Yesterday I was asked for the total time & number of locks for this journey so I've just added it up.  We travelled for 120 hours through 197 locks. 

Day 21 Saturday 11 October

Birmingham City Centre to Alvechurch

As last night was our last night on Eos for this holiday we decided to go out in Birmingham & at the very last minute called Andersons Steak House to see if they had a table which they did so we went there & had a wonderful meal.  We'd not returned to the boat too late & hit the sack but then got a rather rude awakening at 01:36 as someone was kicking the boat!  Stuart jumped out of bed & dashed out the door by by the time he'd done that they'd gone but he was then confronted by a young lady who accused him of throwing peanuts at her; oddly there was a pile of peanuts on the tow path halfway along the boat but they had nothing to do with us!  Luckily the chap who was with her managed to convince her that Stuart hadn't been throwing peanuts & they went away.  Today when the sunlight was shining on the boat we could see muddy boot prints all the way down the side of the boat including on 2 windows, luckily the toughened glass had stood up to this kicking as the last thing we'd have wanted was a broken window!  Another set of owners had had a window broken in the night by someone throwing a large stone which must have been dreadful - the joys of city centres!  Mind you, having said that, we've spent quite a few nights moored in the centre of Birmingham & this is the first time we've had bother like this.

As some of you already know Eos will be moving base early next year to Gayton Marina which is located on the Blisworth Arm of the Grand Union Canal between the villages of Gayton and Blisworth in Northamptonshire so we think this will be our last Eos trip through the centre of Birmingham.

To conclude our 3 week trip I'd like to leave you with some pictures from the centre of the City in the hope when you next visit Birmingham you'll make time to visit the canal where you could have a coffee & watch the boats go past or even take a tour on one of the many trip boats.

Old Turn Junction

A new look to the NIA

One of my favourite spots - the centre of Birmingham with Brindley Place to the right & the Symphony Halls to the left.  Ahead is Broad Street bridge with the Worcester Bar ahead.  You can see The Cube towering above

The Waterbus - hop on for a tour with full commentary!

Or you could have a trip & a meal....really push the boat out!

Approaching The Worcester Bar - to the left is Gas Street Basin & the narrow strip of water is the start of the Worcester & Birmingham Canal.  If you watch the Julia Bradbury Canal Walks BBC show it starts with Julia sat outside the Canalside Pub just under this footbridge

 Missed Julia Bradbury's Canal Walks - click here

On the W&B heading for Salvage Turn, a 90 degree turn (fun on a windy day!) - ahead The Mailbox & The Cube

The Mailbox, canalside W&B Canal

The Mailbox opened in 1998 and was the redevelopment of the former Royal Mail sorting office in Birmingham City Centre.  It is one of the UK’s largest mixed-use building incorporating retail, leisure, offices and residential.  The tenants include Malmaison and Ramada hotels, the BBC Midlands headquarters, luxury retailers such as Harvey Nichols, Emporio Armani and sixteen restaurants and cafe bars.

For more information on The Mailbox, click here

The Cube

Described as Birmingham’s iconic landmark, The Cube is a world-class destination standing tall across the city’s skyline. The outstanding 25-storey structure houses an impressive mix of prime office, retail and restaurant spaces, aspirational apartments, a boutique hotel, exclusive canal side restaurants, skyline champagne bar, luxury spa facilities, and the UK’s largest automated car park.

We were lucky enough to stay in a room on the 24th floor with a balcony that overlooked the canal back in 2012 & on one occasion when I looked out I saw Eos go past!  I'd recommend this as a great place to stay when you visit Birmingham

We also saw in 2013 at a New Years Eve party at the Marco Pierre White restaurant which is in the glass section on the top right.  The glass section on the top left houses a Champagne Bar where we watched the many fireworks that were going off around the city.  We'd moored Eos just under the footbridge so didn't have far to get back afterwards!

For more information on The Cube click here  or here

Today we have travelled for 4 hours on 2 canals, no locks, 2 tunnels.

