We’ve ended up coming further than planned today. But it’s been a lovely sunny day and quite warm at times, so it’s been no hardship to be moving. Macc asked to go out quite early this morning, but even though he seemed wide awake he was content to go back into his crate so we could all have a lie in. We were ready to go at 9.15, pretty much the same time as everyone else on the moorings. The boat ahead was also setting off to go the other way, and two hire boats behind (a group of at least 12 lads) were also getting ready, heading the same way as us. Their bacon rolls for breakfast had smelled very good! It was a lovely morning to be under way.
As we approached Wast Hill Tunnel we could see a problem: a small fibreglass boat across the cut. I approached very slowly and Adrian was at the bow trying to work out if he could find a way of reattaching it to land. But then it appeared there was someone on board, and a blast of the horn brought them out!
Wast Hill is a long tunnel at very nearly 2500 metres. Inside it was very misty making it difficult to see very far ahead; I certainly couldn’t see the other end.
We went through the tunnel on electric, and it’s amazing the things you can hear. I could hear the hire boat behind behind even before they entered the tunnel, and when we passed a boat (the first time we’ve passed another boat in a tunnel on KV) I could hear their engine note change when they met the oncoming boat. And all the water dripping from the tunnel lining seems louder. It took about 40 minutes to get through, and in doing so we’d swapped Worcestershire for the West Midlands — and as soon as you come out of the tunnel you can kind of tell. The water is blacker and has more rubbish, and everything looks a bit more unloved. It’s just a short distance to King’s Norton Junction, where we’d be turning right onto the North Stratford Canal; straight on under the bridge would be Birmingham.
We’ve not done the turn onto the Stratford from this direction before, and it’s much easier than doing it from Brum. We were approaching the former guillotine stop lock when I saw a boat coming the other way, and had to reverse to let them through. It was a day boat. Then we could go through.
Brandwood Tunnel is only 322 metres long and takes no time at all. It has Shakespeare looking down from the portal.
Our planned stop had been opposite Lyon’s Boat Yard at Warstock, partly for shopping reasons as there’s a new Lidl behind it. We’ve moored here before on Briar Rose, but today we couldn’t get anywhere near the side, or when we could we were on the mud and tilting at quite an angle. We tried in several places and just got stuck each time. Eventually we gave up and carried on round the corner to the official moorings, where we could get to the side. I made a trip up to Lidl to restock on veg, then we had lunch. The mooring wasn’t great for Macc, though, being a brick towpath and not much grass anywhere, so we decided we’d move on a bit. The North Stratford is not one of my favourite canals. It’s shallow, narrow in places, is full of branches and bits of wood, and generally seems slow going. But there are some pretty sections in spite of that.
We thought we’d moor between the aqueduct at the lift bridge at Shirley, but couldn’t really remember what was there. Only enough piling for one boat before the bridge landing was the answer, and there was a boat on it. We could have stopped a bit further back if we’d remembered what it was like. But there are more moorings beyond the bridge, so Adrian jumped off with the key of power and lifted it.
Last time we came this way, the bridge was stuck open so the road was closed meaning we didn’t hold up any cars. Today, Adrian reactions at least eight had to wait for us to go through. We moored up just beyond, having waited for a couple of horses to pass us on the towpath.
It’s a pleasant enough spot here, far enough away from the pub by the bridge. Macc had a ride on the rear slide for the final part of the journey and seemed to enjoy it. It meant he went for a nap when we arrived; when he wakes up we’ll try to find a park or somewhere so he can have a run about.
8 miles, 0 locks. (22 miles, 50 locks)