Bournville Monday 4 September 2017

We had the stove alight yesterday to cook dinner and as it was only 13° outside we decided to keep it alight, about 2am this morning I had to get up and turn it off as we were boiling. During the night the barometer climbed a bit and this morning the weather was looking more promising but still a very slight drizzle.

We were away at our normal time with just one lock ahead of us, this is a deep lock as it was the site of an experimental boat lift.

We stopped for water at the Tardebigge CRT Maintenance Yard, this is the worst condition waterpoint I have come across, the tap doesn't work, you have to control it by the stop cock, the handle is broken on that so you need pliers, there is nearly as much water leaking in the unit as there is going through the hose and it even leaks like a sieve with the stop cock turned off. I hope for CRT's sake the water isn't metered and its 50 yard from their office right outside their maintenance yard.

Yesterday was a day of locks, today would be a day of tunnels. The first one was Tardebigge Tunnel some 580 Yards long and wide enough for boats to meet. Most of the length of this tunnel is carved through solid rock so its not lined.

Shortly after this was Shortwood Tunnel, this one is 613 Yards long, but unlike the last one is brick lined.

After leaving Shortwood Tunnel we passed Alvechurch Marina where there are some long term moorings end on the canal, this Heron had found a nice spot to stand in the morning sunshine while keeping his toes dry.

At Coopers Hill Farm there is a new marina going it, it should be open this Autumn but I have my doubts. The web site says it will only be 50 berths, I think it will take them a long time to get their money back.

Just beyond where the new marina is being built the canal has been diverter probably to accommodate the M42. The old arm is still partly in water but is getting more overgrown every time we pass, I think its now classed as a nature reserve, but soon it will change to a different habitat if its not managed.

Lanehouse Aqueduct has the brickwork covered with a fine netting for some reason, the fixings look substantial but the actual net very flimsy, I can't really see it protecting the brick work at all so do wonder why its there.

I said it was a day of tunnels, the last one is Wast Hill Tunnel, this one is a bit longer at 2726 Yards long. This is also a brick lined tunnel and as we entered we plunged into a thick fog which filled most of the first half. This is a photograph looking back reflecting the flash.

One of the things I noticed about this tunnel is that there are holes the size of half a brick spaced along the water line.

As we approached the far end a boat came the other way towards us, it was then that I could make out a boat ahead of us, we caught him up as he left the tunnel where he speeded up a bit to almost 2½MPH. We followed him as far as the waterpoint where he pulled over and we went by.

Approaching Kings Norton Junction a green boat came out of the North Stratford and a strand angle, I thought he will never get round the bend and through the bridge, then I could see it was Wand' ring Bark towing a butty. When you tow a butty you have to steer completely differently as when you slow for a sharp bend like this the butty pushes your stern round, so actually Andy was lined up just right. Andy and his wife Helen make and sell preserves from their boats at different floating markets around the system and were just returning from trading in Stratford on Avon and heading for Netherton ready for next weekend.

As soon as Andy was through the bridge he waved us by knowing that we would be travelling faster than him. He passed us after we had moored up on the 48 hr moorings opposite Bournville railway station. These are not the quietest of visitor mooring but are the last before you get into Birmingham and we didn't want to go that far tonight. little later the boat we passed just after the tunnel pulled in in front of us and I helped them moor. They had only owned the boat for about 2 hours when we passed them so were very new to everything.

Today's Journey 10 miles, 1 lock in 4¼ hours.