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Thursday 31 March 2016

Oldbury Thursday 31 March 2016

Well we have been a bit loopy and backwards today. It was a quiet night out side the Barclay Arena and we set off at 9-15 AM this morning turning left at the Deep Cutting Junction beforeDSCF4100 heading through Gas Street to fill with water at services on the W&B Canal. Then it was backwards to the Mailbox where we passed the boat that was moored behind last night, before retracing out steps under Broad Street Tunnel and then turning hard left into the Oozells Street Loop. After going round the loop we turned left on the Main Line. we carried on until we came to the Soho Loop passing a dredger coming towards us on the way. We went round the Soho Loop passing under Spring Hill Bridge, this not only has the hydrant door but also a roller to support the suction pipe.DSCF4103

We went all the way round the loop passed Winson Green prison to the very far end where it rejoins the main line, it was here I picked up a blade full and drifted right across the Main Line in front of a hire boat, luckily as soon as he saw my bow he stopped a good way back. We headed back in the Birmingham direction until we reached the Icknield Port Loop where we turned right and made our way round the loop passing the CRT wet dockDSCF4105 and yard on the way. When we reached the far end of the loop we found the dredger moored in the bridge hole completely blocking our exit with a man pressure washing the under side of the bridge. This meant another reverse, this time all the way to the CRT yard to wind, on the way again we met the boat that had moored behind us last night. OOnce we had turned it was passed CRT yard again back to the Main Line.DSCF4107

Once on the main line we headed back into Birmingham passing the other end of the loop with the dredger still in place. DSCF4111 Back in Birmingham we moored in the same spot as we had been last night and a few minutes latter the boat we had seen twice came back and moored in the same spot as last night.

We spent the afternoon wandering round Birmingham before retuning to Harnser at setting off about 3-30 PM. Firstly it was backwards to the junction and then along the Main Line. We stayed on the New Main Line as far as Bromford junction where we doubled back on our selves to go up Spon Lane Locks. As the lock emptied  the mud bubbled up around the boat, DSCF4115 the water is jet black. At the top of the three locks we had to again double back on ourselves on the Old Main Line beforeDSCF4118 crossing the New Main line where we had been half an hour earlier on the Stewards Aqueduct. We continued on along the Old Main line to Oldbury mooring for the night just through Whimsey Bridge on the bollards.

Today’s Journey  MAP 4 12¼ Miles 3 locks loads of junctions in 5½ hrs

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