Thank you for taking time to read my blog, I hope you enjoyed it.  We are next scheduled to be on Eos on 15 March so will post again then

Day 20 Friday 10 October

Tipton to Birmingham City Centre

This morning we left our overnight mooring at Tipton in brilliant sunshine & headed towards Birmingham.  From Tipton there are 2 possible routes that run parallel; Brindley's "Old Line" or Telford's "New Line".  We have used Telford's New Line on several occasions - it's a straight wide canal that in many places runs in a cutting with very high sides which prevents you seeing the scenery, I guess it could be considered the canal version of a motorway, direct & functional!  When Telford's New Line was finished in 1829 it reduced the journey by a third.  The last time we came this way the Old Line was closed for maintenance so we didn't have an option so today we will be taking Brindley's Old Line back to the City Centre.

Shortly after leaving we passed a statue of William Perry aka "The Tipton Slasher" who was a bare knuckle fighter & champion between 1850-1857

William Perry - Local Champ!

Having never used this route before I was surprised how pretty it was in places; it was very green with very clear water in contrast of what looks like thick black water on the New Line.  There was a lot of new houses that would have been built on former industrial sites many of which had attractive waterfront outlooks.

New houses at Dudley Port

With open spaces this looked like an ideal spot to check your hose was working!

Training Exercise?

The Old Line then crosses the Netherton Branch on an aqueduct; this is a branch from the New Line into the Netherton Tunnel which was one of the last canal tunnels to be built.  We have been this way twice before on our way to/from Stourport

Entrance to the 3027 yard long Netherton Tunnel

There are 4 places where you can get from the Old to the New line & Brades Hall Junction is about halfway along & has the only staircase lock on the BCN; wherever you go from the Old to the New Lines you have to go through 3 locks

Brades Staircase Lock

A short while after this we were in the shadows of the M5 which seemed to have some delays, in a section of about a mile the M5 crosses the canal 5 times

BCN Old Line with M5 above

Approach to Oldbury Junction under the M5

 After passing Spon Lane Junction which is another link between Old & New Lines we shortly reached the Summit Tunnel

Summit Tunnel at Smethwick BCN Old Line

Brasshouse Lane Pumping Station

The building in the picture above was built in 1892 was a pumping station as water on this Old Line was often low & they pumped water from the New Line below.

We then reached the Smethwick Locks which marks the end of this section & we went down the 3 locks that took us onto the Birmingham level.

Smethwick Locks with Engine Arm off under the bridge to the right

Looking down at the New Line from Engine Arm Aqueduct

The picture above shows one of the islands in the middle of Telford's New Line, these islands used to house toll booths

Smethwick Junction BCN

We then had about a mile to go before reaching the City Centre

Approach to the City Centre with Birmingham's new Library ahead, the Sealife Centre to the right & the NIA to the left

Eos moored in the City Centre

Today we have travelled for about 5 hours, through 1 tunnel & down 3 locks

Day 19 Thursday 9 October
Brewood to Tipton

This morning we woke up to the sound of rain on the roof...so we rolled over & dozed for a while!  After a blueberry pancake breakfast to use up the last of our frozen blueberries we set off.

Our journey today took us along the last 4 miles of the Shropshire Union Canal

Last nights mooring - south of bridge 14 SUC at Brewood

 When the SUC was constructed some of the wealthy & powerful landowners insisted that more ornate bridges were built on their land, bridge 10 in the picture below is an example of this.  Bridge 10 allows passage to Chillington Hall in grounds landscaped by Capability Brown.

Bridge 10 SUC

After another mile you quickly realise that you are leaving the tranquillity of the countryside behind you as the scenery is changing; this canal takes you right to the edge of Wolverhampton.

When the SUC was originally constructed back in 1835 when each canal was run by a different company & none of them wanted to lose their water into another company's canal.  To avoid this loss of water a "stop lock" was constructed at the end of the canal.  The "stop lock" at the end of the SUC is just 6" deep but still requires you to open gates & paddles as you would with a regular lock

Eos in the SUC Stop Lock

Immediately after the Stop Lock we were turning right at Autherley Junction for about a half mile stretch of the Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal

Looking back at Autherley Junction, under the bridge is the beginning of the Shropshire Union Canal

Almost as soon as we were on the Staffs & Worcs Canal it was time to leave again as we reached Aldersley Junction where we turn right onto the BCN (Birmingham Canal Navigations)

Looking back at Aldersley Junction, we came from the right 

From Aldersley Junction we are straight into a flight of locks known as the Wolverhampton 21.  The 21 locks are initially in pleasant countryside alongside Wolverhampton racecourse but by the time you get about a third of the way up you know you are in the city as you can no longer hear the birds singing as their songs are drowned by the sounds of vehicles or sirens.  

