The Underground to Digbeth.

 Another quiet night and up a little earlier than our norm so we pushed over to the water pint to top up, as it was there.

The citizens of the area are very lucky to have such a country park on the doorstep and I am pleased to say many of them take full advantage, and they mange to keep the area pretty clean too. As soon as were full of water we let go and headed to the Netherton Tunnel.

There as a boat just about leaving as we approached so we waited before diving in. We had a clear run through and it took about 45 mins. When about 1/4 way through I realised that there was a Canada Goose swimming down my port side!! I had never come across that before! We didn't meet another boat, but there were plenty of bikes making the passage north to south.

We just stayed on the New Main Line and on the trip in to central Brum we only saw four moving boats. May be tht is why there is weed growing and restricting the channel in a few places. I don't remember ever seeing this before.

We jusr witnessed a heron standing his ground as a cyclist zoomed past him on the towpath and we passed on the cut. City dwelling herons are hard!! Not like those country ones that fly off in front of you all the time! Then there was the cormorant surveying all from his telegraph pole.

Iknield Port Loop Village is developing and people are living there now. It looks like there is still about half to develop too.

We poked our heads in the Oozells Loop for a mooring but the boats were well spaced out and with some damaged edging there was no room for us. I drop Helen and Amy off and they went to check out Cambrian Wharf. There was room so I headed over and as there was nobody on the water we stopped and filled up, as it was there. There were some lovely poppies growing on the quay that set the paint work off nicely.

After a bite to eat Helen and Amy went off into town to do a little shopping, and rather than drag me around with them I was given clearance to go and explore the pubs of Digbeth. This is the up and coming area of Brum, the Shoreditch of the Second City. There are signs of this, but they are well spaced out. This mosaic had been originally been commissioned by the Irish Community of Birmingham and erected at St Chad's Circus in 1968. In 2007 the road layout was changed and the mosaic demolished. The son of the original artists, Kenneth Budd, Oliver, saved some of the main features and was reworked using these in 2013 in the Irish Quarter.

There are several great walls of art spread around the area too.

Behind this building is the Warwick Bar on the top end of the Grand Union Canal. I have never seen this side of thre Fellows, Morton and Clayton warehouse that was built in 1935. It is good it is still here.

 

A little further up Fazeley Street is this row of blue brick offices/premises. The door on the extreme right has Canal Offices above the door. There were built in 1850 for the Grand Junction Canal Co. I visited a couple of pubs before heading to the Woodman next to the Curzon Street Station, soon to be Birmingham terminus of the HS", to meet up with Helen and Amy.

After a pint we wandered back into town as we had booked a meal at 1800.On the way we passed the old Legal and General Building on Waterloo Street/ It was built between 1931 and 33 and the white Portland Stone cladding and design gives it a very Art Deco feel. Just another little gem lost in the street scene. We had out Indian at the Barajee overlooking the Worcester Bar. It is now tradition that we always eat here when in Brum. and once again it was a superb meal.

To work off our meal a little we wandered down the canal side, that was extremely busy, towards the Mail Box. On our right was the large Corporation Wharf. On the other side of the canal was the Worcester Wharf and straight ahead were more wharves and basins backing on to Commercial Street. In the tow path by the corner are these rails and points. On the old maps between 1887 and 1945 I can see no evidence of there being lines laid here, so maybe they have been added from elsewhere or they weren't deemed to be permanent in their day.

This was commissioned in 2006 from Cathy Lewis by the developers of the new Register Office on Holliday Wharf. It is hidden away really, but looks nice against the Cube opposite.

Cambrian Wharf was quiet when we got back. There has been a lot of work at the Telephone Tower and there is much scaffold and tarpaulin all around the city as they prepare for the Commonwealth Games, hopefully next year. Whe we stepped aboard we noticed lots of ants running free. They were just starting to mass, running up the fenders. Hopefully I have diverted their attention by extermination and fixing grease around the pipe fendrrs! We will see in the moring!