Wednesday 21st Aug 2024 –We have been moored very close to The Roundhouse, and had saved it to the last day for a quick visit. It is an interesting shaped building, you may have got that from the name, restored as a joint venture between the National Trust and the Canal and River Trust. It was originally called “Sheepcote Street Corporation Depot”
This is a view of the inside of the horse shoe , the tunnel underneath leads to the canal, it is now a hub for local exploration including canoeing on the canal and lots of guided and unguided walks.
After that we needed to fill up with water at Holliday Wharf, this is just after a 90 degree turn on to the start of the Worcester and Birmingham Canal, and today the wind was howling down the canal. We started the turn, but as soon as the bow was exposed to the wind we were pushed right, we managed to reverse to a point where Sonia could jump off with the centre rope and with the help of a passerby we eventually rounded the corner, by this time I had switched with Sonia and after a near miss with a moored boat we made it to the water point.
As we were leaving the water point, Obi, the dog, made a jump for the tow path, hoping to make some new friends, with whom he wandered off , luckily they retained our errant dog and we collected him just after the bridge.
Our next target was the Sainburys at Selly Oak Shopping Park, mooring here looked excellent, but is harder than necessary, they could have laid this out better, but we managed and after having to carry three loaded bags back to the boat we set off again heading to Kings Norton Junction and the North Stratford Canal.
I made a bit of a pigs ear of turning at the junction, a little over hesitance, turned in to a more than 3 point turn. Quickly after that we passed through the Brandwood tunnel, a short one at just 352 yards long.
The North Stratford canal is a little over grown, not much easy mooring along here, but finally we moored up just before Lyons Boat Yard, which offers all sorts of boater services for the night
Thursday 22st Aug 2024 – Bit of a late start for us and we have a way to go today, we are hoping to moor near Hatton Station on the Grand Union so we can meet Mary, our last remaining resident daughter and Antony and his girl friend Ellie, who are coming to stay for a couple of nights.
We have quite a long chug to the Lapton locks today, unfortunate for us we had a very slow Day Hire Boat in front of us which wandered along the canal at probably less that one mile an hour, it was their first time on a canal boat. I had seen them leave Lyons Boat Yard well before we left.
Being kind as we would hope others would be to us, we tried to hang back, control was not their strong point and I am not sure they knew we where behind them, at 1 mph and in what was best described as a strong wind, our boat acted more like a sail and a couple of times we found ourselves pushed to the side aground, the canal was also a little low of water.
Eventually they turned around at Lady Lane Wharf , this looked a well sorted setup for boater services.
Released from our slow crawl, we sped up to our normal 3 MPH cruising speed, passing Warings Green Wharf, also setup for boater services.
We also passed bridge 20, with it a sign for Wedges Bakery Shop which we will try to visit on our return. Then we pass Swallow Cruisers at Swallow Wharf, who are also well setup for boater services
Next is the Lapworth flight to complete but only as far as lock 19 when we take the lefthand fork at Kingswood Junction heading to the Grand Union Canal (Left would be on to Stratford-On-Avon) and then one more lock, Kingswood Lock 20, then we are out onto the Grand Union Canal.
Now we have decided that after that many locks we will not make it to Hatton until the next day, so we moor up at Turner Green Mooring about 1km before the Tom O’ The Wood pub for a very restful night.
