The Towpath Code

 I wish I had the presence of mind to grab the camera last night. 7 youths on motorbikes roared past using  that 'nice new resurfaced towpath' as a race track. Those  that use Quad bikes, motorbikes, cycles, electric scooters etc must be rubbing their hands in glee now they have another highway to speed along and sod any pedestrians or dog walkers in the way. Only this afternoon, having just secured the boat I stepped back and next thing I knew there was a screech of brakes from behind me and then verbal abuse. Talk about a shock. "What was wrong with ringing your bell" I asked. His reply..."You should look where you are going, I’m fed up with always having to ring the bell!  I was flabbergasted told him to read the code of conduct for towpath users. Hamm.... Like water of a ducks back to those people. Not one will have even heard of it let alone read it!  I took this from CRT towpath code 

The Towpath Code

Remember: Share the Space, Drop your Pace, It's a Special Place
Please be thoughtful and considerate when using towpaths.
The following applies:

• Pedestrians have priority
• Cyclists must slow down for others
• Take extra care when passing people, pets and wildlife
• Respect people using the waterway for activities like angling, boating or paddle sports
• Wheelchairs, mobility aids, cycles and legal e-bikes are allowed
• E-scooters, motorbikes, modified e-bikes and other unauthorised vehicles are not allowed
• Keep dogs under close control and clean up after them
• Take litter home 

Those new laid towpaths are all along the Birmingham Main line with the the resurfacing going right up to the coping stones on the water's edge. Forget about mooring on the right-hand side from now on! Bring back the good old days!

Okay rant over....for now anyway.... Before leaving we walked Toffee to a park a stone's throw from the canal. Here we played ball, wore her out to the extent that she refused to give the ball back. Ian also had a workout, good on him but as for me...I was very happy just to watch!

One thing we did notice was how much the water levels had dropped in the pound between the two Brades locks. Both paddles were down, Ian always makes sure of that when he leaves a lock, so it must be from gate leakage.

 

Roughly half a mile from the mooring was the Albion Junction and where we would rejoin the Main Line. I powered through that Azolla Weed, this stuff can be thick enough to slow you right down.

Ian was dispatched to the bow to check all was clear before I made the turn

Huge carpets of the weed had also spread over the mainline, a right pain to go through.

 

For mile upon mile the canal was mostly straight, and with it also quite deep we achieved about 4 mph. One exception was at Bromford Bridge where right across the cut was an island of floating reeds. Slowing right down I tried to avoid a head on but I'm afraid I rather gave the old girl a bit of a battering when the hull connected with the coping stones. In fact Ian came running up from below wondering if everything was okay! 

Strategically placed toll islands in the middle the cut also slowed us right down. Originally they were put there to stop boats from evading payment. I took this from Wiki

 On canals where the fee was based on cargo weight it also put the boat in a convenient place to read the gauging mark height from the water line. On busy canals which were built with a towpath on either side such as the Birmingham Canal Navigation BCN New Main Line the toll house may have been built on an island between two constricted channels so that one toll point could collect from boats travelling in each direction.

The channel was greatly reduced to single lock width and to enter the narrows the boat had to be kept well over to the right, not easy when the overhanging foliage hid the structure of the island. Oh dear yet another scrape along the side, Ian's raised eyebrows said it all!

Our initial plan was to go beyond Gas Street Basin, past Granville Street Wharf, (one of the Campaign Cruise meeting places) go through Edgbaston Tunnel and wind just past Vale Bridge. But past Sheepcote Street bridge an empty space long enough for FS was seen. Unanimous decision was to stop. Overlooking the mooring were security cameras, that was good enough for us. Only downside was Toffee now has no grass to do her toilet on. So it looks like a bit of a walk for us to find some. 

 And seen on route

Galton Tunnel

Bromford Junction