Wednesday 2 September 2015

We’ve had a funny day today.  Steve’s chicken pox was driving him mad this morning itching so we looked up the local doctors in Alvechurch and decided to pay them a visit – lovely little surgery and  very helpful, quick bit of form filling, only a 10 minute wait, discharged with a diagnosis and prescription – eczema  - steroids and antibiotics....can you believe it – we can’t!

Pushed off from Alvechurch at 12 noon heading for Worcester.  We have 17 miles, 54 locks and three tunnels to negotiate before we get there – well we haven’t been through any locks for a day or three!

Fairly uneventful, our journey began with woodland both sides of the river and whilst this is lovely it does restrict one’s view of the surrounding countryside so it was quite nice when we got through the second of two tunnels and saw rolling countryside once more.  Having lived and worked in London all my life it never ceases to amaze me how much uninhabited countryside there still is in the UK.  Here we are again surrounded by rolling hills and green countryside – so peaceful.

Through two tunnels, the first, Shortwood Tunnel - 613 yards and the second, Tardebigge Tunnel  - 580 yards.  Tardebigge Tunnel’s roof was pretty uneven which is unusual compared to all the tunnels we have been through.  We went through the first lock which was very deep and pulled over for some lunch.  We then decided to carry on for an hour or two as it still wasn’t raining even though more of the wet stuff had been promised. 

Nine locks under our belt we decided to call it a night and moored up between two locks – just as well we did for one chap.  We had been moored about an hour when Steve said “there is a boat coming up the flight, I will open the lock gates beyond us so he can go straight in”.  20 minutes later I was standing out back on the phone when the guy came up to me to say he had lost his boat!  He came out of a lock jumped off to close the lock gates – he is obviously well practised at this – but the wind caught the boat and blew it across the pound into the reeds – his engine was still running, his phone and windlass was still onboard – he was just about to strip off and swim over to rescue his boat when he spotted us so came to ask if we could help.  Armed with a windlass and the boat hook we emptied the lock behind which caused the water to pull the boat backwards and Steve managed to get the hook round a back post and pull the boat over.  Of course the heavens decided to open in the middle of this operation so we all got soaked again but at least we saved the boat!

I wonder what tomorrow has in store!

Off to the docs.

Alvechurch.

Weston Lady in Alvechurch Marina but Rob is back in Aylesbury.

What could you do with a woodland?

Entering Smallwood Tunnel.

and out the other end.

A yacht maybe?



We stopped at the boatyard to see if we could get somebody to listen to our knocking noise but there was nobody there!

Into Tardbigge Tunnel.

Can you see the uneven roof to this tunnel.

and out the other end!

Rolling countryside

Deeeeep lock.

Big cill and stop scratching Steve!

Odd one out.

Buy big lock - I jumped the gates - first time ever!

Tin hippo!

Bill and Ben and not forgetting weeeeed!

Engine House, although we think it is now a private residence.

Three locks down, only 51 one to go!

Come on Jump!

It's raining over there!

Hole in the sky.

Stopped for the night - that cloud looks menacing!

Just in time - raining and sunny = double rainbow!

Our man - back on his way with his rescued boat.

 

Monday 31 August - Tuesday 1 September 2015

We got wet enough yesterday to convince us to stay put today so just caught up with a few indoor chores etc.  Unfortunately I have used all my GBs of data for this month so will need to find a 3 store to buy a top up otherwise no blog for a week!

Tuesday morning - I wouldn’t say it was sunny and bright but it was dry so we decided to chug an hour up the canal to Alvechurch which was where we had hoped to get Sunday evening.   

We’ve had quite a successful day today.  We caught the train to Redditch where there is a 3 Store so we were able to buy a top up for the wifi.  We popped into the boat yard here and managed to get the ignition bulb that we have been trying to get for the last two months and we also managed to buy a chrome tiller pin.  We then walked into the village, which was a bit further away than we thought it was going to be, and bought a few bits.  We will have to make another trip to the butchers in the morning as it was closed!  We also need to get some itchy cream for Steve as, can you believe it, he has got chicken pox!

Leaving Hopwood.

Yea - blue sky!

Canal feeder.

Lower Bittell Reservoir and some more nice countryside.

Another little aqueduct.

under the M42 again!

