Windmill End.

Hi.

If you’ve been keeping up at the back,you will realise that we are moored this week at a spot that I mentioned in one of our blogs last November.We are back on the moorings,just past the junction of the Netherton Tunnel Branch and the Dudley No.1 Canal,on the Dudley No.2 canal.Sounds a bit confusing,but it’s quite simple really,Windmill End Junction is a hundred yards behind us.We got here yesterday,in glorious sunshine and on the warmest day of the year so far.I took advantage of the lovely weather and gave Chyandour a good wash and brush up ready for the spring which doesn’t feel that far away now.

Last week we stayed in Walsall Basin till Thursday afternoon then we moved outside the Basin and onto the Pontoon just before the junction.The Police had advised us that things could get a bit noisy from the bar next to our mooring and,after getting caught on Monday night,we didn’t want a repeat.Don’t get me wrong,we had no problems in Walsall,in fact we had a good time as I shall reveal later.The bar near the moorings though has a disco for students on Monday nights till 3 in the morning,we weren’t aware of this till late on Monday night and as a result I didn’t get to sleep till the early hours.There were no problems and Lisa said that the disco stopped at dead on 3 o’clock,but we didn’t fancy it all again.Tuesday Night was quiet and Wednesday night was like a morgue,all we heard was the buses going past.

On Tuesday we spent the day visiting the museums that Walsall has to offer and as a result I was quite surprised.Walsall had the largest concentration of Leather producers in the World and became the home of English Saddle making.Walsall still provides Saddles for the Royal Family and Handbags for the Queen and the local football club is called…………………. you guessed it,The Saddlers.After our day visiting the museums we all went to eat in one of the local ‘Spoons,the St.Mathews Hall,Tuesday Night being Steak Night,and had a very enjoyable meal.From there we went to the Black Country Arms where they have a dozen Real Ales on traditional hand pumps.We managed to sample 11 of them I’ve been told,I wasn’t counting,just enjoying.The Landlady,Kim and her Daughter run a lovely pub and it’s well worth a visit if you like your Real Ales.

 

A couple of pic’s inside the Leather Museum.Working with leather is still labour intensive but nothing like how it was a hundred years ago.Some of the leathers were like satin to touch,soft and pliable and Ron,one of the Museum staff,showed us a couple of genuine snake skins and a crocodile skin.Such skins are illegal now but he had his from before they were outlawed,having been in the trade for over 70 years.

 

Sue in her part of the museum,she showed us a machine that stuck Gold Leaf to leather and some of the sewing machines,Singers,believe it or not.The bar of The Black Country Arms in Walsall,look at all those lovely beer pumps.

On Wednesday Lisa and I set off to have a look at what was left of a couple of abandoned canals near Walsall,the Anson Branch and it’s junction with the Bentley Canal.Some bits are still visible as you can see from the photo’s.

 

The junction of the abandoned Anson Branch and the Walsall Junction Canal.Looking back along the Anson Branch.The canal bed has a little water but it’s all filled with reeds.

 

The aqueduct that carries the Anson Canal over the River Tame according to the maps,but the river actually flows through a culvert 20 yards to the right of this photo.Could this have been for a Tramway? The junction of the Anson Branch and the Bentley Canal.The Anson Branch was a little over a mile long with no locks and was opened in 1830 to serve the Coalmines and Quarries owned by the Earl of Lichfield.It was all abandoned by the early 1960’s.The Bentley Canal was five and a half miles long with 10 locks,opened in the 1840’s and also abandoned in the 1960’s.Not a good decade for our canals.

After a quiet Thursday night we left the pontoon outside Walsall when the rain stopped on Friday morning.We cruised the 8 Miles and 8 Locks up the Walsall Junction Canal,onto the Wednesbury Old Canal and then to our mooring on the New Main Line at Albion Junction.This was the mooring where we had our Christmas and we spent Saturday there before leaving yesterday morning.Our day at Albion Junction was another of those days when Lisa and I go off to have a look at the abandoned canals nearby,this time it was the Wednesbury Old Canal which is sometimes referred to as the Balls Hill Branch or the Ridgeacre Branch.Sadly,both the Balls Hill and Ridgeacre Branches are no longer navigable,only the bit of the Wednesbury Old Canal from Ryders Green Junction to short of Swan Bridge is navigable and now there’s no where to turn round if you go up in a boat,there’s too much weed blocking the canal.We had planned to take the boat but I’m glad we put it off “till next time”.

