Last nights moorings were quite peaceful and we didn’t even feel the boats passing this morning, well we wouldn’t as we were hard aground.
We set all the clocks ready for this morning before turning in last night and were on our way by 8 45 am. The day started bright and pleasant but soon clouded over and turned quite chilly, we even had a couple of spits of rain.
Our journey today started on the Coventry canal but that becomes the Birmingham and Fazeley canal at Whittington near bridge 78. The Coventry were short of a few bob when they built the canal so the B&F helped them out. You know when you cross the boundary as the Coventry CC numbered all their bridges where as the B&F gave all theirs names.
A notice on the side of a shed at Whittington caught my eye, but then I am easily pleased.
At Fazeley Junction we turned left on to the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal, needless to say I was well into the turn when a boat sounded his horn from the Birmingham side of the bridge so I stopped, but of course slowly drifted over which impeded his exit slightly. This was the third boat today that we have met in a bridge requiring evasive action by one of us. We moored outside the old Mill Building and went to the Tesco Express to buy a couple of things so that Diana could make a cake for the bonfire rally. Opposite the mill was Maid of Fibre, there are a few spots where the film has started to lift at the edges now, but it still looks impressive.
After a bit of lunch, the first soup of the season we set off towards Birmingham. CaRT have started to cut back the offside trees and there are some handy bits of wood on the offside for anyone wanting fuel.
This canal is in desperate need of cutting back, unfortunately they still have a long way to go as they haven’t got to Drayton Brick bridge yet, so that’s just 1 mile. Only 4 more up to Curdworth.
We decided to save the Curdworth flight for tomorrow so moored just after Gravel Pit Bridge about quarter of a mile below Curdworth bottom lock. Since we have been here 4 boats have gone by up the locks, the last two only half an hour ago and by the feel of things the second one has just gone into the lock, we can feel the lock surge and the time is 5-15pm and its fairly dark out there, both were hire boats.
After mooring up we went for a short walk through the new RSPB reserve, its a lot different to the first time we came this way when there was a gravel conveyor running parallel to the canal for what seemed miles, now its all peace and quiet apart from the call of the Harnser out there.
No locks 1 Junction and 12.6 miles
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