A slower day to King’s Norton

Sunday 21^st April; Crown Meadow Arm to King’s Norton

We had a bit of a lie-in after yesterday’s exertions.  I took Jess down to the village centre to get a few things, leaving the canal at bridge 64.  It’s still hilly on the way back from the village, but a more pleasant walk than from the marina, though that’s not too bad either. 

Too shady

Dave had been cutting wood for a couple of small jobs but was missing the glue he needed, so we sat down with the paper and a coffee, listening to the blackcaps singing their feathery little hearts out in the trees. 

Sadly the evil floating pennywort is already on the march – had the weed boat been through already?  There were lots of small bits floating about.  What it needs is a dedicated group of canoeists or paddleboarders coming round with nets and bin bags every week as soon as it is spotted, but it’s rather a commitment even if you live close by.

 It was tempting to stay, but the sun still hadn’t come round so we moved on towards Hopwood.  On Bittell reservoir some work was going on, one man in chest waders – maybe constructing a longer pontoon?

The fishing lakes were very busy.  The cottage on the offside has had a coat of paint, and the cat flap has a nice step outside, as presumably the cat is getting on a bit.

We saw some of the newer methods of repairing collapsing towpaths yesterday.  These sacks of ballast have been sitting here for some years now.  Water pours down the banks and the towpath has always been muddy and is still in a pretty poor way. 

The sacks I believe are just to shore the piling up by holding the ballast in place – the trouble is that they will eventually start to degrade and release strands of plastic into the water, not good.  I have seen this happen in an old builder’s bag in my garden where it sat in a corner with leaf mould in for a few years.  It was an absolute bu****r to clear up the mess. At Hopwood we took on water at one of the slowest taps we have come across – plenty of time to prepare and eat lunch while the tank filled.  One of the characteristics of the stretch from Tardebigge tunnel into Birmingham is the large amount of plastic rubbish and bits of tree in the water that apparenty float through the tunnel.

There are aften unexplained bangs on the hull.  As we neared the far end of Wast Hills Tunnel (31 minutes, meeting nobody) we could see something large and black in the entrance which turned out to be a space-hopper, which spun away as we got closer.  Shortly before the water point there was a boat across the canal.

It was being bow-hauled, or rather stern-hauled past the two moored boats that live at the cottage.  He had it under control and explained he didn’t have reverse gear.  I have no idea how far he had come.  When he passed later on I could see he had an outboard engine. We moored in our usual place near the entrance to the playing fields and Jess duly got her induction into the delights of King’s Norton park.  I took her with me up to the King’s Norton co-op, as the Alvechurch one had no bananas, and when we got back Dave was changing the oil.  His correction of the fuel leak yesterday had done the job.  He then cooked a beef stroganoff for tea, delish.  

4½ miles, 0 locks, Wast Hills tunnel and a very slow tap.