Saturday 2 November 2013

A lock free day in the sunshine and ghosts in the tunnel?

Early morning sunshine on Wednesday at our mooring in Brindleyplace, Oozells Loop, Birmingham
We’d spent a quiet night here as the only passers by would be to enter  Sherborne Wharf which is protected by a locked gate under the bridge.



After reversing from our moorings under Oozells Loop Junction Bridge …








… we head for the roundabout where we turned right ...




… passing the Malthouse pub ...





… into Gas Street, where something in going on ...







… TV cameras all over the place … it’s the local auditions for Britian’s Got Talent!





At Gas Street Basin we go right again ...
… passing The Cube one of Birmingham’s iconic buildings.

The last time we were this way was with Margaret and Geoff in March 2011, so for a short distance we are back in familiar territory.
Edgbaston Tunnel - although it was a lovely sunny day the breeze had a really cold bite to it, so it was a winter coat day too!
Traditional and modern side-by-side - University Station Bridge and a shiny steel footbridge.
Molly keeps her head below the parapet out of that cold wind!





Aston University Aqueduct ...





… and old and modern architecture side-by-side once again.





Always happens on a bend or under a bridge doesn’t it?










Passing the chocolate factory...
… and no, we didn’t stop to replenish George’s stash!








At Bournville Halt C&RT are having a clean-up ...




… click on the picture to see the amount and sort of rubbish being retrieved!
Approaching King’s Norton Junction
March 2011 saw us turning left here onto the Stratford-on-Avon Canal ...
It’s worth clicking on the photo above to read the list of tolls charged by the Worcester and Birmingham Canal Company in May 1796.

So now we’re on new waters again for us ...
We enter the 1.5 mile long Wast Hill Tunnel from the northern end in Warwickshire ... 
… and as we entered we could see the exit and me not liking tunnels much went inside to the front to take some pictures and at one point I wasn’t quite sure what I’d seen.  When we came out I asked George if he’d seen anything strange and he told me that at one point he thought there was a boat coming towards us … but it never came past us … was it a ghost??
So when I uploaded my photos ...
… this is what we saw - the pictures were all taken within a minute or so and have been greatly magnified here ...

No sooner had we seen it … it was gone!




The southern portal of Wast Hill brings us out into the beautiful Worcestershire country side ...








… at Hopwood.
Approaching Lower Bittell Reservoir ...
… where on the left are these earthworks … will it be a marina or perhaps an artificial lake?
Must be a fantastic place to live ...
… and this is the view the long term moorers have over the reservoir - it must be lovely to watch the changing seasons from here.


The African Queen looks a bit more spruced up than the one in the film of that name!

Alvechurch Marina
Long reaching views all around




Shortwood Tunnel next ...






… no ghosts this time as this boat waits for us to exit.

Last one of the day is Tardebigge after which we pulled in to moor opposite the BW yard.

6 hours, 4 tunnels and nearly 14.5 miles today - a brilliant day’s cruising!

The forecast for tomorrow is cloudy but dry(ish) so the plan is for an start early down those 30 locks!

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