Climbing up Curdworth Locks.

 We woke to a nice day, no wind and warm. What's not to like. 

The flats at Peel Wharf see appealing as they have the basin, a small garden and the ever changing vistas of the boats passing and mooring.

There was somebody on the water point just before the junction so we continued on and turned to starboard and headed up the Birmingham and Fazeley. 

Somebody has made a good job of the toll house a nice spot. We didn't go far as we turned into the marina and bought three bags of smokeless as an insurance policy. We then pulled out again and on to the cut and then tied up again to take on water.

Drayton Manor Swivel and foot bridges must be in every bodies photo album. It was built about 1830 when Sir Robert Peel, he of the Police Force and Prime Minister had his mansion built nearby. As the canal ran through the estate he wanted it to look good. He also built the mills that are found at the junction we passed through this morning. His house was demolished in 1929 and the land was where Drayton Manor Theme Park was built.

It is lovely and still today and the canal has no roads or rails close by. A little later on there is Kingsbury Water Park in disused gravel workings. I like this stretch of canal up to the top of the Curdworth Locks.

We had been pursued by a hire boat as we approached Curdworth Bottom Lock so we let them go ahead and they had a boat coming out too.

I like the solidness of the BCN houses and it is nice to have the numbers on them too. The Birmingham and Fazeley merged with the BCN in 1794!

Helen did the driving after the first lock and a boat pulled off the water point at Bodymoor Heath ahead of us. They weren't very fast so no records to be broken on this run up the locks.

Helen enjoyed the day with the warmer weather and single narrow locks. I had to take a bit clothing off as it was warm work.

Getting near the top now. I like the little shed by No.4 Lock. The sound of the M42 is not too bad even though it is pretty close.

At the top end of the flight the pounds are small so the locks are close enough together to work ahead.

When the M42 was built they had to move the top lock and the lock cottage was demolished. The old lock was just a few metres ahead from this old arm, Dunton Wharf appears to have been on the opposite side of the canal. On old maps you can see a bank of lime kilns. I like the old iron railings over the arm's bridge that would take the tow line up and over, and not just to stop people falling in!

We moored up just a bit further on from the top lock and I decided that I would wash the roof and get some winter protecting polish on it. I then ended up washing the tow path side too. I wish I hadn't as I have been eaten alive and don't think I'll be getting much sleep with all the scratching I'll be doing.