We had been promised sunny spells today but the first part was rather grey, although the afternoon was much warmer and brighter.
Mike began by taking the boat back along the Town Arm to the moorings in the basin so that he could pop to the shops. He was only after a newspaper but we could not get out from the secure mooring and it was unlikely that we would pass anywhere else suitable all day. Before we set off again the two CaRT chaps we saw yesterday were at the basin putting up some notices and we had a brief chat. They thought that we were probably the first boat to use the newly renovated pontoons!
It was a day of two distinct halves: the first part was a long level pound taking us from Walsall, around the outskirts of Darlaston, through Ocker Hill Junction and back along the Tame Valley Canal we traversed a couple of days ago on our way up to Chasewater. Sadly this section was very different from those we have seen recently - very much more litter and randomly deposited rubbish, almost every bridge had piles that had clearly just been tossed over the parapet. Is it something about this council or area?
In one or two places, past attempts have been made to brighten up the otherwise rather drab low grade mixed industrial developments. On the map this place is labelled a cemetery and play area. The inscription on the gateway says Queen St Cemetery Sister Dora Gardens NS. The cemetery closed in 1969 and became largely derelict. Sister Dora was a famous nurse (some claim her to be Walsall's answer to Florence Nightingale) and she died on Christmas Eve 1878.
A new narrowboat is being built under the polytunnel - seems to be well advanced but let's hope they know how they will manage to get a crane in to launch it!
From the front, the Pleck Nanaksar Gurdwara Sikh Temple looks very grand and internet photos inside show quite a splendid building. As we passed alongside, the view from the canal is much more mundane and workmanlike.
We have already mentioned the horrendous rubbish tips alongside the canal - quite a lot of which later finds its way into the water and around our prop - but avoiding this upright fridge freezer under one bridge needed some care.
A short stretch between two more recent bridges had been smartened up with a ,lot of seats installed as well as mooring bollards. Today it looks rather unloved and only used by those who end up adding to the mountain of empty cans under the seats and elsewhere.
After a quick elsan empty at Ocker Hill services we turned onto the very straight Tame Valley Canal - and some blue sky started to arrive.
At Rushall Junction we continued straight ahead, rather than turning left as we did before.
Part of the next stretch is a deeper cutting than it feels at first. however, these high and elegant bridges soon tell a different story.
Eventually we arrived at the top lock of the thirteen Perry Barr locks. Just before we picked up something in the prop and after edging into the lock Mike was able to clear it quite quickly. It was a rather hefty lump of a bag made from strong fabric but it came off the prop straight away.
Although these locks are well maintained but they are quite unhelpful for single handers and others as they have no bollards on the lock landings - in fact no observable lock landings at all! We were interested to hear from the boater moored on the single visitor mooring above the flight that CaRT had just been to fill up the flight (it often is empty as we found in 2016) saying that a boat was on its way from Walsall! Our earlier conversation had borne fruit.
Eventually we arrived at the bottom lock - feeling rather well exercised.
Soon after we started to mingle with the motorway complex that straddles not only the canal but almost everything else in the area. Its spindly legs seem to plonk down wherever they like, sometimes in the middle of the navigation.
We spotted this memorial to policeman Michael Swindells who died on this spot in 2004. He was attempting to arrest a man who has earlier in the day threatened a member of the public with a knife. The man, who suffered from schizophrenia, stabbed the policeman who subsequently dies from the serious injuries.
Roads, railways and footpaths that existed before the motorways seem tho have to thread there way through the maze.
Still entangled with the unction overhead we tuned onto the second canal that departs from here and made our way to the nearby secure mooring pontoon outside Star City, an entertainment complex. We were delighted to see no other boat moored. This meant that we could learn from our 2016 experience that there are few points along the three mooring spaces where a satellite tv signal can be retrieved. After tying up we were later joined by two other boats arriving quite late. We also found that our tv signal was indeed receivable!
5.2 Miles - 13 Locks
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