The day was generally very grey and at times quite wet - not a great day for photography - a bit unfortunate as there is plenty of interest to see on the way through central Birmingham.
As Mike set off, Andrew walked to the nearest Tesco, rejoining the canal a little later after cutting a corner well beyond the narrows at the junction.
We opted to take the Old Main Line into Birmingham. A little later we passed over Tividale Aqueduct which spans the later line through Netherton Tunnel leading to canals to the south. We were amused to see a junction fingerpost - it points towards Netherton but this is only possible if you can drop the boat over the edge into water below!
The canal network in Birmingham is still extensive but in previous more industrial times there were lots of short arms and wharves branching off a frequent intervals. Many still have the towpath bridges retained even if what was behind is long since filled in.
Much of the 'old'industry has closed and many sites are being reclaimed for housing but some have modern buildings for the technological business that now thrive. This one did seem a little contradictory - security and openness are not always possible but this company specialises in CCTV surveillance systems for large institutions, including some NHS trusts, local authorities and housing trusts. Given the very large use of tv cameras for security purposes it would be interesting to know whether there is independent evidence about the effectiveness. How many criminals have they caught or is it all down to the fear factor rather than the ability to capture usable images?
One of the arms at Oldbury is called Chemical Arm and linked to a works manufacturing some noxious substances, long ago closed down. It seems that most of it has been filled in under perhaps unfortunate circumstances. However, few of those that do remain look like being anything more than an eyesore.
The next section is quite a long run under the elevated motorway. We have passed above several times in the past year (especially on our way up to Stafford to see the progress in building Alchemy. From the road level it seems that the reduced width lanes and slow speed limits are not link with a lot of activity. However, we could now see what is going on underneath, out of sight of all the motorists.
The scaffolding envelops all of the joints where there is a concrete beam resting on a concrete column which accounts for most of them. Where the motorway crosses the canal then some are steel beams and others have a solid joint between a concrete column and pillar. This must surely be one of the largest scaffolding contracts going! The repair work is extensive as well. At times the scale of the motorway dwarfing the original canal bridges is somewhat incongruous.
Just after Spon Lane Junction we could glimpse the former Chance Glassworks site which too is surrounded by scaffolding. A trust has been formed to ensure that this site is preserved and records the history of this important and innovative company. They supplied the glass for the original Crystal Palace but their most important contribution is probably the making of glass lenses for modern lighthouses.
We eventually arrived at the only locks for today - the three at Smethick which take the Old Main Line down to the level of the New Main Line.
Just before the locks we realised that our speed had dropped and steering felt clumsy. So, shortly after joining the wider, newer we took advantage of one of the former toll islands - there is a narrow passage either side of an island. Andrew made a foray down the weed hatch and made a considerable haul of twisted plastic that was around both the propeller and the drive shaft.
At Old Turn, the heart of the BCN, we saw for the first time the much-commented-upon decorative feature on the 'roundabout'.
Next we passed under the Broad Street Tunnel - really just the wide street with buildings either side of the road.
Just beyond is Gas Street Basin and Worcester Bar, the narrow former transshipment point, a consequence of thew two separate canal companies failing to agree on sharing tolls. It took an Act of Parliament in 1815 to open up the through route.
There is a very sharp turn at the MailBox to take us onto the mainly very straight Worcs and Birmingham Canal that runs out through the University and Bourneville (home of Cadbury Chocolate!) Just around the corner we stopped briefly to empty the elsan.
The short Edgbaston Tunnel is the subject of slightly controversial proposals to widen the towpath to the same dimension as elsewhere. Many of the towpaths in Birmingham are very well used by pedestrians, cyclists and joggers. The effect will also be to reduce the tunnel from two way working to one way. However it is only 100m in length and not much longer than other bridges which have also similarly reduced the width.
At the University we saw the much-reported Hydrogen Boat, a research project to develop the use of hydrogen engines as a means of propulsion. This has been considered for some time as a promising alternative to fossil fuels but has not yet made it into economically viable options for general use. Sadly, it looks as if the research team have rather lost interest in their canal boat as well.
We then arrived at Wast Hill, the longest of our tunnels today at some 2500m in length. We could see that there was a boat already in the tunnel coming the other way but as it is double width we pressed ahead, meeting them about a third of the way in. They seemed to be a bit uncertain what to do or even if two boats could actually pass each other . We did!
After passing the Bittell reservoirs and another stop underneath a motorway bridge to check the weed hatch, we spotted a new marina under construction. Although Alvechurch is a popular canal boating centre, both building and hiring a large fleet, there are no marinas for some distance. We think these are to be called the Withybed Moorings and there has been a long gestation period, with plans going back around a decade. However, work now seems to be moving on but this is a stage when weather is quite critical.
Shortwood Tunnel was approached with a splendid autumnal look to the cutting. The leaves are a bit of a hazard for boaters however.
Our final tunnel for the day was Tardebigge, like Shortwood just over 500m in length. However, this one is less usual in that only the end sections are fully brick-lined and in the middle the roof is still the rough hewn rock, a reminder of just how much hard physical work went into the construction of the canals.
The start of the well known (and by some well feared) Tardebigge is just a few hundred metres beyond the tunnel portal but fortunately there as plenty of visitor moorings available so we pulled in for the night and will tackle the endless locks in the morning. We were the only boat here as we stopped.
24.0 Miles - 3 Locks
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