Left at 10:10
arrived at 14:10.
Up to a cool bright day,
seemed chilly but we are moored in the shade, changed the beds and decided to
get the provisions shopping from Sainsbury’s Local in town. We are both tired as I had a bad night but of
course Derek the early bird was still up
6.30ish, I was ready for 8. We
are going to the Black Country Museum for a night or so, I really cant be
bothered with City shopping. Set
off for the Museum, 3 hrs or so away,
after we had done the food shopping, Derek took me a different way and we saw some
lovely buildings. Brindley Place a
piazza with a lovely big bubbly water feature.
We chatted to a security guard about the Ikon Building and the Cube, a
modern building with a glass restaurant on top, a French Chef owns it, but he
couldn’t remember his name?? We set off
from our mooring to go round the back of the permanent moorings at Sherbourne
Wharf, it was just ahead of us through yet another bridge, it was very quiet,
there is a Boat Chandlers with lots of facilities and lots of boats, some are
scruffy and others really smart, we then were on the Birmingham Canal Main
Line. I busied myself in the boat putting
the shopping in the fridge and stowing it in various cupboards and made us a
cuppa. The waterway is quite wide with
lots of iron bridges over it, the black and white ones are lovely and we have
just come upon one in a more Gothic style, its really pretty. There have been little island in the middle
of the canal and double bridges so we have to use the right hand side. Just before the Gothic Bridge the longish
island makes two very narrow channels, we had to pass through very slowly as we
just fit, we haven’t got side fenders down whilst we are on the narrow locks,
just putting them down when we moor to hold us off the side, good job really.
There was a Museum at the side in
a lovely building (Galton Museum) it had a magnificent chimney but seemed to be
a little neglected. Slightly further on
was Galton Tunnel, a short one but looking quite picturesque in the sunshine, I
took pics entering and exiting, the arches and bridges reflections makes some
interesting photos. Looking at the
trusty companion the Gothic Bridge I mentioned, was in fact Engine Arm
Aquaduct. We have just come through a
number of bridges and passed under the M5, the concrete tubular shaped
buttresses are like giants legs straddling the canal, making us look very small
indeed. On the right hand side (towpath)
there are lots of quite majestic weeping willows dangling their long elegant
tresses towards the canal. At another junction there was another island in
the middle of the arm of the canal we were taking, I noticed a it hadn’t got
much growth on it that its shaped like a flat iron, the pointed end facing us,
Derek took the left hand arm, because the right hand side had lots of
overhanging trees. There are loads of
Buddleias along the waterway and thinking about it, there has been all the time
we’ve been around Birmingham. They are
very florific and all the colours, mostly the purple shades, lilac through to a
very dark purple, with only an odd white one, they will grow anywhere. It amazes me when you see a derelict building
or a bridge, where you cant see any real space for soil in the cracks of the
bricks, there you will find a buddleia hanging on and flowering to bring a
smile to your face. I have noticed that there are wild sweet peas along this
part of the canal as well, some in clumps on the towpath side of the canal and
others rambling in the hedgerows. We
have just gone by Dudley Port Junction, going under Watery Lane Bridge! Great
name, there is a little community of NBs, There have been fishermen along this
waterway, there is a large group just ahead, maybe its a competition, we have
just seen a young man pull a 6in fish out.
Caggys Yard, seems to be the name of the place, its all a bit strange,
boats of all shapes and colourways but quite a lot wearing rusty, dirty livery
and the fishermen (spotted one lady) were all very solemn, some downright
rude??? Arrived at Factory locks, a
flight of three, they had handcuff locks on them, didn’t need it till Derek got
in the lock as it was ready for us ‘empty’.
Shut him in and he got me the key from the cupboard in the saloon. The lock ground paddles were really well
oiled so not too much effort, we went up on one, the second lock was set
also. I put Derek in and went up to sort
No 3, left him to do gate after putting paddle down and pressing lock
shut. Top lock emptied well, it was next
to a Barge/NB graveyard, lots of rust bodies just sitting there looking very
sad, two young men were there doing some thing with a fork lift truck and there
was a caravan next to a half painted NB. When we were out of the lock we turned
a sharp left, tooting our horn (there had been a sign stating to do so as a
canoe centre ahead) we couldn’t see it but did as we were told. Approached a long term mooring with what
seemed to be facilities attached (in need of a tin of red paint) lots of
signage, warning us not to try to use them, not very welcoming here at
all. Through a bridge and a narrow
channel, a group of men (quite rough looking) some in wheelchairs, they
complemented us on our beautiful boat, saying we should be proud of it, asked
where we were heading and where we came from.
They were very impressed when I said Yorkshire, saying it was better
than here, I must agree. It doesn’t take
much to change your mind about a place, just a few kind words and some smiles??
The water is now covered in yellow lilies, taking your eye off the bottles and
rubbish, going through another narrow channel under a bridge, a family is
fishing and another thumbs up and top marks remark? We got here for 1:45, the entrance and moorings for the museum, we could only
fit on the end with our bottom sticking out, Derek moved the NB Beau, who was
in front of us, up a ring so we could fit a bit better, we moored up.
We don’t intend going into the Museum till tomorrow and as the mats in
the cratch had got wet in the lock, we decided to clean them and the front deck
and set too with a mop, bucket and brush to do just that. I had a look at the museum entrance to see what
the form was, it closes at 5, there is also a boat trip into Dudley tunnel so
we will partake of its delights tomorrow.
The deck is dry and the mats are hanging on the fencing drying, the man
form Beau has come back and left for Birmingham so we have moved up further
beyond the gate to the outside world, making us feel a little more secure, we
have got tele so a night of crafting, snoozing and tele is on the cards.
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