Bye Bye Lock Buddies.

 About 08:00 in the morning this boat was brought out of the Galscote Basin, just astern of us.

It is the BCN spoon dredger No1. It is the last of its kind and is privately owned, although normally sited at the Black Country Museum. Here you can see the 'spoon' and the windlass that moves the dredger along as it works.

It was built of iron in 1873 and worked on the various canals of the Birmingham Canal Navigation waters. until 1985. It must have been worked by two or more likely three men, two to work the spoon and one to move the boat using the windlass on deck to move the boat via a rope or wire secured ashore.

Our visitors were to catch a lunchtime train back to Hull, two stops. We left them at the two level station, knowing that there train would be late, but not too late. They were able to catch next trains and were only about 30 mins later than their planned ETA back at Paragon Station. It seems very quiet without them. It was good to have your help down the locks. On the round about near the station is this statue of Aethelflaed. She was the daughter on King Alfred the Great. Her husband Athelred died and they only had a daughter so Athelflaed ruled in her own right. She had fortified towns built and in 917 and 918 capyured Derby and Leicester from the Danes. The Danes in York offered her their loyalty the year before she died. She trained up her nephew Athelstan who became the first king to unite England. She spent most of her time at Tamworth and died there in 918.

We had a trawl through he shops on the way back as well as some lunch. Once back we decided to head off to new moorings. On this length of canal by Armington you can see three or four bridges ahead.

I saw this style of bridge work on a foot bridge next to a road bridge earlier in this trip. Here in Polesworth it shows it was not a one off.

Once again the same style was on the next bridge in Polesworth. I liked the shadow on the abutments of the road bridge.

We didn't go much further mooring up in the sun just before the sewage farm and rail bridge an opposite the war memorial. It was a lovely afternoon to sit out in the sun.