Windmill End

Lovely quiet night last night and the geese weren't too bad this morning. We set off at 10am in bright sun but the breeze was a bit nippy. We decided to carry on along the Old Main Line as we were facing that way and turn down the Gower Branch dropping down the Brades locks. Here Keir are resurfacing the tow path, a lot has already been done along the old main line and they look to be doing a good job.

We passed the old toll house in Tipton, I do wonder if they have any square rooms in the house at all.

We also passed one of the bridges that still has the hose roller in place for the fire brigade to suck water from the canal via the red door, lots of bridges in Birmingham still have the doors but few have the rollers .

 

Once we hit the New Main Line we turned left again back towards Tipton and then left along the Netherton Tunnel Branch passing under the Old Main line where we had been a hour earlier.
Passing through Netherton Tunnel I was beginning to wonder if I could see ghosts, I thought I kept seeing a shadow of a man on the north west wall of the tunnel, but only the towpath on the south east side is open. eventually I passed a man walking the closed towpath with no torch, the towpath is gated at each end and sections of handrail are missing, so what he was up to I don’t know. Once clear of the tunnel it was left at Windmill End junction to head to Hawne Basin for diesel and a pump out. A short way down the canal is a toll island with a goose nest with eggs right on the end..

I don’t think I have ever known this section of canal so busy seeing three boats coming going down and another three coming up. CRT have one of there new anti vandal stop plank stores down here, unfortunately some has taken the door off. Its the third I have seen this week.

Down by the old Stewart and Lloyd pipe works there are the remains of a couple of side slips where Narrowboats were launched and pulled out sideways, I have photographed them before but todat the light was better and the weed less.

Then into Hawne Basin to fill with diesel and empty the loo tank, we also topped with fresh water before retracing our steps back to Windmill end to moor for the night.

    

Today’s Journey

12 miles, 3 locks in 5¼ hours