Last night I planned to walk down and see if the LED/solar light that was thrown in the canal was working, but as I had my slippers on and it was chucking it down with rain that plan changed greatly.
This morning we were woken buy the builders across the other side of the canal, not sure what time they started, they also had tree surgeons working over there kicking up a din, but it was a lovely sunny morning and Diana did a bit of shopping before we set off.
A bit of advice to anyone planning on mooring in the Bentley Arm, ether go in forward or pull the boat out on ropes. I had no problem yesterday but today it was an instant ball of weed round the prop. I few thrashes back and forth and we were making reasonable progress, of course we took the obligatory photo under the mirror arch.Its now in need of a bit of a clean but access will be a problem unless it can be done from a boat with a window cleaners pole and brush.
Back at Horseley Fields Junction we turned left and I didn’t do much better than when we came a couple of days back, you can see where the wall is falling into the cut, its taken part of the signpost with it.
I pulled in at the CRT base and cleared the prop of the weed and short length of strimmer cord that was holding it all together. One of the bridges along here on a bend if fitted with rollers to protect the corners of the bridge from the towing lines and also make it easier for the horse to pull the line round the bend, these are a smaller diameter than I have come across on other canals and look as if they are made of iron. I don’t think they rotated that well.
There is lot of new housing along the towpath side with quite large estates, If I owned this house I don’t think I would be to happy, the end of the property is supposed to be white rendering, but its covered with brown streaks that look like they have leaked through it, its not the only property like it.
At Deepfield junction we turned left and made our way up the Bradley Arm, A thoughtful local pointed out it was a dead end. It shows how well used it is(n’t). We didn’t have any real problems, it was a bit weedy for a short section that kept fouling the prop but a bit of backwards soon cleared it and we made good time to the end. Thankfully there was room to wind, last time we were this way there were lots of CRT boats moored here, today just an old wooden
sunken boat and some hoppers all beyond the winding hole, I use to be able to get round in the entrance to the basin, but a few years back they piled it and narrowed the canal by about 2 foot. There was plenty of activity in the workshops by the sound of things.
On our way back we passed this weed cutter moored just by the winding hole at Highfields. I don’t know why it was there or who owns it.
Back at the Wolverhampton level we again turned left and headed through Coseley Tunnel, it was just as wet as last time and back to moor at John the Locks moorings in Tipton, where the geese are being extra h=noisy this afternoon, it must be the lovely warm weather, up to 14°C this afternoon.
Todays Journey
10 miles, no locks in 3¾ hours.
No comments:
Post a Comment