10am this morning and we were on our way heading for the Garrison or Saltley locks, before we reached the locks we passed one of the many HS2 work sites, the chap obviously thought we couldn’t get passed his inflatable tied to the pontoon and he quickly hopped in to move it.
The Garrison locks are a bit unusual as when you raise the top paddles the water enters the chamber both by the top gate and also via a culvert to just by the bottom gates. Some say this was to automatically close the bottom gates, others just so the lock filled fast with no surge. Lock 4 seems to be the only one where the culverts are still clear .
Further up the flight there was a nice growth of fungi in the top beam.
Up at Bordesley Junction we turned right along the Digbeth branch towards Warwick Bar, along this stretch someone has erected about a dozen of what I guess are/were notice board, now they are just covered with graffiti.
At Warwick Bar it looks as if there may be some work ongoing to preserve the old warehouse and loading dock beside the stop lock, it looks as if its part of the redevelopment of the whole site.
Again it was sharp right , under Curzon Street Tunnel to the 6 Ashted Lock, the last boat to pass through had kindly left all the top gates open. Coming out of Curzon Street Tunnel there are more HS2 works ongoing.
They have even erected a nicely painted hording.
There is a development taking place alongside the locks which looks to be 8 stories high,
Reading the hoardings it seams that CRT are doing their bit to revitalise the area. What more could we ask for?
I think they have made a start as the offside of the lock is already Astroturfed, its the first time I have seen that, I wonder how long it will be before its in the lock and round someone's prop.
After lock number two its into Ashted Tunnel, this is a narrow tunnel with a towpath, but it has a horrible profile being very low on the non towpath side. I have clipped the top corner of the door before now .
Lock number one is at the absolute mouth of the tunnel, if you get here and there is a boat coming down its a run backwards through the tunnel. Once clear of the locks we moored on the 2 Day moorings for the night.
Although our journey took us 2¾ hours we were only moving for about an hour and a half.
Today’s Journey
4 miles, 11 locks in 2¾ hours
2 comments:
"At Worcester Bar it looks as if ..." I though that was Warwick Bar, with Worcester Bar being across Gas Street Basin
And now corrected, at least Paul reads all my dribble .Thanks Paul
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