TRIP REPORTS

SPRING 2007 — SOUTHWARDS FROM BIRMINGHAM

Part 1 - The start of our year's travels.

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From the beginning of November to the beginning of March we'd had a winter mooring at Cambrian Wharf in central Birmingham and hadn't done any serious boating.

We found our winter sojourn at Cambrian Wharf very pleasant. The lengthsmen, Brian and Grant, were very friendly and helpful, as were other boaters. These included Bunty (on Dezeres) who was eager to use his car to carry heavy things and his chain saw to help other people cut up firewood; Dan and Sue (on Sudan) who several times made weekend trips to Lyons Boatyard for coal for everybody at a cheaper price than we have to pay at Sherborne Wharf; Pete (on Crane) who works for Second City Cruisers, and was able to supply us with kindling wood when we couldn't find any in the whole of Birmingham, and Mike Jordan and Rebecca (on New Horizons). Until a few days before we left, Mike worked for Sherborne Wharf, and had been the person who came with Earle to help us out last year when we were stuck on the Titford Canal with out all-time record bladeful. He left Sherborne to go free-lance, and one of his early jobs was to do an oil-change and a few other oddments for us.

They all knew Birmingham well and were able to tell us things like where there was a launderette within walking distance, and about the Farmers' Market (1st & 3rd Wednesday of each month in New Street).

Birmingham is much more pedestrian-friendly than it used to be, and Wendy got in quite a lot of walking at the various times that I was away in London, but she still missed out on some things like the pen museum. We had several visits from Aidan (who lock-wheeled with us down Farmer's Bridge and Aston last March) and his daughter Sarah, but the timing was never right for some trips with them to the sights of Birmingham. Perhaps next year of we return to the "village".

The birdsong in central Birmingham was good, although apart from water-fowl the only birds we actually saw were pigeons, magpies and wagtails.

I'd been in London for nearly a week, mainly on London Canal Museum business, and returned on Friday evening with Allan Scott, who was to crew with us at the weekend. We had a couple of drinks in the Prince of Wales to say goodbye to people there before we set off on our travels. Then supper on board.

Before the start, Allan & I re-hung the bow & stern fenders which were drooping sadly.. Our original plan had been to leave Brum via the Birmingham & Fazeley, but stoppages on Farmer's Bridge (over-running) and Aston locks prevented that, so we decided rather than wait longer we'd go via Lapworth, where we'd have to wait a couple of weeks for the end of stoppages at Rowington and Hatton.

We set off at 11:48. Mandy was in her favourite cave beyond the veg cupboard. There was no sign of Tilly, and we had no washing to do to fetch her out if she was hiding in her favourite cave behind the washing machine. We decided she was almost certainly there and set off.

Our first stop was only across the basin at Cambrian wharf facilities point where we disposed of rubbish and took on water. Wendy walked back to the mooring to leave a 'phone number with Dan, in case Tilly turned up there. In fact she came out of hiding on the boat later in the day. While we were taking on water, the mooring we'd just left was taken by a cruiser. Then we went round the corner into the Oozells Street Loop, winded in the old paint-dock at Sherborne Street Wharf before stopping at the wharf itself for a pump-out. We were served by Earle (the boss) - the first time we'd seen him this winter.

At 13:12 we set off again with Allan at the helm, via Old Turn junction and Worcester Bar onto the Worcs & B'ham Canal. At King's Norton junction we turned onto the Stratford-on-Avon Canal, and stopped for the night immediately past Shirley lift bridge at 16:48. Allan & I went to The Drawbridge. They had a fair selection of real ales, and we managed to choose a good one. The food looked good (we were eating on board) but the pub lacked atmosphere.

We set off at 10:24 and stopped for a lunch-time drink at the Wharf Tavern at Hockley Heath They had a selection of real ales. The food looked good, but we'd had a big breakfast fairly late and so didn't want a full meal and decided that a couple of pints in the pub followed by sandwiches back on the boat would suit us best.

	Lapworth locks

After this we had a fairly fast run down the locks, with some set for us, others not, but all the run-offs way over weir. We moored close to the Boot Inn, Lapworth at 17:35.

Allan took us out for an excellent dinner in the pub's dining room. They also do bar food, but at restaurant prices.

Allan & I went off to catch a train to London after lunch on Monday.

After the urban winter, the cats enjoyed the countryside here. Tilly brought home a lot of trophies. Mandy was very interested in the birds, who are very vociferous but too fast for her.

Wendy went to see the local BW chaps and explained our timing problem. They gave us permission to stay to the end of the month (which is longer than we need).

She also went to Warwick (14 minutes by train) for major shopping, as Lapworth has only a small general store for food. It also has an off-licence incorporating the Post Office, and a carpet shop. There is a good pub, The Navigation Inn, by the GU. I came back from London on Friday evening.

On Saturday, Neil Arlidge picked me up in the morning to go to a Save Our Waterways Steering Group meeting at Alrewas, and brought me back in the late afternoon. On Sunday we'd planned to drop down a few locks to the water-point to fill up, and then reverse back to the mooring. But very windy weather (and some hail, and later snow) persuaded us that we didn't really need to.

I went to London on the Monday morning. Later in the morning - unfortunately before Wendy had been out for a paper etc - a man in a hi-viz vest and helmet came to warn against going onto the towpath for some hours as some tree-surgery was imminent. If she wanted to she'd need to take the boat beyond the bridge. Despite the fact that the hi-viz man sounded as though he'd help, Wendy decided stay pout as there wasn't much room between the bridge & the next lock. The reason for the whole thing was that earlier in the morning a tree had fallen on a car here and killed somebody in it. When the tree surgery had finished, Wendy managed to get to the shop immediately before it closed and bought the last Guardian in Lapworth.

Next day it was still cold with occasional snow flurries. The tree fellers came and inspected some more trees but deemed them OK and the yellow tapes were soon cut. Wendy did some local walking, especially to the rubbish point. Lunch at the Navigation Inn again. The birdsong was very enthusiastic despite the weather. Wendy saw a spotted woodpecker in a garden. The evening sky was beautifully striped. Heavy frost was forecast, so Wendy considered chickening out of an early trip to Warwick. On the other hand, she might make an early trip to Leamington for logs.

On Wednesday Wendy asked the local BW and others about logs, but nobody really knew. Then some boaters passed on foot and suggested 'phoning Swallow Cruisers at Hockley Heath about coal. She did that and the man there offered to deliver, then realised he was on his bike that day. So Wendy took a taxi there and brought back three bags of coal. By now there were a lot of flowers where the motorist was killed.

On Thursday Wendy went to Warwick Sainsbury's. An exhausting trip, she wasn't sure why. Lunch in the Roebuck, Warwick's oldest pub. The drink was expensive - a light lunch was pleasant but not as at the Navigation.

I travelled back in the afternoon, but later than I'd hoped, so we couldn't rely on enough light to go down the locks to take on water. I arrived shortly after 18:00 and we met in the Boot. Wendy's habit of asking for information in pubs didn't tell us anything about the electrical shop that doesn't seem to open, even though the chap she asked was friendly.