Out of Town, 27th June

I returned to the boat on Monday 26th, by lunchtime, after a really busy and productive few days. 

So good to be back on board with my bestie, though, as he continued putting  the IWA newsletter together. Then we went out to dinner at The Distillery, not exactly far from our mooring. 

Tuesday and an early start: 07:50. We had at least 26 locks to pass down, and Andrew wasn't feeling well so he would be on the tiller. But our goal was to get out into the countryside so it had to be done.

bye bye Brum!

Luck was on our side. As we turned the corner at Old Turn Junction onto the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal, the lock stood open and a boat on the waterpoint..  they weren't ready to go so we took their lock. There was a volunteer lockie on duty setting all but 4 of the locks in the flight ahead for us.

Not a spot to linger, to be honest.

 

Immediately after he left us, we met a boat coming the other way so again all locks were in our favour.

Bywash underneath an office building.. the side pounds needed to fill the locks are effectively flooded cellars. 

Then we got to the Aston flight, and more vlockies! We absolutely swept down the hill.  They left as the locks became further spaced out but what a great start!

We won't miss this side of Birmingham: the constant rubbish and pollution is horrible.

Nature does its best though

By early afternoon we were moored at Minworth, directly under a tree belonging to an incredibly loud wren. We also had a visitor:

a juvenile coot. Too tired to cook: the Hare and hounds provided good value and plentiful pub grub, just what was needed.

A gentler start on Wednesday.  Minworth is a bit greener but still quite built up and under the Birmingham International flight path.  Soon the view was more rural:

only to find HS2 works going on on either side of the canal! I was driving today as Andrew feeling somewhat better, so not many photos.

We passed Drayton Manor Park .. no impact on us, except for the extraordinary Turret Bridge across the canal. Nobody knows why it was built like that. My own guess is the landowner put it in when the canal was built, as a kind of folly or celebration of the canal. I have no data for that, it's just a story I made up.. but it can't be disproved either!

Soon after, we moored up opposite a small boatyard  and decided to stay for two nights. Weather on Thursday due to be pleasant so we walked into nearby Tamworth.

Gardens and fantastic original motte and bailey Norman Castle. Amendments over the ages of course but basically the same layout.

And the courtyard 

There was a good exhibition about the Saxon period,  based around the discovery of a hoard locally, when this was already a stronghold.. and Andrew was all over it having just finished watching all of The Last Kingdom. Surprised to see that Mercia, where this is, was waging campaigns as far afield as Chester and Conwy.

And this must have been a wonderful commission for a modern craftsman to receive: a replica sword, complete with laminated steel and iron, and tooled gold fixings, with Ruby enamel.

From there past the remains of the gatehouse 

to find lunch. I was craving chips so we went to a local place called The Woodshed.. but no Gluten free buns. So I had mine without: my choice was chicken,  cheese and BBQ sauce, called a Mountie. No idea why but worth it just to order a Naked Mountie!

From there, the cinema to watch Indiana Jones V. Pure hokum and so enjoyable. And back to the boat via a quick grocery detour.

Friday morning grey and slightly damp for an 11 mile lock free trip to Fradley Junction.  Farewell BCN, hello Coventry Canal.

This pic was on Thursday.. what a change a day makes.

And what a difference on the canal.. it's a blinking motorway! Boats swanning about all over the place, moored wherever they fancy.. it's mayhem compared to the Birmingham Canals. At least the steerer isn't bored.