Rather wet

Friday 21^st April; Bumblehole to Birmingham

We awoke to steady rain.  It was so cold we ran the Eberspacher for an hour – we hadn’t needed a fire last night so the boat had got really cold.  At least we got the towels dry, including Meg’s as she was drenched after her morning walk. The rain eased a bit, and after checking the weather forecast – periods of lighter rain - we left at about 10.15 in cold and damp conditions but we thought the tunnel might be a bit drier!

The damp approach to Netherton tunnel

As the rain stopped me taking many photos later on, here’s another one looking back at the lovely iron bridges.

We were through the tunnel in about half an hour.  A double-width tunnel with a high roof, and towpaths both sides (although one side is fenced to keep people off), it’s one of the easiest tunnels to go through.  Water was pouring down the air vents, and the rest of it was pretty wet in places, including the towpath, and we definitely needed our waterproofs.  From then on the weather varied from very wet to quite dry with many variations in between.  So we managed a coffee or two, and some snacks, but there was little to note for hours.  We didn’t see a boat moving till we got much closer to Birmingham.  At Bromford Junction there was a boat moored, nb Senior Moment. 

Senior Moment tucked in below Spon Lane locks

I took the photo because we went up these little-used locks a few years ago on our way to visit the Engine Arm facilities.  We knew they were little-used because the water in and just below the bottom lock was stagnant, and the boat became surrounded by black evil-smelling swirls of water.  It was raining as we passed under the M5, so there was only one photo to be taken.

I didn’t bother with snapping the aqueduct where the old Main Line crosses the new – I’ve taken photos before, but it’s not terribly interesting unless someone is crossing it at the time.  Through the Galton tunnel we went

And under the Engine Arm.

A little while later we saw the first of the few boats on the move today – a lone boater taking her friends out for a ride, hovering as we passed so she could make the turn into the Soho loop.  By now it had started to rain quite heavily.  As we approached the city centre moorings, a trip boat approached, with about 10 passengers sheltering under the clear covers while they listened to a talk.  We moored in our usual spot, just past Sheepcote Street bridge, as the musical clock chimed one o’clock.  We enjoyed a leisurely lunch while the rain pelted down.  We ran the Eber for an hour to dry gloves etc, then the rain stopped and the sun came out.  Dave took Meg to the park to play ball.  The trip boat went by several more times, people looking happier now the sun was out.

We had thought we might eat out tonight, but had forgotten it was Friday and Brindleyplace was heaving.  So we ate on board instead and went for a beer afterwards.  The Distillery at the Roundhouse doesn’t ‘really do bitter’ but offered us Battersea Brewery Light Ale instead, which was quite nice but would have been better on a hot afternoon sitting in a beer garden.

8 miles, Netherton tunnel, a lot of rain

 

Good locks and a horrible shopping mall

Thursday 20th April; Stourbridge Extension Canal to Bumblehole

We awoke to blue skies and bright sunshine, which was lovely, but once we’d reversed out of our mooring and retraced our route to the canal that biting wind was still there.

Reversing out

It was a couple of miles to Delph locks, and it’s very attractive in parts.  We saw several Canada females sitting on their nests as we travelled.  We reached the first of the flight - again going up, and not set for us,  but there are only 8 today.  We ascended the first, and could then see the rest of the flight ahead of us.  Last time we came this way, the bywashes were running with spectacular waterfalls, but not today.

Looking towards lock 6

At the third lock, I was just preparing the bottom gates when a jolly volunteer turned up, with two more on their way.  What joy!  All the locks were being set for us, with another couple of volunteers joining in further up.  Here is one of them as Bonjour passes the old stables.

And here are another couple

And the last two!

Then I had the experience of getting on board and going up a lock entirely worked by others.  It doesn't happen often and only when you have volunteers!

So we were up in an hour and a quarter, very good going.  We arrived at Merry Hill in time to do some shopping before lunch.  The wind made mooring a bit of a game – how thankful I am that we now have a bow thruster!  It didn't help that two passers-by wanted to chat as we tried to get moored up.  Down we went to the loathsome shopping mall.  We only needed a few things, which we could get in M&S, and we thought we could avoid the rest of it.  The food was easily done, but Dave also needed a new T-shirt which was in ‘our other store’ – just women’s wear next to the food, I wonder why that could be?  He got his t-shirt, but we still managed to go out by the wrong exit.  I can’t imagine why some people go to these huge malls for fun.

