A new bit, an old bit and what's new here?

Sunday, 12 September 2010 15:35

We end the day back on very familiar moorings

This was the view at about 7am this morning

The new bit today was the Aston flight of 11 locks. We had a bit of trouble with low pounds between the locks and the worst was between the bottom lock and lock 10.

I was really ditch crawling and wondered what I might be trawling up from the depths as I rode over humps, bumps and clatters. I was unable to get into Lock 10 and eventually John took over. However by then we had let down about 2 lockfulls of water to float Epiphany off!

The locks after Lock 8 (ahead from Avenue Bridge) came thick and fast

Petroc was following us up and occasionally Geoff and Barney caught us up; John would go on ahead to set the next lock and check the water levels. Lock 7 has a cantilevered foot bridge over the tail - I had to duck to enter the lock.

Lock 7 and cantilever bridge

Although the side ponds and pounds were still low on water, as long as I powered out of the locks and then allowed Epiphany to drift, with the occasional burst of the throttle, I was able to get from lock to lock!

At Lock 6, the side pond that wasn't!

Petroc was still a lock behind, but when we arrived at the top lock at Aston Junction, another narrowboat arrived to go down the flight, so Geoff and Gill were held up a little.

Petroc entering Lock 5

Now we were on the "old" bit - we had come up from Digbeth last winter to climb the Farmers Bridge Flight into Birmingham City Centre. Some familiar landmarks were ahead!

Barker Bridge and the BT Tower

Waiting at the bottom of the flight for another narrowboat to exit, I reflected that we had climbed the locks ahead of us when it was cold and icy. The side ponds and some of the pounds had had ice on them, remnants of the ice that had imprisoned us in Birmingham for a month over Christmas and New Year. How different it was today, sunny but with a sneaky gusty wind trying to catch me unawares!

There is scaffolding up on the building beside the Farmers Bridge Bottom Lock; are they renovating it or repairing the mural that decorates the side?

In the bottom lock

In the locks under Brindley House and the BT Tower, we met another narrowboat coming down. It is a bit tricky getting into Lock 10 from Lock 11 under Brindley House and the tower overwhelms it all. How many dishes does it have?

BT Tower "summit"

The best passing place here is above Lock 10, where there is room for the boat coming down to pull over to the side and allow the boat ascending to pass. Looking back from the tunnel-like Lock 9 under Newhall Bridge shows this.

In Lock 9

Was this "Banksy"- like mural at Saturday Bridge last time? It is very impressive and life like but I am not sure of the significance of the 3 amp plug!

The electric man

Phew, after an early start and 24 locks I was glad to stop. John had been setting the locks for Petroc behind us and I was closing paddles and opening gates so I could get out and into the next lock, prepared by John. It was hard work! Petroc had other help for the last 4 or 5  locks, so they caught us up again and by the time we were moored at Cambrian Wharf they were up in the top lock.

We had a very good welcome from the local moorers (we got friendly when we were here last time!) and were "waved" to a pontoon mooring whilst there was room for Geoff and Gill beside the lock.

Epiphany and Petroc mooring up

Birmingham and Fazeley Canal (BCN), Cuckoo Wharf to Cambrian Wharf

4 hours 29 minutes, 2.78 miles, 24 locks