Day : Sunday
Date : 4 August 2019
Start : 0900
Finish :1540 Hawne Basin
I have uploaded our proposed route to CanalPlanAC at https://canalplan.eu/journey/12083_DOiC1940lH if anyone wants to see where we are likely to be. It gets updated with actual position each night.
No problems where we moored last night but not the most restful of nights. First just as we had gone to bed it was motorbikes and boy racers on the nearby streets. Then dogs on the towpath, I looked out and it was just 2 chaps with a dog, but the 50 Canada Geese on the opposite towpath didn't intend to move for anything. A little later we were being buzzed by a helicopter and then around 5 am the Geese all decided to depart all talking to each other.
The end result was we were away a bit earlier at 9 am. Again we had good luck with the locks, all 8 in our favour.
There was a fishing match at Merryhill for the full length of the visitor moorings with just a few gaps big enough to moor. This was handy as Diana wanted the shops but was disappointed that Sainsbury's has gone. On the whole they were a cheerful bunch but 2 of them could do better with their rods and equipment making people divert from the path to get round them, an elderly couple probably in their 80s in particular. one of them even pointed out to the old couple its a towpath, not a foot path. Its times like that I would like to see some of the scramble bikes along the towpath.
We passed Blackbrook Junction, at one time there was a link from here through to Woodside Junction with 2 locks, this would have cut off about 2 miles all the way to Parkhead junction.
A little before Saltwell's bridge there were goats on the side of the hill.
The original plan had been to moor at the Bumble Hole but as we were in good time we decided to head to Hawne Basin instead. Since we were last here there are a lot of new houses behind the towpath, I hope they don't want canal views as they have a 12 foot high wooden fence all the way along some of them. George hadn't been through a tunnel as tight as Gosty Hill before, so he found that quite interesting, thankfully we didn't get stuck.
One thing I have never noticed before is the number of moths in the tunnel and when we emerged we even had some sitting on the boat roof.
We have moored in Hawne Basin for the night and in the morning we will fill with diesel before heading to Birmingham.
Over the years I have seen boats with lots of fenders down but I think this one probably has the most.
Today's Journey
10¼ Miles 10 Locks in 5¼ hours
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