Don't Tell Him, Pike

Sunday 13^th September 2020

We were woken a bit early for a Sunday, by the people arriving in the museum ready for the day. It’s a “living museum” with a very large area full of houses and buildings representing the industries of the Black Country a century or more ago. There are a lot of people dressed in period costume playing the parts of the various workers and members of the public of the time. The pool where we were moored is just “behind the scenes”, not part of the historical area, and there was a small gate where the actors popped out for a short break, often with a cigarette.

In the end we got under way at about half ten, and headed back to the Main Line. Soon after we left there was a small drama on the towpath – an old women collapsed, and I asked if they needed help. Her companion (daughter as it turned out) said yes, but as I was manoeuvring to land other people on foot came along and started to help. The women had two dogs with them, and ours were going wild, and in the end we were causing more distraction than any help we could offer, so we moved on.

We rejoined the main canal at the top of the Tipton locks, and turned left, west, towards Wolverhampton. Compared with yesterday the canal is more curving, this is a Brindley canal now, but it has been improved by Telford in places. Most notable is the Coseley Tunnel, which we went through quite soon. This is 360 yards long, but it is very unlike the tunnels we are used to close to home. It is easily wide enough for two boats to pass, with wide paths for pedestrians on both sides in addition, and the roof is very high as well, more like a very long bridge than a tunnel.

The water continued to be very clear, though as we travelled it slowly returned to the muddy opacity we are used to elsewhere. By the time we were most of the way down the Wolverhampton flight it was back to normal. While it was clear we saw hundreds of small fish, which we guessed were roach, something confirmed by some fishermen we passed. At one point as I was looking down at them there was a sudden rush and a dark shape shot out of the depths – a pike, trying to catch one unawares.

At Deepfields Junction we passed the end of a short (2 mile) dead end branch – originally this formed a twisting loop which would have joined the main line further back along our route. About three winding miles further on we came to another junction, at Horsley Field – this one heads out into the complicated network north of the main line; we have passed other connections to that in the last couple of days.

Just round the corner we came to a small pool and the top lock in the Wolverhampton flight, 21 locks which would be the main meal of the day. We were very close to the centre of Wolverhampton at this point, just outside the inner ring road, but it did not seem that way. It is not a high-rise city, and there was a fair amount of greenery around the canal, so we were unaware of the amount of built-up area around us.

Wolverhampton Flight

The 21 locks are well maintained and very consistent, so it was possible to get into a nice rhythm. We passed another boat coming up the top lock as we started down, and the guy working the gates made a remark to me about stepping across “or don’t you do that?”. I didn’t immediately twig, but a bit of thought and it made sense. Going down, as your boat leaves the lock you will need to close both gates. There’s no bridge at the bottom end, so one method would be to close one gate, then walk all the way up the lock, cross over and then back down to close the second gate. A faster way is to close one gate then walk out along it and step across the gap to the other gate, then close it and off you go – saving two walks along the length of the lock. The gap is only about three feet, so perfectly safe as long as you don’t worry about the drop into the water below. I worked out the optimum sequence, which included dropping the paddles and using the boat roof as a bridge as she leaves, and then stepping back across the gap once the lock is empty. Loulie refused to look back to see me stepping over the gap, but it is perfectly safe.

As I said the locks themselves were in good condition and easy to work, especially going down, when the undertow is always less so keeping the boat steady is easier for Loulie. We passed a few people going the other way as well, particularly early on, each one making things a little easier for one lock at least. Although we were still very much in Wolverhampton we didn’t see much of it, one lock had a factory overlooking it but for the most part trees blocked our view of any housing and it was all very pleasant. There was just one pound where the water was rather low. We had been warned by people going the other way and Loulie had to feel her way very carefully along, getting stuck a couple of times but getting through OK.

At the bottom of the flight at Aldersley Junction the exit from the last lock is straight out onto the Staffs & Worcs Canal – the lock landing is just round the corner. We turned right up the canal northwards, but we only had to go half a mile before we came to Autherley Junction, and the mouth of the Shropshire Union on the left. We had to wait a while as a boat was coming out, and the stop lock here had become rather difficult to work, but soon we turned in, and we were back on waters we had travelled before, two years previously.

Autherley Junction - onto the Shroppie

After squeezing through the stop lock (the gates won’t open fully so it’s a tight fit getting out) we carried on up the Shroppie for a mile or two, passing the Wolverhampton Boat Club on the left, very neat and trim. A little further on, at Bilbrook past the Pendeford Bridge, we stopped at some 48 hour moorings. There were rings there but even so, this being the Shroppie, we were not surprised to find that there was quite a ledge and we had to deploy the gangplank for the dogs. Loulie took them off for a walk while I tidied up the moorings, finding a spot which minimised the gap, and we settled down for a comfortable night.

Moorings (and a cow) at Bilbrook

TODAY: 6:30 HOURS. 9.8 MILES. 22 LOCKS.

Voyage: 60:10 HOURS. 106.2 MILES. 101 LOCKS.

Behind the Scenes at the Museum

Saturday 12^th September 2020

Although we were in the centre of England’s second city (the first is Manchester, obviously) we had a good night – it was noisier in Willington last Sunday, to be honest. We were in no rush to start – after the epic yesterday we had a fairly easy day planned, and we started by taking a walk around the centre with the dogs, up past Gas Street and the Mail Box. In the end we finally set off at about noon.