Moored up opposite some cottages at Alvechurch.

On the train to Redditch!



All day I thought we were moored opposite Meander - just realised that it is Me and Er !!

 

Sunday 30 August 2015

Having watched the weather on the news this morning – because we could without turning on the engine with our new batteries installed!! – it seemed that today was going to be drier than tomorrow so we decided to move on.  The only problem is that when we start we have to push on to get onto the Worcester and Birmingham Canal as we have been told that it is not advisable to moor or leave your boat unattended at the end of the Stratford-on-Avon Canal which is a shame and unimaginable sitting in Hockley Heath as it feels so tranquil and peaceful here.

So we set off and guess what – yes we weren’t a mile down the canal and it started to rain and it rained and it rained and it rained....

No locks today - probably a good thing as everything would have been so slippery.  We had one draw bridge and as we were about to moor to open it a couple on a hire boat that had moored to go into the pub said they would do it for us – nice people.  We had to go through two tunnels, one short one, 352 yards, on the end of the Stratford-on-Avon Canal and one long one, 2726 yards, when we turned left onto the Worcester and Birmingham Canal.

We stopped for water and whilst we were filling up a couple stopped on a small narrowboat pulling a butty.  They were taking a couple of weeks to get to a boat festival where they sell their pickles and chutney’s etc.  Their business is called Wildside – they pick and gather their ingredients as they chug along then turn them into preserves, pickles etc so I bought a jar of “blow your head off chilli jam”.  They knew the canals around here very well and said that once we were through the second of the two tunnels it was like a different place and we would be safe to moor by the first pub which we did.  They also let us have a quick look inside the butty – fabulous!

So we chugged for 13 miles, left a lovely country village passed through Kings Norton, on the outskirts of Birmingham, and saw some less desirable parts of the country and back into another peaceful country village called Hopwood.  There is not much here but a good place to spend a day.  We are going to stay inside if it is going to rain all day again tomorrow as we got wet enough today!

A Canal and River Trust man - working on Bank Holiday Sunday in the rain!  Apparently people have complained that some branches are overhanging the canal.

They even have posh bird houses in Hockley Heath!

A reminder of home - we used to be moored at the Lazy Otter in Cambridgeshire!

and under the M42 again!

We are not far from Solihull and there seems to be a lot of new development but where is everybody - I know it is raining but it's like a ghost town - there's no sign of life? 

We could hear a knocking so stopped to check the prop - nothing caught round there.....still raining!

We wiggled and shock everything that we thought could be making the noise but didn't find the cause!

Welcoming bunting!

Through the draw bridge - stopping the traffic again!

Lots of berries on the trees - does this mean we are in for a harsh winter?

Best get cleaning then!

You get the feeling that no boat window round here is safe...

It's deserted around here - it was probably a wise move doing this bit of the journey in the rain. 

Cute butty - it's about 50 years old. 

Retaining all the original features!

A very different feel around here.

First swans we have seen since leaving Stratford upon Avon.

The first of two tunnels - shame everything is covered in graffiti.  

It's nice being able to see the other end!

Brandwood Tunnel - out the other side.

The guillotine lock - no longer used but recently restored and recently decorated in graffiti!

The wooden gates are mounted in iron frames that are balance by chains and counterweights.

I didn't know that!

Kings Norton Junction.

The Midlands!

Quack!

Forgot to mention - it is hire boat city round here.  We followed this guy up the river he is going from left to right - all over the place - the tunnel should be interesting - this is the long one. 

A bit close - this is nothing - we wish we had overtaken him - he must have hit the wall in the tunnel between 20 and 30 times - every time he drove into the wall with the front of the boat he then over steered it out causing the back of the boat to smack the wall - we met two boats coming the other way - he managed to hit one of those too!    

Leaving daylight behind.

We are running on tick over which means we have no steering trying to avoid crashing into the back of the hire boat!  This tunnel took us 50 minutes - Bosworth tunnel that was over 3000 yards and took us 40 minutes - we weren't following a hire boat through that one! 

They had two escape tunnels - very strange looking up to see daylight about 50 feet above!

Boat coming the other way - do you get the feel of how dark it is down here?

Yippee - we made it to the other end!

and it's stopped raining!

Back in the country again!