Day 36 - cover me, I'm going in!

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0 locks, 200 in total.







Today has not been as we had been led to believe, for whatever reason, and we're slightly relieved after last night's golf ball incident - the golf course is actually 'between owners' and closed so our unfriendly slicers were trespassing anyway.




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We had rain overnight and early morning but, other than few spots during the day, the forecast day of rain didn't happen to us – score!
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There was plenty of graffiti, a fair number of items in the canal, several boats with metal shutters on their windows to deter the stone throwers and quite a few derelict factories and works BUTthe suburbs were largely hidden from the canal by trees on one side and the railway on the other. Ian from Saltisford's advice was good.
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The canal centre of Birmingham has been revamped – warm red brickwork around the canals, eating out places, little bits of history and a very pleasant area to walk.
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Mooring was plentiful and well signposted.




I've only visited Birmingham once before, in about 1970 – Gas Street Basin on a Sunday afternoon was a mini market when the boaters sold various items and the whole area was decorated. Gas Street Basin today was a little disappointing but perhaps we just visited at the wrong time. There didn't seem to be much of a community there and many of the boats were for hire for cruises, parties, meals, etc. We had been going to moor there for a couple of nights but decided against this when we saw all the clubs and party boats there.







We walked around the immediate area this afternoon and I took many photos – perhaps not of important things but just to give a flavour of this small part of Birmingham.







John's verdict on today? - it was a doddle. Let's hope the journey out of Birmingham is equally easy.







PS It's raining now but I don't care!

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Photos

Eat portal of Brandwood Tunnel
There used to be Shakespeare plaques in these niches.

Typical graffiti
.... plus every signpost was defaced.

The black canal water.
Apparently it supports newts.

A pair of guillotine gates.
At the approach to Kings Norton Junction where the Stratford meets the Worcester & Birmingham canal. When private companies ran the canals they didn't want to share water in times of shortage so the gates would be lowered, thereby completely separating the two canals.

There was plenty of rural scenery....
... if you didn't peer through the trees too closely.

Water lilies
Presumably someone thought they looked good but they play havoc with the prop if you stray into them.

Tree roots in the canal.
There are many trees in this situation on this canal.