 

Pudding Green Junction with the New Main line to the left and Wednesbury Old Canal to the right.Lisa is posing on the bridge with Roxy the dog.Ryders Green Junction with Walsall Junction Canal and the 8 Ryders green locks to the left and Wednesbury Old Canal to the right.

 

This is as far as you can get with a boat up the Wednesbury Old Canal and there isn’t enough room to wind a boat above about 40 foot long.Walk on a bit farther and this is the sight that greets you,the Ridgeacre Branch started here and the canal to Balls Hill Basin was straight on for another couple of miles or so.There are stretches of the canal in water beyond here but it flows through culverts,similar to this one,under the next couple of roads so it’s not navigable.

 

There I am ,hard at work,giving Chyandour a bit of a wash and brush up.It was a glorious day here yesterday so I made the most of it.

Well that’s it again for this week,we’re off out to a nearby pub this evening to sample some of their real ales.Since our last blog we have covered 17 Miles and gone through 8 Locks.That now gives us a Grand Total of 598 Locks and 1058 Miles since October 2012.Take care everyone.

Walsall Basin.

Hi,

Just a short blog this week I’m afraid as we haven’t done much since last week,in fact,we’ve mostly been going over old ground until today.Last Wednesday we left the mooring near the Manor Arms on the Daw End Branch Canal and made our way back to Brownhills.On the way we stopped short of the junction at Catshill where we got the chainsaw out and cut up a fallen tree that was on the towpath.Free wood to supplement the coal.The tree had been blown down on the stormy night 10 days previous,we had seen it as we went past,and it was still there when we went back.

We stayed at Brownhills till the lunchtime on Friday having replenished our supplies in the local shops,and we’d also nipped over to Cannock on the bus to the market there before we left.On Saturday and Sunday we moored a hundred yards or so past Fishley Junction on the W&E,that was where Lord Hayes Branch used to be.A couple of weeks ago we had moored there,it’s one of those out of the way moorings that we like so much.Having spent a relaxing weekend there,we set off this morning to do the 8 Locks and 6 Miles to Walsall.

 

Birchills Junction where we stopped to nip to the scrapyard,it looks better when the sun is shining,honestly.Moored above Walsall Top lock waiting our turn at the Water point.You now have to moor in the lock itself to get at the water tap.

It was a good cruise too and we had a couple of stops on the way here.The first was for Andy to dispose of his old leisure batteries at a scrapyard near Birchills Junction where we left the “Curly Wyrely” and joined the Walsall Junction Canal.His original ones had finally died after four years and though I knew they had a value,I was quite surprised to discover how much scrap batteries are worth.The scrapyard was paying £460 per tonne which made the dead batteries roughly £12 each.From the junction we went the few hundred yards to the top of the Walsall Locks,and the services that are situated by the side of the top lock,to top up with water.

 

The Former Canal Museum next to the Walsall top Lock.It was originally built as a Boatman’s Rest at the beginning of the 20th Century by the Seamen and Boatmen’s Friend Society.Washing facilities were provided to those waiting to pass through the locks.The crews of the narrowboats were also encouraged not to drink alcohol in the nearby public house so tea, coffee, food and tobacco were offered and a helper would write a letter as most of the boatmen could not read or write.Andy and Di getting ready to go down the lock after getting water.

The trip down the locks was excellent,they must be some of the easiest locks on the system,and we were moored here in the basin in no time at all.OK,Andy and Di went ahead of us while we got water and they filled the locks when they left them so they would be set for us,that meant all the locks were then in our favour,which is always a bonus.This was the first time down the Walsall Locks for Lisa and I,we’d moored on the single secure mooring at the top lock back in November 2011,on a hire boat from Norbury Wharf.At that time we decided not to take the boat down and then back up again,so we just took a walk down to the basin.

