. I knew they laid a temporary track to do the work but I assumed that would have had to be removed.
As we arrived at Wast Hill I could see there was about quite close to the exit so waited for them to clear the tunnel before I entered, only to find a was firmly in the mud.

The visibility with my headlamp in the tunnel for the first half was about 50Mts. and well before the half way mark I had lost all sight of the north portal. We met a boat just past half way and after that things were much clearer until the last 100Mts. when it was thick again. After the tunnel we got a short shower as we looked for somewhere to moor for the night, we finally goy in just before the winding hole.

Todays Journey

9 miles with no locks in 3¾ hours

Oozells Street Loop

A bit drizzly last night but that had dried up by this morning. We were away our normal time but the weather although not raining was very overcast and felt damp. Looking down the Aston flight as we rounded Aston Junction I could see the first lock was empty, with a bit of luck Farmers bridge would be the same and this turned out to be the case. We met a boat coming down under the office block with a Volockie, he was worried we wouldn’t be able to pass above the lock, he then told me that there was another hire boat following. We met them with their Volockie a couple of locks later. Although the locks were effectively empty I had to draw the paddles on most of them to open the bottom gate. This was until we reached lock 5 and the next 4 all had the bottom gate wide open, I think this may have been due to a dog walker who had closed a gate foe me earlier . We were going to pull in for water at the top of the locks but another boat, that’s the third today pulled in there before we left the lock. 
As well as water this is the only rubbish disposal in Birmingham and in there wisdom CRT have made it a winter mooring, so if you need water, elsan disposal or rubbish over the winter expect to find a boat moored there . There is only room for about three boats so why they didn’t put them in Cambrian Wharf I don’t know

We carried on across Old Turn and into the Oozells Street Loop to moor for the night. Since we have been here we have been joined by another boat.

Today’s Journey

1¾ miles, 13 locks in 2 hours

Aston University

Well the day started very well, the forecast was rain over night and this morning which was correct. Needless to say we were the only boat here last night. It looks as if the moorings were reserved for some event last weekend, when they have finished why cant the organisers take their crap with them? Yes I did bin the one by our boat.

It was quite pleasant by the time we left a little after 11 am. One of the first bridges we passed under was a new one carrying high voltage cables, I don’t know if the design is painted or etched but it improves the look in my opinion.

The traffic lights have gone from the HS2 work, well it was a silly idea in the first place and the offside piling completed.

I guess the American couple must have come down this way yesterday as all the locks were with us and up until lock 4 we made excellent time, but between 3 and 4 Diana picked up what I think was a pushchair cover on the prop, with clear plastic bits, elastic and zips. I spent an hour in lock 4 removing it in small bits, the fact I dropped my Stanley Knife into the bottom of the lock didn’t help matters. Someone around here obviously likes the pigeons as there was a thick layer of corn on the lock side. I bet the local rats are plump.

From here it was a clear run up to Bordesley Junction and sharp right along to Digbeth Junction. They are still working on the old Banana warehouse at Warwick Bar, with a new roof and lots of new timbers.

Again another right turn onto the Digbeth Branch, through Curzon St.Tunnel and into the 6 Ashted locks, these were all against us with several top gates open. Work is progressing on the HS2 bridge and there is now a nice sweeping ramp to one side, the bridge supports for the canal crossing look much like last time we were this way but are now wrapped.

An uneventful passage through Ashted Tunnel, you have to watch the cabin top on the curve of the roof depending on the amount of tumblehome on the cabin to the last lock, Once clear of that we moored for the night outside the University buildings.

Todays Journey

3½ miles, 11 locks in 3½ hours

Star City

We were a little late getting away this morning and a boat had gone by before we were up. We passed through a couple of groups of fishing men, one a match, but I think they all must have been the most cheerful fishermen I have met.
CRT are in the process of cutting back the off side vegetation and have got as far as the Boat Inn. I hope they also work back towards Birmingham from above Minworth Locks.

Beside Minworth lock 2 on the towpath side there is this brickwork in the grass, any idea what or why anyone?

About half way between the top lock, which still has the near side culvert blocked and Salford Junction we met a boat, the second this trip, again a hire boat and again crewed by two Americans. She asked me how far to the Coventry canal, I said a day and a half, but she thought I set a hour and a half so I had to correct her, I wonder when they have to be back at Rose Narrowboats by?
We did a brief stop outside The Tyburn so that Diana could nip to Aldi, pity there are no rings here to tie to, so I just had to holder the centre line until Diana returned, then off under the works by Trout Bridge and on to Salford Junction. The very sharp left hand turn and up through the Nechells disused lock to moor at Start City for the night.

Today’s Journey

5¼ miles, 3 locks in 2½ hours

Wiggins Hill Bridge

A little late getting away this morning with on other boats on the move, we stopped outside Fazeley Mill Marina to top up with water. No chance in walking in now from the towpath, its by boat or the main entrance on the road.
 

They are doing a lot of work inside the marina, I hope the moorers feel the benefit and their mooring fees don’t go up too much. BTW their diesel is still £1 Lt. domestic.

Passing through the swing bridge and under the footbridge at Drayton the cruiser left tied up on the offside has sunk again.

As we made our way to Curdworth bottom lock we passed this electricity post carrying HV cables, I wonder how long it will be before the power tracts to earth through the wet Ivy? It’s getting close.

Curdworth bottom lock was against us, would this be the way they will all be to the top. Then lock 10 was with us. Which one had leaked? As we approached lock 9 a hire boat had just come down, an American couple who told me they had turned all the locks ready for us. Even so some were half full and lock one right full.
The HS2 work is on going but not on Saturdays, I wonder what it costs having a couple of cranes sitting there on hire doing nothing?

  It will still be some time before they reach the canal by the look of it. A couple of locks further up the canal and the field on the offside is covered with shallow trenches, these are normally for an archeological study prior to a development. 
Once clear of the locks it wasn't far to Curdworth tunnel, I have never seen so many spider webs as there are in there, not even in Halloween decorations. Then passed the Cuttle Bridge Inn to moor for the night.
Much to our surprise the weather was quite good but the wind has picked up now and its quite chilly out there.

Today’s Journey

6¾ miles, 11 locks in 4½ hours.

Fazeley Junction

Well we said goodbye to our mooring at Alvecote for the last time, we have been there for 5 years so thought we had best have a change. This was our old slot. Out of the marina and turned left on a bright warm sunny afternoon, we didn’t meet another boat all afternoon and of course Glascote locks were against us. The no mooring signs against the towpath are still there. a very official notice, the small black type  may be polite but the red bold  is fare from that.

Moored at the entrance to Glascote basin is the old butty Cedar that is undergoing restoration. You can see the old bolts where the wooden cants were attached

By the time we reached the junction it had turned much cooler. It was a toss up, wind take water and drop back behind the moored narrowboat of turn up the B&F and fill with water in the morning at Fazeley Mill Marina. Indecision completely cocked up the turn and we ended up with the bows against one bank and the stern the other, I also spotted they there was a cruiser where I thought was a space, so now we are moored on the B&F.

Today’s journey3¾ miles, 2 locks in 1¾ hours