Mike Stevens' UK Inland Waterways Pages

TRIP REPORTS : THE YEARS BETWEEN BOATS

A WEEK ON THE BCN

Easter 1986

Part 2 : Perry Barr to Rushall via the Walsall

Shift-working down the weed-hatch resumed at 07:30 until we'd cleared enough of the wire to let the blade turn at nearly full power. We moved off at 08:50 and somehow managed to scrape along the pound to the next lock, where we met the lock-keeper, running water down. After asking us if we'd had any trouble (!), he told us the low level was caused by a broken paddle at lock 12. He lock-wheeled us up the flight. After the locks we had a good run along the rest of the Tame Valley, eating brunch on the move. The canal here parallels the M6 elevated section, which is at the same height as the canal embankment for some of the way.

At Tame Valley junction we passed on to Walsall Canal and turned north. We encountered some very mucky bridge'oles amidst scenes of industrial dereliction.. The cut had been frozen until recently and it seemed that the local youth had been dropping things off the bridges onto the ice. Said things were now all in the bridge'oles. At Barnes Meadow Bridge we grounded solidly on rubbish in the bridge-hole. We gave up our attempts to clear it after a while, as we knew there was a stoppage somewhere ahead in any case. Then we winded & managed to pick up a pair of trousers on the screw. While clearing them, we got rid of the last of the previous night's springs as well. At Heathfield Lane bridge we again stopped with grot on the blade, this time wire & rubber. I cleared it while Peter shopped.

When we got on the move again we had a snack on the move. At Tame Valley we retraced part of our path from earlier in the day as far as Rushall junction, mercifully free from any more weed-hatch stops. We turned up the Rushall Canal and stopped in the mile pound at Sutton Road bridge at 18:58. We went to the Longhorn for a drink. Most of the day's weather had been dry and overcast, with some drizzle in the afternoon.

DAY'S RUN : 16.4 miles, 18 locks in 7 hrs 41 min

We started at 07:48 in sunny but windy conditions and went quickly up the last two Rushall locks, marginally delayed by an empty pound. At Longwood Junction we passed onto the Daw End Branch, a pleasant canal which we felt was a bit like the Aylesbury Arm without the locks. We stopped for breakfast after Winterley bridge as it was too windy to eat on the move in comfort. At Catshill junction we turned right onto the Wyrley & Essington Canal. We could only go as far as Ogley junction because the Anglesey Branch was closed. I walked a bit of the latter after looking at where the rest of the W&E used to go (and hopefully will again).

We winded and went back as far as the Anchor, where we had lunch which we followed with a walk into Brownhills for shopping. After we'd done most of the shopping we found a Hillard's hypermarket canalside at Brownhills wharf, so I walked back to collect the boat while Peter waited with the shopping. We continued westwards and at Pelsall junction turned up the Cannock Extension Canal, to Norton Canes and back. Then back to the Wyrley and a stop at Sneyd (in the old stop-lock) to get a 20 ft rope off the blade. At 19:25 we moored by Holly Bank Branch, near the Jolly Collier, but a new housing estate had ensured that there was no access from the tow-path to any pubs! The day had been dry and windy and the terrain rural/suburban with green (once industrial) land on at least one bank for most of the day.