Today was a locking day. We did 23 locks to climb up into the heart of Birmingham. Very interesting, but I’m tired. It’s a lot of work opening and closing the lock gates, which weigh 2-2.5 tonnes, and walking between locks to prep and close each one.
We made it to Gas St Basin and snagged a good spot. Not sure I’m going to want to move much tomorrow. Think we’ll explore the local area on foot.
Birmingham has a sprawling network of canals. It’s very cool to be coming into the heart of the city by boat.
We’re tied up at Cuckoo Wharf. I guess you can call it the city proper. We passed through a junction of 3 canals with a major highway overhead and then passed over a river on an aquaduct. All very industrial and urban.
Today was another short travel day. Yesterday we discovered a leaking fresh water system was slowly filling the boat with water, and after a consult with the rental base their problem solver Kevin met us this morning and sorted the problem and pumped us dry.
Tomorrow we head for the Gas St Basin. It’s not far, but there are 23 locks to climb.
The weather continues to be entirely acceptable. Sunny and 15C forecast highs for the next couple of days.
First of all, don’t worry, Jeff is still with me, and no, we are not lost. However we’re not in a particularly notable spot. We are on a journey to the centre of Birmingham, the second largest city in England. There’s lots to see and do there, so look for later posts about this part of our adventure.
One funny story – we stopped for lunch in Curdworth but decided the first restaurant, the White Lion, looked too fancy and expensive. However after the next two choices were closed, we decided to give it a go. It turned out to be our best and cheapest meal yet. For the foodies, Jeff had beef bourgignon and I had a grilled halloumi skewer with feta salad. Delish!
Photos of our day will follow, but I want to note how everyone we talk to, from other boaters, volunteers at the locks, and restaurant staff to chatty locals, have expressed their concern and support for Canada in these uncertain and difficult times. It has been heartwarming and made me realize (again) that kindness to strangers reinforces our social fabric and reminds us that we are not alone.
Lazy day today. We made a couple of stops, and fetched up here next to a lovely pub where we had dinner. Met a few colourful locals on the canal and in the pub.
This canal leads into the center of Birmingham. I’m looking forward to a bit more urban landscape, and Susan and I agree that we’ll try to spend a bit more time ashore walking and seeing the sights.
It was a largely unplanned day. We expected to be exploring in and around Coventry with Miles and Mallory. However, we were all disappointed when their flight was cancelled because Heathrow shut down due to a nearby fire.
Jeff and I set out later than normal and initially left the boat for a walk in Hartshill. However the area near our mooring was unappealing so we quickly returned to the boat to continue our journey north on the Coventry canal.
We ended up spending most of the day in Atherstone, where we had lunch at a local pub, walked around town, and we (JEFF) went through a flight of 11 locks. Fortunately a man in the boat immediately aft helped Jeff through the last couple of locks. It was quite a sight see him sprint, with his English sheepdog in tow, down to open the gates ahead, then sprint back to his boat to open the gates for his partner skippering their boat.
We also had lots of fun conversations mostly with locals and other canalers. Although it was overcast much of the day, the air was warm, and the showers held off until we had stopped for the night. We’re in a very quiet spot where there are lots of birds, opposite the Pooley country park.
We woke up at 0300 to phone calls from Mallory saying all flights to Heathrow were canceled. They were waiting to board when it was announced. No visitors this weekend…
We followed our plan to go into Coventry, had a nice lunch at the basin, and headed back up the canal. We’re stopped for the night here near Hartshill.
We’re stopped for the night at the intersection of the Oxford and Coventry Canals. This is the end of the Oxford Canall We’ve traveled 62 miles and done 33 locks in 5.5 days.
Today was sunny and warm. T shirt weather for a few hours, and more people out on the towpaths and underway. We’ve just returned from a great meal at an outside table at the local pub.
The big adventure for the day was making two wrong turns, one of which put us into a dead end channel full of winter stored boats. We made it, and got to turn the boat around twice. To do that you need a winding hole, which is a cutout wide enough to turn around in. Susan has some video that we may post. It was tight getting through the packed boats. I feel ready now for just about anything.
Tomorrow we head for the Coventry Canal Basin, where we’ll meet Mallory and Miles.
Today was lovely, sunny and warmer. We stopped for lunch in Braunston, then continued up the Oxford Canal to Rugby. On schedule to arrive in Coventry Friday.
We’re mostly traveling past farms, and have been winding through the hills with a valley on one side much of the time. Very quiet and picturesque.
I’m feeling comfortable with the boat. Today I got out my GPS to check cruising speed. The speed limit is 4 mph. Our now-standard cruise speed is 2.8 mph, < 5 km/hr. Not fast, but it still requires attention to stay off the banks and get through bridges and past other boats.
There’s a big supermarket close by, so we’re off for more provisions. This is a busy town.
Our plans for the next few weeks are getting clearer. We’ll follow the Warwickshire Ring counter clockwise, returning to the Oxford Canal in Napton to return to base. If we have more time we’ll do some side trips around Birmingham or go down the Stratford-Upon-Avon Canal. That’s a couple of weeks out.
It was another great day, albeit still somewhat chilly. The day began for me with a brief early morning walk along the canal. TBH I missed most of the sunrise but it was worth it as I got an extra hour or so sleep. The sun was glorious and the canal alive with birds, ducks and swans. Once we headed north out of Fenny Compton, the trees lining the canal disappeared and we had views of large fields, hills, occasional manor houses, and sheep for most of the day. After descending a series of locks into Napton, we continued on, entering that the wider portion of the canal where the Oxford and Grand Union combine briefly.
Today was a lovely day. We had a late start and stopped for lunch out in Croperdy, then continued up the Oxford Canal. Lots of locks, and a few other boats underway. We were lead boat in a group of three all afternoon, and all stopped here. We’ll probably see them at dinner at the local canal side restaurant.
These narrowboats are narrow for a reason. There are lots of narrow passes and bridges where we get through with inches to spare on either side. Turnaround areas are infrequent and much of the time the canal is not much more than a ditch. It’s remarkable to be traveling slowly through the countryside on a 20 ton boat. We were easily overtaken and passed this morning by a group of recreational kayakers. That’s how slow we are traveling.
Our plan is to get to Coventry by Friday. Mallory and Miles are meeting us there Friday afternoon for a few days. According to the online planning tool we’re using that’s about 5 hours per day travel time.
Weather has been overcast with daytime highs of about 8C. Not unpleasant, but not warm. The next three days are forecast to be sunny and warmer.
Boating Adventures 