Ocker Hill

Two boats passed a little before 8-30  this morning and we left at 9am to avoid the heat that didn’t happen today. We had to reverse back from Star City to Salford Junction as there is no where to wind and then set off up the Tame Valley Canal. Luckily I had just completed this manoeuvre when two boats came along the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal to turn up the Aston Locks. We were soon passing under more of Spaghetti Junction, It must have been a major task building it without closing the canal network down.

 

Just by one of the bridge supports is this memorial stone to a police officer who was killed here.

Just below the lock flight coming from the offside there is a steady flow of water feeding the B&F canal, so the water in this section is crystal clear. We arrived at the locks to find them full so we expected a lot of work going up the flight but later they were all empty and at the top full. The lock cottage by lock 13 is looking very smart and it was good to see that the one at the top of the flight by lock one now looks just as good. Last time we were this way it was in poor state with a planning notice pinned to the door.

Once we got to lock 11, the pond between 12 and 11 is quite long the ground work had changed completely, the grass cut to within an inch of its life and all lock freshly painted, including the paddle gear with everything looking pristine. I had completely forgotten that they use Community Pay Back labour on this and the Walsall flight, of course there were some CRT chaps and volunteers working as well.

Up at lock 9 there were a gang of them with their supervisor painting the lock, so all Diana had to do was draw the top paddles as they worked the gates so we wouldn’t get paint on us. The stadium for the Commonwealth games now look enormous with temporary stands and lighting/camera towers specifically for the games. They have even built a

 

lock within the complex, probably the best maintained lock in Birmingham, I understand that it will all be on the TV later this month with the opening ceremony.
By the top lock CRT were holding an event which I think was amid a foreign ladies with refreshments and a catamaran canoe. It was very noticeable how the gardening in the flight stop completely at the top lock and you can only just spot the mooring rings in the long grass the other side of the bridge. The weed growth was much better than I could have hoped for and we only had to hatch visits all day, the first was a ball of weed at the second lock, the other included polly on the M5 Aqueduct, maybe I shouldn’t have laughed at all the lorries on the motorway who were at a standstill.

Maybe one of the reasons the weed conditions were so good was down to these chaps who were working near Rushall Junction, we would see them again later when they brought their boats to Ocker Hill forthe night. Probably the only safe place to leave them.
One of the very tall bridges on the Tame Valley canal is called Chimney Bridge, when you look at the brick support it’s fairly obvious how it got its name.

The Tame Valley canal is wide and straight and we carried on to the end at Tame Valley Junction where we turned left for a short way before reversing in under the bridge to the long term secure moorings. Although they are long term just inside to the right there are two full length moorings for CRT work boats which can be used as visitor moorings if CRT are not using them. Needless to say we had been moored up about half an hour when the weed clearance boats arrived for the night, luckily there was room for all three of us.

The Journey to date on Google Maps

Today’s Journey. 9½ miles, 13 locks in 5½ hours.