Jodrell Bank or GCSB

The rain hammered down during the night but we awoke to a dry day.  It wasn’t exactly sunny all day, however cruising when dry is preferable to wet!  Yesterday I mentioned those metal frames in Wast Hill Tunnel and today we went through Shortwood and Tardebigge Tunnels where I again noticed some of the frames.  This time I managed to get a photo.

It appears our two blog readers who left comments are correct.  The frames appear to hold telephone line insulators.

Both the ABC and Anglo Welsh hire bases appeared to be very quiet. The latter was actually closed.

Anglo-Welsh base at Tardebigge Wharf.

Memories of our 2007 cruise returned as we exited Tardebigge Tunnel.  I did note that the southern end of the tunnel was lined in brick and appeared to be cut through solid rock.   The CRT services are on the right and the first lock is very deep.  We stopped to top up the water tank and dispose of our rubbish before approaching the top lock of the Tardebigge Flight.

Wikipedia states the top lock is unusually deep because it replaced an experimental vertical boat lift.  At 30 locks it is the longest flight on the canal network.   There are a number of former lock keepers cottages along the flight and from the canal it appeared none had vehicle access.  However I subsequently checked Google Earth and it appears my initial observation was incorrect.

There’s a gap between the top and second lock (probably because of that experimental boat lift) and I wanted to get Jan back on board below the lock.  Unfortunately a Black Prince hire boat had discovered a wonderful mooring on which to leave their boat.

The Black Prince base is at the bottom of the flight which makes it difficult to believe the crew didn’t know the purpose of a lock landing!

The second lock is interesting because it has the old pump house beside the canal.  Water was drawn from the Tardebigge Reservoir (three locks further down the flight) and pumped to the top.

We developed a routine of me going forward to set the next lock whilst Jan completed the lock after Waiouru had departed.   It took just on four hours to complete the flight with all but two locks against us.  We only saw three boats and they were all going up.  You might have thought this would mean all the locks would be in our favour but they must leak badly because nearly every one was empty.

About halfway down the flight it appeared we might have reached Jodrell Bank or GCSB HQ.

It looks like a couple of amateur radio enthusiasts have set themselves up in two of the former lock keepers cottages.

It was about here I noticed a cyclist had stopped to watch us descend a lock.  He was dressed in a white polo shirt and black shorts.  Initially I thought he was taking our photo with a tablet before realising he was a CRT “number nicker” and was entering Waiouru’s boat details into his mobile data terminal.   I was quite pleased he had done this as CRT will have a record of our continuous cruising.

There are numerous plum trees on both sides of the canal all down the flight.  Unfortunately some boater had beaten us to all the low hanging fruit but Jan armed herself with the boat hook and collected enough plums for a pudding.

Eventually she filled the hat.

At the last lock we met the male members of a 67ft hire boat.  They had decided to forego lunch at The Navigation pub, Stoke Prior having been told by a local that the food from The Queen’s Head at the bottom of the flight was better.  I was asked if it was possible for them to wind at the bottom of the flight.  I had to tell them “No,  you either go up the 30 locks and wind before returning down the flight; or you reverse back through the five locks of the Stoke flight and wind at Stoke Prior.  Doing 60 locks will take all day and will be rather exhausting.  Reversing back down the canal through five locks for a first time hire crew on their first day will be interesting and challenging.  They decided not to make a decision hoping everything will look better in the morning!

Preventative Action

As anticipated, we awoke to rain and our 48 hours in Birmingham expired after lunch.  The first task was to dispose of the rubbish and then I prepared to visit Paul Balmer on nb Waterway Routes who was going to experiment with rolling flat the paint edge left by the marking tape.  Paul had already bought the roller and I wanted to observe his efforts.  He arrived at Waiouru before I could head to his mooring at Sherborne Wharf.  Waterway Routes is to be repainted in the near future and therefore provided an ideal canvas to experiment.  Paul had already painted several strips and then removed the masking tape.  We sat around waiting for a skin to form on the wet paint…….  and we waited around for a skin to form on the wet paint….. and we waited……   At noon I could stay no longer and had to leave Paul looking at the wet paint.  However I did ask him to send me a follow-up email on what he learned once the paint started to dry.

There had been frequent showers during the morning and I therefore decided to get into all my wet weather clothing and leather boots.  This preventative action was taken in the certain knowledge it would be sufficient to ensure the weather stayed dry and sunny!

We reversed back to Old Turn Junction and then turned towards Gas Street Basin.