Wolverhampton 21

We made it!

We managed to get from the bottom to the top of the "21" in under 3 hours - luckily all 21 locks were in our favour & we even got help on a couple of them too!

We debated whether to overnight in Wolverhampton but as it was very noisy & as the weather was sunny we decided to continue for a couple of hours to Tipton.  This route is continuing along Brindley's canal built in 1772 towards Birmingham.  Have I already mentioned that Birmingham has more canals than Venice?  Although many of them have now been filled in, travelling from Wolverhampton to Tipton you go through a couple of junctions where there are still navigable canals that you could venture along

Horseley Fields Junction - Wyrley & Essington

Deepfields Junction

Shortly after these 2 junctions we reach a section of Brindley's canal which has been re-engineered by Telford & we enter the 360 yard Coseley Tunnel

Coseley Tunnel BCN

After a mile we were at Factory Junction where we have gone to the right on the Brindley route - I'll tell you more about that tomorrow!  We have moored at Tipton for the night

Factory Junction BCN

Today we have travelled for just over 7 hours on 3 canals, up 22 locks & through 2 tunnels.

  

Day 18 Wednesday 8 October
Goldstone to Brewood

It was nice this morning to wake up & see the sun shining....pity it didn't stay like that!

Last nights rural mooring at Goldstone

Today was to be an easy day as far as locks were concerned which gave us a chance to look around & see what we were passing as we went along & having been this way before we knew what to look out for.

This stretch of the canal is very rural with very few people using the towpath as it's miles from anywhere, so it's surprising to all of a sudden come across a factory with a wharf.

Factory & wharf at Knighton SUC

This factory & wharf were opened by Cadbury's in 1911 & was a centre for processing the milk that was collected from the local farms, this milk was then taken by boat to Bournville.  The thing that amazed us was that they were still using the canal to transport milk until 1961!  Also Cadburys were one of the first companies to have motorised boats.  At the factory today they make Birds Custard Powder

Plaque on wharf wall

After passing the factory the canal passes along another high embankment - imagine living in this area back in 1830 & looking out onto acres of land & shortly afterwards not being able to see the rising sun as a canal embankment had been constructed.

So there we were chugging along, when Stuart said he could see something big in the water!  Unfortunately we are used to seeing dead animals (rabbits, fish, birds, pigs, deer & even dogs) so we were surprised to see this pig swim past

If pigs could fly...it would have got out a lot easier!

This poor chap must have fallen in & was struggling to get out & this is a problem for animals which find themselves expectingly in the canal as the edges are often straight up rather than having a shallow edge like a river has.  We reversed to try & help as we'd seen the pig struggling to try & climb out & then fall back in again.  Luckily by the time we'd got back to where we'd last seen it the pig had managed to climb out & I could see it back on land but panting loudly.  We were pleased as we didn't really know how we'd have got it out!

The SUC has many unusual bridges.  Last night I photographed one of the high bridges in Woodeaves Cutting, so here's a couple of other unusual looking bridges

Bridge 40 SUC

 Bridge 40 is in Grub Street Cutting which is a mile long, they used the spoil from these cuttings to construct the embankments.  Looking at the bridge we were sure the sides were not parallel,

Bridge 39 SUC

 Bridge 39 is unusual with these double arches & also it houses this tiny telegraph pole; there used to be a line of telegraph poles along the edge of the SUC.  This whole area was said by the old boatmen to be haunted by a monkey-like creature!

After passing what felt like miles & miles of moored boats we reached Norbury Junction.  No longer a real junction as the Newport Branch Canal was abandoned in 1944, but it used to go down 17 locks to Shrewsbury,  Now the small stretch that is still in water is used for mooring.

Norbury Junction SUC

After this the rain started to come down BIG-TIME!  So I didn't take many more pictures.  But after another 3 hours, after passing through the 81 yards long Cowley Tunnel & the lone Wheaton Aston Lock we reached Brewood (Pronounced Brood) which is the last suitable mooring on the SUC.

Heading towards the rain 

Today's Kingfisher Pictures - These are getting a bit common now!

My Boat Guide!

