It was chucking it down this morning so we delayed our start until it eased and then actually stopped for a bit. Sections of the canal around here are thick with Fairy Moss, I have never seen it like this before, we use to get lots on the Middle level when we were there. Needles to say we met a boat just round this bend, the upside was Parkhead lock was in our favour. We may have been late away but 10 minutes later and we would have been third in line for this lock as before we got to the top there were two boats waiting behind us. Just past Highbridge Road bridge there is an old BCN cottage, its adjacent to the connection with Log Farm Reservoir, so did the tenet there control the water flow in or out of the reservoir? I couldn’t quite see the cottage number.
We saw a few fishermen out today, this one didn’t catch anything while we were there but a group of children having a bit of coaching at Windmill End Junction were doing better.
We turned down the Dudley No2 canal as gently as possible so as not to spoil there fishing. CRT installed a rather nice all steep stop plank shelter down here some time ago, there are still bits of it left, definitely not vandal proof, bell not Dudley vandals.
The towpath resurfacing is now complete and there is a hard surface from the Bumble Hole almost to Gosty tunnel.
At the different access points sign posts have been erected, they have the CRT logo on them but whether CRT put them up I don’t know, surprisingly they are all still in one piece and legible
A steady run through Gosty Tunnel and down to Hawne Basin for a pumpout, £10 and a fill up with diesel at 80p/lt. While we were there we had a long catch up with Pat and Sheila, they have been away the last few time we have visited. I made a right pigs ear getting away from the service jetty and in the end reversed out through the bridge onto the canal, I don’t think I left too much paint on it. It was back through the tunnel and up to Windmill End Junction again, my plan was to go out of the junction, turn towards Netherton Tunnel and then reverse back to the 48hr moorings by the visitor centre, but as the kids were all still fishing I just crept out and turned left, past them and on to the moorings, we will wind in the morning.
Today’s Journey
10¼ miles, 1 lock in 4 hours
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