Leaving Birmingham, but still near enough?

Thursday, 16 February 2012 16:50

Cruising - yeah! It was goodbye to Birmingham and the Oozells Loop. We had moved from Cambrian Wharf to the Loop for a couple of days to "finish up" a few things in Brum.

Approaching Broad Street Tunnel

It feels positively balmy after the cold weather so this morning we undid the ropes and set off - which way? The photo is a clue .....

Leaving the trip boats, the ICC and Brindley Place behind us, Worcester Bar was ahead of us - there were not so many people around today as the other day and it felt very quiet this end of the Main Line.

Sherborne Wharf's trip boat by the ICC 

Camping boats and Over Bridge at Worcester Bar

The sun shone for us as we began our trip back on the Worcester and Birmingham Canal. We had revised our original plan of following the Birmingham Main Line towards Merry Hill and the Delph Lock flight - we wanted to get out of the city quickly after five weeks of urban life.

Looking back at Gas St Basin

Beside the Mailbox, where shops, restaurants, the BBC and offices reside together, the Cube rises, reaching for the sky in a boxy way!

The Mailbox is dwarfed by the Cube

We stopped off at the sani-station at Holiday Wharf as I had done two loads of washing, taking advantage of our full water tank and knowing that we could fill up again. We still didn't use the 150 litres of water that the EA suggests is the average daily use - of landlubbers, certainly not of liveaboard narrowboaters!

The BW "operatives" were there, clearing the canal and checking the sani-station (still no rubbish facility available). They patrol the canals in the centre daily and today's catch was a mattress and other nasty stuff. The Cut is certainly more full of rubbish now. What is the fascination of throwing things onto ice?

Now we were really leaving and despite it being familiar water it was a liberating feeling! We were aiming for a favourite mooring  .......