Tipton Wednesday 5 April 2017

Last nights moorings were just great, we didn't hear a sound all evening or night.

We set off this mooring to sun with very little wind, the staff at Napton Narrowboats kindly wound the gate paddle up as they crossed to move their hire boats, so when we arrived it was just a matter of swinging the gate open.

For some reason the lock cottage garden was completely flooded and being pumped into the canal. Once you go up the lock, all of 3" you are at the junction with the Staffordshire and Worcestershire canal. Here we turned sharp right for about half a mile before reaching Aldersley junction where the BCN main Line joins via the 21 Wolverhampton flight on the left. Lock 5 of the flight, they are numbered from the top has a stone just below the bottom offside gate that has the lock number and date on it.

The gods were with us and the locks in our favour. We had just reached the top of the first of the flight when I boat came behind us, so a few minutes later and the flight would have been against us.

I have often seen coconuts floating in the canal, some are just bear nuts and others highly decorated, someone had obviously fished one of the decorated ones out and left it beside the lock. I think this is probably a Hindu wedding symbol.

We met 3 boats in the flight which didn't really help us and one actually delayed us but we had a nice steady climb doing the flight in 2 ¾ hrs. The lock gates are in much better condition than when we did this flight a year ago. Once clear of the locks we carried on to The Black Country Museum to moor for the night and wandered up to The Dudley Tunnel Trust Centre with a view to eating there this evening, but they close at 5pm. I thought they opened in the evenings.

We remembered from last time we moored here that the road beside the visitor centre that crosses the canal is quite noisy so we decided to back track and moor in Tipton opposite John the Locks moorings.

On this small part of the journey we passed an old canal side house wedged between the road and a new housing development, even the house is wedged shaped.

Also on our journey today we have seen several nests including this Goose in Wolverhampton amongst the urban trash and a coot who obviously likes a bit of colour around the house.

Today's Journey 9.4 miles 22 locks 6 junctions 4 canals in 5½ hours.