The New Main Line runs dead straight (and very wide) out of the centre of Birmingham towards the north west. The Old Main Line is still visible in this section in the form of several winding loops which head off to one side or the other. These are still navigable, and often used by the trip boats from the centre, and again we plan to come back and explore them all – for now we were taking the straight route out. At one point we saw a boat coming towards us, weaving from one side to the other. All was explained when we met and the guy asked if we were passing on the correct side, as he had only bought the boat that morning.

An odd feature of this stretch of the canal were four islands which we met at intervals. In each case they sat in the middle of the canal, leaving a channel each side just wide enough for a narrowboat. On the island were the remains of buildings, and docks, each the size of a lock – so just right for one boat. I assume that these have something to do with assessing tolls on passing traffic, from the time when canals were very big business.

After a couple of miles dead straight the canal curved slightly one way and the other. The loops of the old Main Line are still criss-crossing on either side, but here beyond Winson Green junction the loops are all disused. A mile further on, though, at Smethwick Junction, the Old Main Line proper takes off to the right, and goes up three locks. After running parallel for a mile or so it crosses over the New Main Line on an aqueduct at the same point as the M5 crosses over much higher up, quite a spectacular bit of engineering.

Just after passing these bridges we came to Spon Lane Junction, where a link from the Old Main Line comes down three locks and joined us from the right. At this point the canal curves slightly right, and there is another of those mid-stream islands. I was aiming to pass by on the right hand side – this is normal and also was the shortest route around the curve. However as I approached the narrow channel I was unhappy – it was overhung with vegetation on both sides and the water looked doubtful, so I put us unto reverse and stopped before we got far in. I reversed out and went around the island on the “wrong” side. Probably there was no issue with the other channel – there was no warning sign – but I just didn’t like the look of it.

At this point the canal started to get rather messy, with a lot of debris blown by the wind. We came around a corner to find a wide curve with most of the surface covered with stuff, everything from blown leaves to cans, barrels, bits of wood and unidentifiable remnants. It was no doubt caused by the way the wind was coming around the curve, but we took it very cautiously, not wanting to get anything around the prop, and also not wanting to ground on the outside of the bend, which looked very shallow. Happily we came to no harm and the New Main Line straightened out again for another couple of miles drawn with a ruler.

This was a dull and desolate section, through a flat and deserted landscape. The only interest was a number of branches heading off in each direction. First was the Wednesbury Old Canal, going north from Pudding Green junction. It climbs eight locks and then enters a complicated system of canals in the northern part of the Birmingham Canal Network. One arm comes down to meet the main line at Wolverhampton, while others head up as far north as Norton Canes – another branch winds up at Salford Junction under the M6, where we saw its mouth yesterday.

A little further on a short branch goes left, where it heads up three locks to join the Old Main Line. Another branch on the same side has a more interesting course – it goes under the Old Main Line and then into Netherton tunnel, 3000 yards long, which emerges into the Dudley canal and the southern parts of the Birmingham network. We will have plenty of exploring to do when we return.

As we headed along this stretch we noticed that the water in the canal was becoming clearer, so that we could see well down the bank below the surface, and eventually we found we could see the bottom, mostly green leafy weeds swaying in the currents as we passed. It was still clear when we came to the only locks of the day, the Factory locks at Tipton, a flight of three taking us up at last to the same level as the Old Main Line.

When we emerged from the top lock we turned sharp left and started to look for a mooring. Still enjoying the clear water we went through Tipton Green and passed the mouth of the Old Main Line, heading back east towards the city centre. We kept on a short way further though, along a dead end to the Dudley Black Country Museum.

Although I called it a dead end, strictly speaking the canal goes on through the Dudley tunnel, emerging further south on the Dudley Canal. However this has an extremely low profile, and normal boats will not fit in – it is really a part of the limestone mines, and special low boats were used to get the stone out. Some of these are still there, and the museum uses them to run tours into the mines. As far as normal canal boats are concerned though, this is the end of the line.

Mooring at the Dudley Black Country Museum

Water as clear as the Med

It was, however, an excellent spot to moor, by contrast with the rather uncertain suburb outside. There is a small basin, with public moorings for about four boats, and locked gates once the museum has closed – there was just one other boat there with us overnight. There is a CRT station there where we filled up with water, and we had moored up by mid afternoon. We took the dogs up the hill for a walk in a nice bit of rough woodland, and later on I walked up to a local Aldi for our supper. It was a bright sunny day and the water was clearer than ever – I believe that this is because of the limestone in the mines, so this is the clearest spot of all – it was like looking out of a glass bottomed boat in the Med. We had been spotting fish as we sailed along, and there were more than ever here, dozens and dozens of them in shoals, lots of little ones and up to about a foot long. Because the site was fenced in (to keep the public out) we were able to let the dogs off with no worries, and we spent a very peaceful evening.

TODAY: 3:00 HOURS. 9.2 MILES. 3 LOCKS.

Voyage: 53:40 HOURS. 96.4 MILES. 79 LOCKS.