Wolverhampton Tunnel to Sheepcote Street Bridge, Bumingham

Whilst Mick tightened the stern gland this morning I chatted to Frank keeping him upto date on paperwork I’m doing for him and checking to see what other things he might want to take to his new home. Jamie then called to double check on a few things we’d discussed over the weekend. Then a chat with Ruth up in Scarborough agreeing that Frank should take a few items to spark conversation, he enjoys telling a tale or two.

Late morning, time to push off, we’d got some distance to travel today. I opted to bob below and do some emails for Frank as we passed along the Main line. I could hear Oleanna dragging past things, along the bottom and cabin sides, some narrow sections may have left us with marks that need polishing out, but we’ll see.

Back up top in time to arrive at Factory Locks, the three locks which would get us down onto the New Main Line. There was time as Mick needed to clear the prop, I set about trying to pull out masses of weed that had amassed above the lock gates. Oh for a keb! What I didn’t manage to pull out with the boat hook got moved away from the lock hoping it would stay there and not join in with our descent.

I filled the next lock down and opened the top gate, we descended the top lock, I closed the gate behind then leap frogged to the bottom lock which was already full for us to open the gate. I like the little cantilevered bridge below the bottom lock, wish I could have got a better angled photo for a possible painting in the future.

We pulled in, well nearly, not far along for a late lunch and a sit down for Mick. Then onwards, I opted to walk to Spon Lane. Who would get there first? I needed to cross the canal at the next bridge and then double back on myself to get to the towpath. Then it was just about a straight line from there for two miles, just the bridges over the branch lines to give a bit of interest.

At first Mick was ahead of me, but I’d managed to overtake him by Netherton Junction. Now is it called Dudley Port Junction or Netherton Tunnel Junction? This was a question Paul yesterday had asked us to see if we could find the answer. No white signpost at the end of the arm to be seen either from the canal or towpath, just a blue CRT modern sign with walking times to various destinations. Nothing on the bridge either. So our detective work was inconclusive.

I carried on walking, the canal filled with duckweed for long long sections. This seriously held up Oleanna’s progress especially at the toll islands where the depth today would have seriously caused the working boats problems back in their day.

I reached Bromford Junction where the canal splits into two, one side heading north up the three Spon Lane Locks onto the Old Main Line. I hopped back on board at the narrows and we continued straight on into Birmingham.

Does anyone who rides a bike actually use the pedals anymore? They all wizz along at speed, the canal now a shortcut away from the roads.

On our first ever cruise into Birmingham on NB Winding Down we’d come down Brades Locks onto the New Main Line, the going was speedy, just as well as we’d spent much of the day at the Black Country Museum, arriving at Sheepcote Street at dusk. Today the going was far slower, the bottom of the canal closer to the top.

A phone call from the discharge nurse at Scarborough Hospital to talk about Frank’s onwards care and it’s funding, Frank had given her permission to talk to me and Ben. She was filling in the paperwork. Would the care home that had been lined up be within the budget? Someone would call tomorrow. I chatted it over with Ben, then chatted it over with Frank who was now understandably confused about it all.

We pulled in, opposite the lego giraffe, it was just about empty, but this is where we normally stop in Birmingham. Tilly looked out of the bathroom porthole Oh BUM! Sorry Tilly!

Jobs to do for panto, an email for Frank, chicken tray bake in the oven, yarn to choose for the next pair of socks. We finally sat down infront of the TV at 9:40pm, time to finish off the latest episode of Bake Off before the news.

3 locks, 13.1 miles, 1 stern gland tightened, 1 weekend plan kind of sorted, 2 emails sent off, 8 fingers crossed, 1 extremely bored cat, 1 tunnel branch or 0 tunnel branch, ? much for Franks care, ? what he’ll decide, 1 cassarole queen incoming, 20mm off the love hearts.