 

The Albion Flour Mill,part way down Walsall Locks,it’s now called Smiths Flour Mill and converted to apartments.It was a Steam Mill,built in 1848 with the entrance to the covered canal wharf clearly visible on the lower right of the mill.It was still milling flour in 1973.There we are,moored in the basin at Walsall,not as quiet as Fishley Junction so we will see how long we will stay.

Well,that’s it for this week.Since our last blog we have done 8 Locks and 14 Miles.That now gives us the Grand Total of 590 Locks and 1041 Miles since October 2012.Take care everyone.

Daw End Branch.

Hi,

Since our last blog,a couple of weeks ago,we have been going over old territory so I really didn’t have a lot to put in a blog,sorry Heather and Steve.We’ve been back to Brownhills and to Longwood Junction again,as well as stopping at a couple of out of the way places in between.We are now moored again where we were  back in the middle of January,close to the Manor arms on the Daw End Branch.If you remember,we stopped here on the only day they don’t do food in the evening,i.e. Wednesday.This time there would be no surprises,we got here yesterday and went for lunch,they do a nice roast dinner with three choices and together with a pint or two of Cocker Hoop we had a very nice meal thankyou.

 

Before and after last Tuesday.It snowed at Sneyd and it was a lovely sunny afternoon when we got to Fishley.

We left Sneyd Junction on the Tuesday after our last blog,it snowed in the morning but by the time we left at lunchtime the snow had all gone and it was a lovely sunny day.As we approached Fishley Junction on the W&E,which was where Lord Hayes Branch used to be,we decided to call it a day and moor up.The weather forecast for the following day was not at all good and here looked as good a place as any to weather the expected storm.On Thursday we set off again and made our way back to the visitor moorings at Brownhills where we were in for a bit of a surprise.When we’d left Brownhills,at the beginning of February,we’d been the only boats moored there and on our travels we had only seen four other boats,three of which were heading the opposite way.Four boats is quite a lot at this time of year and we had only seen two others since New Years Eve.Anyway,when we got to Brownhills there were five boats already there and one more turned up on Friday,quite a flotilla had gathered.

We stayed at Brownhills until the Sunday,replenishing our supplies and making use of our bus passes.One of the things I have wanted to do since we last visited Birmingham,is to try the Chinese Buffet on New Street,so on Saturday,off we went on the bus and I got my wish.I have often been intrigued by the sign advertising all you can eat for £5 so,as we like the odd Chinese meal,down the stairs we went to give this one a try.It turned out to be just what it said on the sign,though you do have to like chicken,it was the only meat on the menu.

 

Land & Water working hard dredging the Daw End Canal.When we went up five weeks ago it was shallow in places,it’s not like that now.

 

There we are on Daw End Visitor Moorings and Lisa doing a stitch in time on the machine we bought at Beeston on the Shroppie.

Our first stop from Brownhills was Daw End visitor moorings on the Daw End Canal near Aldridge.Aston Manor Transport Museum is about a miles walk from the moorings and we had decided to take a look,it’s only open Saturday,Sunday and Tuesday so here was our chance.It’s only a small museum but its run by a band of dedicated volunteers who restore,as well as maintain,their fleet of buses and trucks and also have a number of running days.We spent a few very enjoyable hours there and the volunteers are more than happy to talk about their exhibits.On Monday we left there and made our way the three miles back to Longwood moorings above the top lock on the Rushall Branch.The last time we were here was five weeks ago and this time I wanted to give Chyandour a good clean if the weather was kind to us,which it was.I also wanted to take the opportunity to change the gearbox ATF now that she has done over a thousand hours.

 

A different sort of sign to promote your business,this one as we walked to the Transport Museum.One of the exhibits,a Trent Motor Traction BMMO S.O.N. in use from 1940 to 1954 with one of the local firms when I lived near Nottingham.I don’t think I ever travelled on one of these,I was only six when she was taken out of service.