If my blog has wet your appetite for boating, you may find the following useful when looking for a boat!

Does it float?

 

The Tupperware Navy

Does it have a garden?

Or is it all in the name?

Today we travelled for8 hours, through 1 tunnel & up 1 lock

Day 17 Tuesday 7 October
 Hack Green to Goldstone

Raindrops keep falling on my head....

The other day I bought a new waterproof coat as I'd left mine at home, well basically the new coat is not waterproof so today I got wet!  On a positive note, once I squeezed the water out of the coat it was quick drying once the rain stopped!

You join us once again on the Shropshire Union Canal; this part of  the canal used to be called the Liverpool & Birmingham Junction Canal & was one of the last canals to be built by Thomas Telford & was completed in 1835.  The SUC has sections where the canal runs through deep cuttings & sections where the canal runs up high on embankments, rather than going up & down through locks which slowed the progress of boats down drastically.  This type of canal is completely different to the Caldon Canal which were were on last week which is a contour canal & follows the contours of the land.
To learn more click here
Telford had realised that the most efficient way to design a canal was to have locks in flights & soon after leaving Hack Green this morning we reached Audlem Locks which are a flight of 15 locks which raise the canal up by 93' through the village of Audlem & fortunately the first 4 locks had boats coming out & also waiting to enter which makes the job so much easier!

Ready to leave lock 15 of Audlem Flight with another boat waiting to enter

Shroppie Fly Pub between locks 12 & 13, with a boat at the water point

The Shroppie Fly pub used to be a warehouse & is now a popular pub - we ate there last time we came this way & they had live music; it's the only place I've ever been where a member of the band played a Kazoo!

Kingbur Mill Audlem

The picture above shows Kingbur Mill which was built in the First World War, it used to produce animal feeds; boats would bring in the raw materials & then take away the sacks of food.  The mill is now a craft shop.  These locks were really busy this morning as I guess some people didn't worry about moving their boats yesterday with all that rain!

Eos at Lock 10 Audlem Flight SUC

By Lock 10 there is a barrel roofed building that was used by stonemasons, blacksmiths & carpenters who worked maintaining this flight of locks.

The former Lock Keepers cottage at the top lock had a little stall with home made brownies for sale - it would be rude to say no!  By the time we'd reached the top of this flight the rain had eventually stopped & I had a chance to put the kettle on & make coffee to go with our brownies before the next 5 Adderley Locks.  By the side of the top lock of Adderley Locks there is a farm shop where last time we'd bought Lemon Drizzle Cake, unfortunately the lady had taken all the produce to market today but we did buy 12 freshly laid eggs.

Market Drayton is the only town that the former Liverpool & Birmingham Junction Canal went through on it's way from Wolverhampton to Nantwich.  Opposite the water point is this former wharf where cargo would have been loaded & off-loaded from the boats

Market Drayton SUC

 As I said above the SUC goes through many cuttings & the lower 2 locks of our last flight of 5 locks at Tyrley are located in a sandstone cutting.  It is said that parts of the canal here never sees sunlight so many mosses & ferns grow here.

Looking back from Tyrley Bottom Lock

Approach to Tyrley Locks

We had planned to stop at the top of the Tyrley Locks on the 48 hour moorings where they have rings that you can tie your boat to, but all the moorings were taken so we thought we'd look around the corner in the hope there was space there as it was 6:20 & sunset today is 6:34 so we didn't have long but there was no suitable moorings there either so we had no choice but to carry on!

The next 2 miles of this canal take you through Woodseaves Cutting which is almost 100 foot deep in places & even on a bright sunny day would be gloomy & damp with water running down the sandstone rocks.  There were frequent avalanches during construction this section of the canal has a 2mph speed limit to stop the wash from boats dislodging more sandstone.

One of the High Bridges in Woodseaves Cutting SUC

There are 2 of these High Bridges in Woodseaves cutting & as you can see in the picture above, it had got quite dark & we even had to put our tunnel light on.  Luckily once out the other side of this deep cutting we found somewhere suitable to moor so are now in the hamlet of Goldstone near the Wharf Tavern - don't ask me what's out there as I don't know!!

Funny sight of the day

Saw this just before Tyrley Bottom Lock

Today we've travelled for almost 8.5 hours up 25 locks