We had a week out ten days ago doing a circuit starting and finishing at Great Haywood via Birmingham. All the family and the dog had a great time and can't wait to do it all again.
Here are the latest moans
Day Boats. Don't you love them! I would imagine they are desperately hard to steer, they seem to take a very interesting course when going the same way as us and when they come toward me they always go into reverse and then end up broadside on the canal. Actually this not necessarily confined to day boats, both hire boats and owned boats also do this sometimes. Previously I've had to dodge the electric boats in London and now I see they have reached Birmingham as well.
Paddle Boarders. This is a new menace which I have not encountered before. I caught up with one so I slowed right down to pass only to get a torrent of abuse mainly because apparently there was a bow wave at the front of the boat, when I suggested it was very hard for a boat to move forward without the bow creating a bow wave I was told I was a 'Tocking Fusser' or something like that I think. I wished her bon voyage.
Wolverhampton to Factory Locks, what a lot of weeds, luckily the water is so clear you can see how clogged up the prop is getting which it did 3 times. And then the BCN, which is now such a beautiful canal, green banks, wildlife, we saw 2 kingfishers. Compared to my first trip along there in 1972 when it still had horse drawn boats and steel works and an individual odour. Gas Street/Birmingham has had a complete makeover since my last visit. I actually quite liked it when it was still industrial and everyone spoke like Carl Chinn so it was good going down Farmers Bridge Locks and passing all these new lookalike flats with balconies and then going under the big bridge and entering a time warp with the drinkers having a garden party outside the derelict factories.
Holdens v Bathams. Still can't decide, went to the Great Western. Had the Holdens Bitter and then a Bathams, so had another Holdens and the another Bathams and then bought a carry out with 4 pints of each for further research. Still undecided so will have to return and carry out further tastings. I think the Bathams is stronger than the Holdens but the Holdens seemed to slip down easier. We also had the faggots and mushy peas to soak it up.
Global Warming. 7 days of non-stop sunshine followed by a months worth of rain once we had tied up. There didn't appear to be any water shortages but presume this will change once the schools are out. Are CRT dredging, I thought the Coventry round Hopwas was fairly shallow and I was in a hire boat. I took a partly loaded boat through there in 1980 with no problems. Yes they are dredging further along on the T&M. Whats with these sacking bolsters, won't they just rot away.
Out again in October, intending to the Mon and Brec