 

Me having a sit in the drivers seat.I’ve let my PSV entitlement go now so it’s unlikely I’ll ever sit in the drivers seat again,certainly not professionally anyway.Another vehicle I once had the pleasure of driving,one like this while delivering milk around the mean streets of Derby

Friday and Saturday we went off on the local buses to visit a few nearby places,Friday to Wednesbury where there’s a B&Q and an Ikea,and Saturday,after walking into Aldridge,we went to Sutton Coldfield.Now Sutton Coldfield is a place I remember from my truck driving days,not for the town centre,which I had never seen,just the surrounding roads.There was no A38 to bypass it in those days and we were in the habit of taking a shortcut to the M5 motorway on one of the local roads.On night the residents of one particular road parked their cars,alternately,to protest at the use of their road as a through route for trucks.It was all a bit chaotic and I believe they all got fined a fiver for their trouble,which they could all well afford,but they achieved their aim and got a weight limit imposed on the road.Anyway,I have no hard feelings and Sutton Coldfield turned out to be a place worth visiting.Aldridge too is worth a look,we had a browse around and then went into the Avion for lunch.The Avion is a Wetherspoons pub that was as a cinema from 1938 till 1967,became a bingo hall till 2009,and is now a nice pub.We left Longwood yesterday and made our way here where we intend to stay for a couple of days,maybe get another pint of Cocker Hoop,who knows.

That’s all again for this week folks,I’ll try harder next week.In the last two weeks we have travelled 15 miles and done no locks again,Lisa’s really getting it easy.That gives us a Grand Total of 582 Locks and 1027 Miles since October 2012.Take care everyone.

 

.

Wyrley Bank Canal.

Hi,

Well,we are still on the Wyrely & Essington Canal,or the Curly Wyrely as it is more commonly known,but this week we are at Sneyd Junction on the Wyrley Branch Canal,which was the original W&E mainline when it opened in 1798.This canal had a checkered life,being built to serve the local collieries,of which there were many,before finally being abandoned in 1955.One of my ambitions has been to walk the length of this abandoned canal to see what remains of it,if anything.

We eventually moved away from our mooring near Pelsall Junction on Friday.It was a lovely place to be but our water tank was beginning to get a bit low so we decided to head over to here to use the services and spend a few days exploring this area.Sneyd Junction is not a bad place to moor,a bit noisy with the constant hum of traffic on the nearby M6 motorway,but you don’t notice it after a while.I don’t think we would leave our boats unattended though.The Police came round on Friday afternoon and advised us against leaving our boats but,apart from a few dog walkers and fishermen.there hasn’t been many people about.Perhaps the weather has played a part in that because it has been a bit wet.

 

Birchills Junction,turn left here to go down to Walsall.The two of us filling our water tanks at the services here at Sneyd junction.

 

Moored at the junction,we’re facing the way we came with the abandoned Wyrley Bank Branch behind us.The bottom lock of Five on the branch,all have gone,with only a few bits to indicate where they were.This one has been filled in with a culvert to allow the water down.

On Tuesday I walked to the very end of the Cannock Extension Canal,as it is today,to have a look at what’s left.You do get to see a lot more when you’re walking than you do on the boat,even at a steady canal speed of 2 mph,though there wasn’t much to see really.As it turned out,the end was only a few yards beyond where we had winded on Sunday when we went up by boat.Today Andy and I walked to the end of this branch to see what remains,and though it’s possible to follow the old towpath all the way to Wyrley Bank,there are only some stretches still in water.The Locks are all gone,as are the old arms and basins that served the collieries,and some stretches are dry.It’s a good walk though and there are information boards along the route explaining what used to be.

 

The end of the Cannock Extension Canal,not a lot too see,and one of the arms of Grove Basin which served the Wyrley Grove Colliery.

 

Wharf Cottage on the Wyrley Branch Canal,there was a short wharf here serving one of the coal mines,possibly Essington Farm colliery which was close bye.The cottage is still lived in.Just a part of the branch still in water, a lot of it has been lost through opencast mining.

 

Snowdrops,these were the first I’d seen,as always,after these there were hundreds.All that remains of a Lift Bridge and Footbridge that crossed the canal.Strangely they were separate bridges side by side.