Gas Street Basin

The Worcester Bar Stop Lock was built by the Worcester and Birmingham Canal Company at the insistence of the Birmingham Canal Navigation Company (BCN).  The latter had been completed in 1773 and when the Worcester and Birmingham Canal Company commenced their canal 22 years later the BCN wanted to protect their water source. There were company toll offices either side of the lock .

It’s a 90 deg turn at the Mailbox

We stopped for water almost immediately after the turn.  Water pressure here is very poor and we overstayed the maximum allowed time (30 minutes) waiting for the tank to fill.  It was a relatively slow cruise back to Kings Norton Junction.

It was a lovely afternoon and we decided to press on towards Alverchurch.  This involved passing through Wast Hill Tunnel.  At 2726 yards long it one of the longest in the country. 

We’ve previously been this way on a hire boat, but I couldn’t remember the tunnel.  The first thing I noticed today was I couldn’t see the far end which led me to assume it wasn’t straight.

Part the way through I noticed two other things.  There was graffiti on the tunnel wall.  There’s no towpath so this would have to be done from a boat?  I also noticed the evenly spaced iron “H” frames fitted to the tunnel roof.  I’m assuming they were for electricity and perhaps electrically operated tug boats pulled working boats through the tunnel?

The sky was threatening more rain so we moored at Hopwood.  Weather permitting, we will continue tomorrow.

There’s a car in the canal in the centre of Birmingham

Jan heard a loud noise this morning and looked out the window to see a car in the canal.

It was raining and the driver had the windscreen wipers working!

 

 

 

Slightly earlier in the morning NB Rosalan passed by with the lady calling out she was a blog reader.  Jan remembered both the boat and the crew.  Our previous meeting was at Dudley in June 2014.  It’s always nice to meet a blog reader, no matter how fleeting!

A Chance Meeting

It was rather unusual for us to move on a Sunday.  The guillotine lock at the end of the Stratford on Avon Canal proved to be a challenge.  We picked up something very large on the prop as we entered the lock and Waiouru struggled to make headway.  Eventually we cleared the lock and I was able to give a short but hard burst of reverse which threw off the offending object.

The guillotine lock was refurbished in 2012 however it didn’t take long for the local vandals to graffiti it again.

 

The gates are set about 10 degrees off vertical.  They actually lean back towards to the Stratford on Avon Canal where the water level used to be one inch lower than the Worcester & Birmingham.

To Jan’s surprise there was only one boat moored on the long line of mooring rings at Kings Norton Junction.

The Toll House on the junction was built in 1802 and is Grade 2 listed.  It’s larger than most lock keepers cottages.  From the canal side it looks to be two stories high but there is a third storey almost below ground.  The cottage doesn’t appear to have vehicle access and looked more dilapidated than when we last passed this way.  Actually I thought it was abandoned until I noticed a light on in one window.

Just a failed attempt a being clever!

Behind the old toll house is a large area of open playing fields with St Nicholas Church on the skyline.

We turned right and headed into Birmingham.  Any thoughts of a lack of vacant moorings vanished as a steady stream of boats passed going in the opposite direction.    Finding a mooring proved to be relatively easy, although they filled up later on in the day.  A very familiar boat was moored around the corner from us.

We wandered across to say hello to James & Doug.  Last time we saw them was during our fit out at Aldermaston on the Kennet & Avon.  They were both looking well and even got dressed for us!  Apparently we missed Adam & Adrian (nb Briar Rose) who had departed that morning.

I noticed this following photo on Farcebook and had a good chuckle.

Please ignore the watermark.  I couldn’t remove it!

A slightly shaky start to the All Blacks 2015 World Cup.  I was slightly tense during the first half.

Unplanned Move

We don’t usually move on a Saturday but somehow today proved the exception.  It was a lovely day although slightly misty and cold at the start.

It was a short cruise to Ilshaw Heath where we temporarily moored just beyond Bridge 20 to allow Jan to visit Wedges Bakery some 100 yards down the road from the canal.  After earlier researching on the internet she went off with her day pack so readers you might assume the plan was to return with more than a handful of yummies.

It’s more than a bakery and might be described as a farm shop.   Jan returned with a couple of home made pies for dinner tonight and freshly baked buns for lunch.

We’d scarcely moved when it was time to moor again.  This time at Stephen Goldsborough Boats for a pump out.  I commented on how close the bottom of the canal was to the top and the man doing the pump out informed me one of the CRT sluice valve above the Tardeibigge Flight  had been vandalized.  A foot of water had been run off the summit pound before CRT identified the problem and closed the valve. The summit pound covers the area from the Wolverhampton 21 Locks to the Lapworth Flight and the Tardebigge Flight, approximately 50 miles of canal.  That’s a huge volume of water to lose and it’s from the summit.  I asked how CRT were going to replace the water and was told they are back pumping.  I did some quick calculating and CRT need to replace approximately 33 million gallons of water or the equivalent of 60 Olympic swimming pools.

