Kings Norton Junction

Today's canal - Worcester and Birmingham

We awoke to a wonderful, sunny day - as forecast - but the overnight near zero temperatures meant that everything was cold to tough. There was a chilly wind at times, but in direct sunshine we really did feel that Spring was with us.

Tardebigge Top Lock was a short distance ahead but as soon as we set off and rounded the first corner we could see that two other boats had recently left the main moorings below the lock. One was just leaving the top but we had to moor up and wait our turn. 

This lock is much deeper than all of the others - it was at one time an experimental boat lift but, as with other similar attempts to enable faster transits, the idea was well ahead of available technology. As a result it often broke down. Eventually the canal company reverted to a traditional lock.

Furthermore, this lock now has an instruction to be left empty, adding to the time it now takes to rise up. We planned to make a comprehensive service stop at the wharf but the boat ahead had already pulled into one of the two spaces available. (They were making even fuller use by visiting the shower block as well!) Not to worry, we thought, we have a long hosepipe which will reach the tap from the remaining space - we have done that before. Alas, as we approached a boat emerged round the next corner and headed straight into the space! Eventually they both left at the same time but, just to add to our delay we found ourselves aground as we pushed off from the visitor mooring opposite! In the end, it was around two hours after we first cast off from our overnight mooring  before we could continue our day's journey . . .

Almost immediately after leaving the wharf came the first of the three tunnels today - Tardebigge.

The facilities, including a dry dock, where we stopped have always been known as New Wharf. beyond the tunnel is Tardebigge Old wharf, now and Anglo-Welsh hire base, Staff were making final preparations for the boats to go out over the next few days of the Easter Holiday. When this canal opened in 1807 it stopped here, having come all the way from central Birmingham without any locks. 

A short distance on and we spotted this very large crane in the middle of fields. A closer look and we  could see that a pipeline is being from the nearby prison to a treatment works close to the canal. we know that extensive upgrades have had to be made to the prison following a very critical report a few years ago.

Shortwood Tunnel came next. At this time of the year the vegetation on the slope above the portals has not regrown after the winter and the scale of the task is easier to see. Remember, that even at the later date of this canal compared with some, the construction was almost entirely by hand labour.

This picture of the entrance to Withybed Marina does not add to those we have show in previous blogs - but it does emphasise the bright blue sky we enjoyed today!

Although this is sometime called Crown meadow arm, it is actually what remains of a short section of the original main line of the canal that was diverted to allow for the nearby motorway. The route now bears to the left.

Bittell Reservoir looked comfortably replenished after the recent rains.

The edge of the reservoir is a set of long term moorings, several clearly residential. This one even has its own floating garden space!

Just after Alvechurch we pulled onto the visitor moorings for a lengthy lunch break - with a second-day helping of Christine's soup.

A little while after resuming our journey we arrived at he much longer Wast Hill Tunnel. As we came around the previous bend we could see a boat entering. We were a little concerned that we might have been catching it up and so were ready to make sure that we left a safe distance to avoid running into it in the darkness. Canal boats rarely carry stern lights and rely on a following boat being able to see the Tunnel bands painted on the stern. In the end we found that we had travelled and the same speed. Our transit time was about 25 minutes, somewhat less than the 'average time of 1 hour' that is advised on the sign at each entrance!

It was then not far from Kings Norton junction where we plan to turn right onto the North Stratford Canal. We did not have a firm plan for an overnight stop but just before the junction we spotted a line of rings, just north of the water point. The boat ahead of us in the tunnel had just pulled in and we did likewise. A short time later a boat that we had seen several times in the past two days also joined the line. 

The rings were not clearly visible and not indicated on our guide maps - they do give a spot much closer to the junction. This seems to be a rather useful place to know about as it is some while in either route northwards before we know of anywhere just as good.

9.2 Miles - 1 Lock