Most of the rest of the time,since last Monday,we have spent dodging showers or heavier spells of rain.There has been a lot of rain,but fortunately,we’ve not had it anywhere near as bad as some.We are on a canal boat and canals are not often effected by flooding,there are exceptions of course,and there are the canalised sections of rivers that do flood,but we are pretty safe.We had a visit from some of our family on Saturday and they brought the mail out with them,not much of any importance I’m happy to say.For lunch we had a takeaway from the local Fish and Chip shop and it was very good.Should you ever stay here at Sneyd,I would recommend George’s Fish Bar on Cresswell Crescent,there is also a convenience store and a greengrocers on the same parade.Cresswell Crescent is just a short walk from here towards Bloxwich.

Well that’s all again for this week.Since our last blog we have cruised through no locks and only 7 Miles.That gives us a Grand Total of 582 Locks and 1012 Miles since October 2012.Take care everyone.

Cannock Extension Canal

Hi,

This week we are moored just off the Wyrley & Essington,on the Cannock Extension Canal,a couple of hundred yards or so before Pelsall Junction.The Cannock Extension was a bit over five and a half miles long when it opened in 1863 but now there is just under a couple of miles left.The very reason for it’s existence,the coal mines,were the cause of it’s demise.Breaches and mining subsidence resulted in the top two thirds being abandoned in 1963,and later Opencast Mining obliterated the Northern bit almost completely.We went as far as we could along the canal yesterday afternoon before we winded at Norton Canes Boatbuilders and now we’re staying here for a few days.

 

Pelsall Junction where the Cannock Extension,lower left,leaves the W&E.The two of us moored short of the Stop House and the stop,that’s the house and narrow bit before Friar Bridge in the distance.

 

Almost the end of the Extension,Norton Canes Boatbuilders has a paint shed just beyond the boat shell on the left,it’s possible to “wind” in the entrance to the paint shed,just !!!! A view along the Extension,dead straight.

We left Anglesey Basin last Tuesday morning and had a gentle cruise,for an hour,back to Brownhills Visitor moorings where we intended to stay a day or three to top up with water and groceries.On Thursday Lisa and I decided to go and take a look at the Aqueduct that has been erected over the M6 Toll for the proposed restoration of what will be the Lichfield Canal.We had studied the maps and Google Earth and discovered that it was possible to get close enough for a picture or two so off we went.It started to snow just after we set off but,hardy souls that we are,we didn’t let that stop us and we were rewarded by some good pictures.Sadly though,there is hardly any trace of what was the Wryley & Essington between Ogley Junction and the aqueduct.Just the tree line to indicate where it used to be.

  

Snow as we walked along the Anglesey Branch to Ogley Junction,it didn’t bother the swans.Our first view of the Lichfield Canal Aqueduct over the M6 Toll.

 

What would it be like to be approaching the aqueduct when it’s full of water? Another view of it.

Friday was one of those days that we seem to be having a lot of lately,it was very wet and windy,so,a lazy day in front of the fire was the answer to that.On Saturday out came the Bus Passes and off to Cannock we went for a bit of retail therapy somewhere different.We thought Cannock was a nice place,clean and tidy with a good selection of shops in the town centre.For lunch we had two meals for less than £7 in the local ‘Spoons,so all in all not a bad day out.

The Lichfield & Hatherton Canals Restoration Trust are currently working to restore some of the Cannock Extension Canal but on a different route from the original,so today I thought I would have a look at where they propose to connect to the W&E.It’s less than a mile,from here at from Pelsall Junction,to the Lord Hayes Branch and there are little bits of that canal still visible though not in water. 

 

The entrance to Lord Hayes Branch at Fishley Junction.This branch was just under a mile long with no locks and gave access to Lord Hayes coal mines.A short stretch of the dry canal bed that was abandoned in 1954.

That’s all again for this week I’m afraid.Since last week we have cruised for 8 Miles and Lisa has had no locks to work,so we now have a Grand Total of 582 Locks and 1005 Miles since we set off in October 2012.Please take care everyone.