Catch Up

Well I'll pick up from the beginning of December when we were making our way into Birmingham. We had a couple of days spare so stopped off at Merry Hill and managed to get a bit of Christmas shopping done there. We moored up on the embankment, which was a first for us, we had a great view over the shopping centre and were the only boat there, although there were three others round the corner in the wide part opposite Wetherspoons.

Overlooking Merry Hill Shopping Centre

We then continued our journey into Birmingham stopping for a night or two at Windmill End. I had a few more pen orders to post off and James was continuing on making stock for the market.

Blowers Green Lock

Windmill End / Bumble Hole Nature Reserve

We arrived in Birmingham on the Wednesday, giving us Thursday to organise everything before the market started on Friday. It was good to catch up with our fellow traders, we hadn't seen most of them since September.

We set up fully on Friday and had a great day, trade was good despite not many people around. However, Saturday and Sunday the weather took a turn for the worse and was windy and raining, all we could do was set up a display in our pram canopy by the window for those brave enough to venture out, we did have a few knocks on the boat and managed some sales. It was also lovely to see some friends and previous customers, some who had come especially to get some pens for Christmas gifts. We ended the weekend with six pens in stock so really can't complain at all.

After the market we stayed around Birmingham, finishing our Christmas shopping before heading back out to Tipton then off through the huge Netherton tunnel, the small Gosty tunnel (which we had to take our roof boxes off for) and down into Hawne Basin where we were leaving the boat for our Christmas trip to Poole to Jess and Lee.

We spent a lovely few days in Poole, it really is never long enough, before heading up for a flying visit to my Mum and then over to West Wales for another flying visit to James' Mum and Dad. Then back to Hawne Basin and LJ. Dudley coped well with the journey although he didn't enjoy it at all, I think he preferred our train journey earlier in the year than the car.

We got back to the boat late on the 30th and left Hawne Basin on New Years Eve, we moored up outside the Black Country Living Museum at Tipton and in the evening caught up with friends in the Fountain Inn to see in the New Year.

34 miles and 10 locks

TOTAL FOR 2015 - 772 miles and 612 locks

Hawne Basin

Today we had a trip down to Hawne Basin to top up with diesel and replace our empty gas bottle. 

This part of the canal is very shallow in places but it turned out to be an incredibly interesting journey as we saw Roy Martin along the way, he recognised the boat and James from some Facebook posts he had put on about our journey up the Stourbridge locks. Roy was telling us some of the history of the BCN and the changes that have happened over the years, I could have listened to him for hours. This part of the canal is now a dead end terminating at Hawne Basin but in the past it continued on and you could get to Selly Oak. The long tunnel connecting the two had collapsed and was never repaired therefore cutting off the through route. He also told us how busy it used to be with all the various wharfs and work boats. 

We left him at the entrance to Gosty Hill Tunnel, we had removed our roof boxes as we knew it was low in places and both them and the solar panels wouldn't have made it through.

Once we arrived we did the sharp right turned under the bridge and just managed to get through without hitting, again very low and very narrow. We made it over to the services wharf where we were assisted to the side. 

We exchanged our gas bottle and with diesel at 53p per litre James squeezed as much as possible into the tank. So we were quite surprised with our bill at just over £1,599,000, James hadn't realised until he put his PIN in but it was quickly cancelled and the correct amount entered. Some how I don't think our bank would have authorised that transaction anyway. We had a good journey back to Windmill End put the boxes and solar panels back in place on the roof and are ready to continue onwards tomorrow.

Hawne Basin is a great place and a great journey with lovely, friendly and helpful people when you get there, definately worth a visit.

I love these foot bridges

Entrance to Gosty Hill Tunnel

This is where the headroom lowers

And slightly lower again

Getting back into high headroom again

And emerging the other end

Bet this used to be a hive of activity

Looking back at the tunnel 

The canal is really wide here

Another lovely footbridge

In Hawne Basin, the entrance is the bridge to the left

These looked very interesting would love to know their history

Sign says it all

Back into the tunnel the other way

Wouldm't want to park too close to the edge

Cobb's Engine House

5 miles

Total 75 miles and 108 locks