We first passed this interesting residential complex at Dickens Heath on a hire boat in 2007.  At the time we couldn’t understand why it appeared beside the canal.  It looked palatial and out of place.  Today the water feature facing the canal didn’t have the same volume of water.

 

The cascading water feature is located in the area between the two sets of steps.  Jan said she wouldn’t want to live in one of the nearby apartments because the sound of the running water would have her getting up all night to visit the small room.  I wouldn’t have that problem.  There are some advantages to being slightly deaf!

However the poor hearing proved to be an impediment when a passing boater called out something which I didn’t understand.  fortunately Jan was able to tell me we were being informed a tree had fallen across the canal at the other end of Brandwood Tunnel and we should keep to the right.

We are now moored just short of the swing bridge

Which as you can see, has been removed!

Blogger Encounter

Yesterday afternoon I decided to make the most of the fine weather by going for a local walk.  Nothing serious, just a few kilometres.  I had just commenced walking away from the boat with the camera when I noticed a walker coming towards me.  Then I recognised him.  It was Halfie (John) from nb Jubilee.  Then Jubilee appeared from around the bend with Jan at the tiller.  They moored two boats in front of us.

John invited us to join them later for a drink at the Wharf Taven.  On walking up into Hockley Heath I realised it was a low socio-economic area.  Across the road from the pub was a car dealership.

Yes, they were selling McLaren’s and Rolls Royce cars.  For some reason I had assumed Rolls Royce were made to order.  It was almost disappointing to realise there were five sitting on the showroom floor waiting for an owner.  We didn’t buy a Rolls, however today Jan did buy some sausages from the nearby butcher.
There was a sign on Stratford Road pointing to a Baptist Church on the adjacent Spring Lane.  I walked down the lane to the church.  Two things immediately caught my eye.  The church was C of E rather than Baptist and the spire was made of brick.

St Thomas Church
Wikipedia states the church was designed by John Cotton, a red-brick structure in the Early English style, was built in 1879 and consecrated on June 30, 1880, having cost £2,500. It was dedicated to St Thomas, as a compliment to Thomas Burman, of Warings Green, who, as the chief subscriber, laid the foundation stone in 1879.  I found the brick spire particularly interesting and wondered of the bricks had been specially made.
Whilst trying to find the above information I also read Hockley Heath was bombed by a Zeppelin during WW1.  Apparently the Zeppelin had been attempting to bomb Birmingham but had been driven off by anti-aircraft fire.
Jan wasn’t feeling well and I left her sleeping whilst I wandered up to The Barge for the meeting with Halfie & Jan.  Halfie kindly bought me a beer lager (sorry Halfie).  I did confess to not being enthusiastic about the warm and flat stuff.  I had a very pleasant couple of hours enjoying Halfie & Jan’s hospitality before creeping back on board Waiouru trying not to disturb Jan.
This morning there was another of those brief boaters meetings when Jubilee departed for the Lapworth Flight.

To Hockley Heath

It was a misty start to the day but the weather forecast was for sun with some cloud so we decided to move.  There wasn’t a fixed destination and we didn’t decided to go up the Lapworth Flight until we arrived at the bottom.

Our quiet departure was spoilt by the crazy boaters moored in front.  They stood at their window waving frantically and making faces.  It was such a surprise we failed to take a photo of the moment (OK we were too busy making faces back!)

Hopefully we will see Les & Jaq (nb Valerie) later in the year.

Shrewley Tunnel was leaking like a sieve after the recent rain.  We should have realised it and worn coats.  Instead we both spent the transit unsuccessfully dodging waterfalls.

Managed to avoid this one as there was sufficient light to see it.

Those two timber working boats we noticed 10 years ago are still in the same location.  One change, there is a For Sale sign.  I’m not sure why someone would want to purchase them.  It would be a seriously major restoration project.

Lapworth Junction is a very picturesque location.  We last passed this way in 2007 when completing the Black Country Ring on a hire boat.  It was a diversion to the planned route because a couple of locals had warned us against going into Birmingham.

