After been so full of curry from last night we all seemed to not hear the radio come on, or the Hurricane heater the hot water, come on until 0800. Just when we would have preferred an earlier start. Never mind it all went well in the end and we were away by just after 1000.
As we approached Cambrian Wharf, where there seemd to be plenty of room on the pontoons we were expecting a bit of a queue but no. We were thinking of filling up with water but just cracked on with just a pause whilst the lock was filling to take the rubbish to the 'cupboard'.
From the top it looked as though we had the flight to our selves although all the locks were against us. As there were three of us today we were thinking we would fly down the 13 locks, being able to set the lock ahead as we went.
Helen soon took over the tiller as we passed through the locks. There is always something to see on these locks and something has caught Amy's eye.
The locks do not seem to be ever direct from one into the next so a little bit of work is needed on the tiller to slide from one to the other. You can see that the modern building on the right has been built on piles over ythe water so as to retain the side pound to save losing too much water. Every time we come this way there are new buildings in place. Birmingham seems to be full of cranes and scaffold at the moment.
This pound seems to be passing through the basement of the office block above, and you can still see that the side pounds are retained. The lady on the tow path filled our descent for a couple of locks, but never spoke a word. As we dropped down we got closer to a boat ahead where the couple we doing a great speed considering there were three of us. I was able to close the bottom gate for them at the last couple of locks.
The massive cavern that is Snow Hill viaduct and the Bridge that is dwarfed by it, do not now smell so bad as it seems the homeless have found a less drafty spot and the towpath is nice and clear too.
The boat we were following was heading down the Aston Locks, down through the cast iron bridge, where as we were going to the right and tackling the Ashted Locks.
As we approached the top lock there was a boat just leaving. Result! We were soon dropping down and the locks must be in good condition as they had hardly dropped at all so making things nice and swift. Ashted Tunnel is Helen's Bete Noire as she never seems to be able to pass through it without sharing our paintwork with it, and this time was no exception. It is a very tight tunnel and you do have to keep right up to the tow path. I think it seems to be better lit than previously.
This picture sort of sums up Birmingham canals to me. On the canal very little has changed since they were built, whilst all around is undergoing massive changes once again. If and when the HS2 gets built there will be a good view from here, as well as many other places it crosses the various canals.
Yet another junction as the through canal takes a sharp left. Straight on is to the dead end of Typhoo Basin. No time today to check to see if there have been any developments there recently. Amy did a great job of the turn under the bridge.
Straight after the turn you pass the Banana Warehouse on the right that had its own little dock and the alongside is the Warwick Bar stop lock. The gates have been refurbished but are just left open. In the distance is the great wall of the Fellow's Morton and Clayton Warehouse and dock with its lovely round and raised end wall. I don't think I have seen another building like it. A little further on is another older FMC warehouse that is now 'The Bond and seemed to have been all set up for a wedding.
There is some pretty nice artwork as you pass, but plenty of rubbish too. We passed a massive fig tree with fruit. I'm not sure if it ever ripens but it may well have come to be there due to the HP Sauce company taking over the newer, larger FMC warehouse.
We still had more locks to do so will continue those in another blog.
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