Perched high up away from the rush and bustle

After lunch we moved on towards Blower’s Green lock, where if you continue up the Parkhead locks you will reach the southern portal of the Dudley canal.  You can’t see it at the moment – it is totally obscured by sheeting, presumably for some works being done.

We topped up the water tank and disposed of rubbish, before moving on.  I spotted the first coot babies of the season, but they were hiding behind the drooping towpath plants and I couldn’t get a picture.  Not long after Blower’s Green, at Cattle Bridge, is an arm which used to be a short-cut between the two Dudley canals.  Kniown as the Two Lock Line, it closed in 1909 due to subsidence.

Once the Two Lock Line

We made it to the moorings at Bumblehole by about 4.30.  We had to use mooring pins, as the bollards were taken, and the wind made it tricky, but the sun was still shining and it was all fine.  We walked up to the Cobb Engine House, which we've visited before

then took the path on the left to cross back over the canal and explore some paths and woodland walks we hadn’t seen before, finding a large lake in the process.  Back at the boat we inspected the cabin bilge – even less water today.  So we deployed the first of the nappies and we’ll see what transpires.  It was a beautiful sunny evening, though not terribly warm, but the forecast for tomorrow is horrible.

6 miles, 9 locks, Stourbridge canal, Fens Branch, Stourbridge Extension canal, Dudley canal numbers 1 and 2.

 

 

Not the easiest morning

Wednesday 19^th April; Stourton top lock to Stourbridge extension canal

After a quiet night in this relatively peaceful spot, we set off at 9.30 into the teeth of a biting easterly wind towards the bottom of the Stourbridge flight.  There are 16 locks, all quite deep.

Approaching the bottom lock

They are also hefty great things, not so heavy I couldn’t work them, just hard work and with heavy paddles too.  The second lock has steel stays to stop the gates from swinging shut as your boat is coming in.

But the locks were all set in our favour and it was taking us about 12 minutes per lock, not too bad at all.  We were making good progress, past the Glass Museum and Dadford’s Shed, till we reached lock 10. There is a very short pound between it and lock 9, similar to the Bratch locks, but here there is no need for instructions.  You just have to hope no-one tries to come into the one above while you are trying to come up! 

Dave started to bring Bonjour from no. 10 to no. 9, but slowly came to a halt on the cill between the two.  The water levels looked a bit low, so I ran some down, but although the level went up and Dave could move a little further back, we stayed stuck.  Not a water-level problem then.  So I opened all the top paddles fully, including the rather fierce gate paddle, to try and flush the boat out and Dave managed to get free.  I closed the paddles to settle the water while we tried to find out what had happened.  We were joined by a walker wearing a Staffs and Worcester Canal Society sweatshirt, and he spotted a large log which must have been wedged between the hull and the side of the lock.  It wasn’t totally waterlogged and Dave managed to pull it out, and we concealed it out of the sight of vandals.  This lovely man helped us with the bottom gates for the next few locks. Brian (nb Harnser) tells me he is known as John the Lock - thanks Brian.

Our helper is at the next lock

With only four more to do, we met a single-hander who was pleased to have his help from then on.  We were cold and hungry by the time we cleared the top lock, so moored up and had some lunch.  This is definitely not where you would want to spend the night – noisy smelly factories, and an underwater shelf which the strong wind was banging us against.  So once we’d eaten, we bore left up the Fens Branch past more noisy factories, and then left under a bridge into the Stourbridge Extension Canal.  Just a couple of hundred yards long, but with mooring rings on the offside and a good edge, and thankfully sheltered from that wind.  There was just one boat at the far end – Solar Kingfisher.  Peter came along for a chat – he had been with the BCN society’s weekend cruise from Merry Hill, along with Brian and Diana on Harnser.  Meg deserved a good walk after all those locks, so we took her off into the woods, along an abandoned railway line which Peter had told us about.

The area is now a group of nature reserves where once industry would have been, with the canal on one side and housing on the other.  It’s very popular with dog walkers from the surrounding estates, but there is a lot of wild space now and we had a good walk.  When we came back. Dave blacked the starboard side between the gunwales and the rubbing strake.  I sponged out the water that had drained into the cabin bilge – just a quarter of an inch now.  The sun came out at about 5 and it was a lovely evening.

3 and a bit miles, 16 locks