Both of us felt we had the energy to go up the flight of 20 locks only to discover all but two were against us. Still, they are narrow locks.  We established a routine where Jan would empty the lock and I would enter on Waiouru.  She would then close the lower gates and raise the top paddles.  When the boat gunwales were at the same height as the top of the lock Jan walked on to the next lock to empty it and open the lower gates.  Meanwhile I would open the top gate when the lock was full and lower both paddles.  I’d then move Waiouru out of the lock and close the top gate behind me.  This method was quicker than that being used by the boat ahead.  It was halfway up the flight when we reached the bottom but we had caught up with them by lock 17. 

At our sixth lock we met a boat coming down.  The lady at the lock was obviously foreign and after a brief conversation Jan established she and her husband were from the Flemish speaking half of Belgium.  They come over to England and take their boat out cruising every summer.

with all the lock work going on we failed to record their boat name.

Some information for any boater coming this way.  Between the top two locks is a well laden plum tree (Jan thinks they are Green Gages)  She managed to fill her hat with ripe plums whilst walking between the locks.

A boat hook might be handy!

We ended the cruising day at 3.30pm finding a good mooring at Hockley Heath.  There was only one other boat here when we arrived but now the moorings are all full.

Next Big Project

For some time I have been considering what might be undertaken as the next big project.  Eventually I decided on a trip across Australia.  OK, we’ve done that before west to east and south to north by both land and air.  However what I’d like to do is travel overland west to east through the middle.  This has a number of challenges.  There are a few tracks, but no roads.  Definitely no service stations, supermarkets or water points.  The distances are vast and some people who have attempted this with insufficient preparation have died.

It will require good planning, excellent navigation and a suitable vehicle. 

There are tracks which can be used during suitable weather conditions.  The journey shouldn’t be attempted during summer as the high temperatures can kill both humans or their vehicle.  Winter can result in localized flooding entrapping the vehicle. 

The Stuart Highway is a sealed road running north to south through the middle of Australia.  To the west of the highway the tracks were mostly constructed in the 50’s and 60’s as part of the UK missile testing program conducted at the Woomera Rocket Range.  Over in the west the Canning Stock Route runs north-south.  It was built in the 1920’s to enable the big cattle stations in the NW of Western Australia to move their cattle to the markets in the south of the State.  The Tanami Track runs from Alice Springs in the centre of Australia to the NW coast.

To the east of the Stuart Highway is the Simpson Desert.  Most of the tracks in this area were constructed by mining exploration companies in the 60’s.  Not much maintenance is done on these tracks. The following map shows the ghosted outline of Australia on Europe.  I’ve then superimposed the rough location of the tracks.  The roads in the east and along the southern coast will be on bitumen.

My water and fuel calculations indicate the vehicle will not have the necessary carrying capacity.  I’ll therefore need to tow a suitable trailer.  After looking at the distances to be covered I think the adventure will need to be divided into two projects.  A circuit in the west across the Great Victorian Desert to Alice Springs.  Then NW across the Great Sandy and Tanami Deserts before heading south through the Little Sandy Desert. The eastern circuit will taken me through the Simpson and Strzelecki Deserts to Birdsville and then north to Mount Isa before heading east to Townsville where I will turn south down the Princess Highway to Sydney. Then I’ll turn west and cross the Blue Mountains to had back to Perth via Adelaide.  From Townsville the journey will be on bitumen.

That Tunnel

Our current mooring is very close to Hatton Station. It’s an attractive and quiet location with good TV reception.  The peace occasionally broken by a distant passing train.

Here we are tucked in behind the green boat enjoying the sunshine.  I wanted to make the most of the fine weather and took a walk along the towpath.  The walk included Shrewley Tunnel.  It’s only 396 metres long. 

We passed this way on a hire boat a decade ago travelling in the opposite direction and I seem to remember the tunnel had a unique feature.  There is a separate smaller towpath horse tunnel.

This is what I wanted to explore.  I discovered the horse tunnel doesn’t run horizontally parallel with the main tunnel.  Instead it has an incline approximately five metres from the entrance to the tunnel.  The floor is made of arched bricks which keeps the centre of the path dry.  The brick surface is smooth at the entrance.

However when you reach the incline the builders have raised every sixth course of bricks by a couple of centimetres creating a lip across the floor. 

If you look carefully at the above photo you can see the raised bricks running across the floor.  My assumption is this was done to provide a better grip for the horses.  The tunnel exit is just before Shrewley Common Road which passes over the top of the boat tunnel.  Actually the tunnel passes underneath part of Shrewley village.  The local village shop is only short distance from the towpath.

If we were on a hire boat it’s most unlikely we would have had the time to explore the tunnel and realise a shop was so close to the canal.

As for the weather, it rained quite heavily on my way back to the boat!