Storm Bronagh hit with a vengeance last night. Torrential rain and gusty winds did a great job in cleaning the roof of dirt and debris. Unfortunately, it also did a great job in soaking FS's interior. We knew the port window by the front doors leaked, a handy container held up with pegs stopped the water from 'pooling' over the floor. But when we went to the bedroom and Ian's feet got wet we realised another window leaked. Then this morning I discovered watery tar dripping from the chimney, blast the collar must be letting water in. But the most upsetting for me was this morning when I went to get my Panasonic camera from the shelf below the starboard front window and found the camera swimming in a puddle!. Water had got into the battery compartment and the viewing glass window at the back was all misted over. It is now sitting in the wardrobe (warmest place being right the engine) in the hope that it will dry out. So my old Panasonic camera was dug out to take today's photos.
Pulled across to the facilities to water up and to say our farewells to Jo and Keith (hadar). Goodness knows when we will next get together. That's the only downside of travelling and living on a boat. Friends are seen, sometimes briefly as one boat passes another, and then gone again.
After walking to Tipton to see Barry and Sandra (Home Brew Boat) for the Baileys sachet to mix with Vodka, and then Andy and Helen (Jam Butty) for the Chilli jam (came away with Plum jam and Apple chilli jelly as well) we headed off towards Birmingham.
Did you know there are 35 miles of canals in Birmingham, more than in Venice and we only partly travelled on three of them? Continuing on the Wolverhampton level we crossed Tividale Aqueduct with the Netherton tunnel branch below before doing a left turn at Bradeshall junction. Here the three Brade locks took us down to the Gower Branch. Half a mile and it was a right turn onto Birmingham Mainline
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| Netherton tunnel branch |
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| Netherton tunnel |
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| Bradeshall Junction |
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| Brades locks. First two are staircase locks |
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| Mainline ahead. |
We motored on along this stretch, it's straight and deep but then in the distance, we spied a dredger or that's what we thought. But it turned out to be contractors laying a new towpath. Almost onto their pan before one of them realised we were there (having almost drifted past two men doing a bit of brickwork at the bridge 'ole who completely ignored us) I fought the wind for what seemed to be forever before we were acknowledged and the pan moved out of the way.
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| Totally oblivious that we were waiting. |
Took nearly 3 hours to arrive at Sheepcoat Street moorings and with some trepidation to whether any moorings would be available, most surprised to see hardly any boats moored.
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| Journey nearly over |
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| Empty moorings |
And a few more photos of our journey,
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| Crickey...Hope this wasn't off of some boaters prop! |
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| Spon Lane Junction |
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| M5 bridge |
And seen on route,
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