Windmill End

Well tonight we are moored in the same spot as last night even facing the same way, but we have not been here all day.
Before we set off a little after 10 the Bumble Hole volunteers were out patching things up, on a saddernote there was a very nice fluffy dog tied up outside the centre, it seems a lady had found him wandering around and he was waiting for the dog warden, lets hope he is chipped. We turned right at the junction down the Dudley No 2 canal, just through the junction is a toll island but this one is definitely suffering from ware and tare of coming into contact with boats.

The towpath from the junction almost to the tunnel is being upgraded and is closed throughout its length, but a few people cant accept this fact .     

The materials for this work is being transported by boat to the work face and we were surprised to find the tug being driven by an acquaintance of ours, needless to say we met her at a bridge hole and her barge was hard aground giving us water to pass through. 

Looking at the tow path before the ballast is laid reminds you very much of a railway line snaking off  into the distance but without any sleepers.  Not only was the towpath being maintained on land but CRT were out cutting back offside vegetation, Its good to see but I am sure they could find more pressing places to do this important work.Then we were approaching Gosty Hill tunnel, Diana decided to jump ship and walk over and look at the ventilation shaft in someone’s front garden while I chugged on alone.

For those that don’t know, the head clearance at the entrance is nothing like the clearance further through where its about the same as the Harecastle Tunnel.

Once clear off the tunnel I picked Diana up who was waiting for me, its not the fastest tunnel in the world. From here its not far to Hawne Basin where we filled with diesel and had a pump out, probably both are the cheapest on the system.

As you can see their entrance is a bight on the tight side as well. Back through the tunnel and under the railway bridge, the road beside the canal the road under the bridge has been closed for some time with no obvious reason, today it is obvious, where the road crosses a disused branch from the canal.

Our original plan was just to come back to Windmill End and moor up for the night, but we have only done 6 miles so off we go to Parkhead Junction where we winded and were haled by a hire boat at the water point, they couldn’t get their hose off and there was water spraying everywhere, had I got a spanner. I pulled over and had a look, their hose was attached by a brass hose connector which they couldn’t move, in attempting remove the host they had pulled the supply pipe out of the tap so water was gushing everywhere and no stop tap. Two minutes and the mole grips had the tap coupler off, The second tap fully open reduced the water pressure and a spanner had the fitting back on the tap, job done. We then headed back to Windmill end for the night, we hadn’t been moored up long when the hire boat pulled in ahead of us and tried to give me a bottle of wine for my trouble. I refused but what a lovely gesture .
This area of the Black Country they have invested heavily in metal interpretation boards and surprisingly the don’t seem to suffer with the same vandalism as other structures.

 

Todays Journey

11 miles no locks in 4¾ hours