Most pleasant way into Birmingham.

[RLWP]

Just now, Nightwatch said:

Tunnels. Someone mentioned tunnels. I know there’s tunnels but are they bog standard dimensions or are there restrictions on air-draft?  We are quite tall!!

 

 

You might scrape your handrail in Ashtead Tunnel against the roof on the offside - most people do

 

Richard

[dmr]

19 minutes ago, Victor Vectis said:

A very significant omission, pubwise, here Dave!

 

I thought I better limit the drinking to one significant pub per route, but its a not a difficult to walk back from an overnight mooring at Merry Hill so you could do the one on the first night and the other on the next. ?

 

Not sure I would recommend an overnight stop at the bottom of the Delph, we had a lot of youth making a campfire when we stopped there, thugh they were friendly.

 

...............Dave

[pearley]

7 minutes ago, RLWP said:

You might scrape your handrail in Ashtead Tunnel against the roof on the offside - most people do

 

Richard

Yes, better to run a lockful off the pound, especially if descending.

[OldGoat]

7 minutes ago, RLWP said:

You might scrape your handrail in Ashtead Tunnel against the roof on the offside - most people do

 

Richard

Bust my nice brass nav light off in that one...

[pearley]

Just now, dmr said:

I thought I better limit the drinking to one significant pub per route, but its a not a difficult to walk back from an overnight mooring at Merry Hill so you could do the one on the first night and the other on the next. ?

 

Not sure I would recommend an overnight stop at the bottom of the Delph, we had a lot of youth making a campfire when we stopped there, thugh they were friendly.

 

...............Dave

Although there is an offside mooring just above the bottom lock.

[dmr]

8 minutes ago, RLWP said:

You might scrape your handrail in Ashtead Tunnel against the roof on the offside - most people do

 

Richard

A difficult tunnel, never mind the handrail, we almost lost a nav light.

 

..............Dave

Just now, pearley said:

Although there is an offside mooring just above the bottom lock.

Yeah, thats were they had the camp fire.

 

...............Dave

[RLWP]

4 minutes ago, OldGoat said:

Bust my nice brass nav light off in that one...

In Ashtead - How??

 

Richard

[Nightwatch]

Lots to discuss and investigate. We will have a meeting! We might go in on the North Stratford. With the time limit being non-existant we may come out Northwards ish! via Wolverhampton then track down to the Severn and into the Avon. Did it a few years ago. Lovely journey. 

[pearley]

When do you reckon on being in Brum?

[Nightwatch]

To be honest, no idea. Is there a reason to ask that. Is there summat going on? Restricted mooring? Busy times?

[ditchcrawler]

7 minutes ago, Nightwatch said:

To be honest, no idea. Is there a reason to ask that. Is there summat going on? Restricted mooring? Busy times?

There are events in Birmingham that limit moorings from time to time like floating Markets 

[pearley]

41 minutes ago, Nightwatch said:

To be honest, no idea. Is there a reason to ask that. Is there summat going on? Restricted mooring? Busy times?

Only that we should be back there end of April.

34 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

There are events in Birmingham that limit moorings from time to time like floating Markets 

They can be a pain.

[Keeping Up]

1 hour ago, dmr said:

A difficult tunnel, never mind the handrail, we almost lost a nav light.

 

Same here, put a bad scrape on the green plastic lens but luckily it survived.

 

We also tore the front cover where it passes over the front corner of the cabin top.

[dmr]

1 minute ago, Keeping Up said:

Same here, put a bad scrape on the green plastic lens but luckily it survived.

 

We also tore the front cover where it passes over the front corner of the cabin top.

 

1 minute ago, Keeping Up said:

Same here, put a bad scrape on the green plastic lens but luckily it survived.

 

We also tore the front cover where it passes over the front corner of the cabin top.

We took the nav light right off but part remained on the wires and the other bit landed on the gunnel, and it all went back together with just a little scrape as a memento.

With hindsight we were over confident trying to drive through that tunnel, it would be better to drag through on the centre line to keep the boat tight up against the towpath. Some tunnels can be deceptively difficult, even the short ones. The only other one that has caused upsembarrassment is the very short one at Hebden bridge. Its short but has a tight bend . Its lined with a sort of bitumen blacked corrugated lining which reflects no light at all so you just can't where you are going.

 

...............Dave

[David Mack]

2 minutes ago, dmr said:

The only other one that has caused upsembarrassment is the very short one at Hebden bridge. Its short but has a tight bend . Its lined with a sort of bitumen blacked corrugated lining which reflects no light at all so you just can't where you are going.

 

...............Dave

 

Been there, done that, got the teeshirt (and lost the paint on the front of the handrail). You go in blind, not knowing where the tunnel goes, until you have got far enough to see the daylight at the far end.

[john6767]

3 hours ago, ditchcrawler said:

Of the two N Stratford is my choice but he is coming back that way, Not very keen above Knowle,  always find it a bit mucky and not pleasant.  He could go up the N Stratford and then when he leaves go to Stourport and down the Severn to Tewkesbury and back up the Avon and S Stratford

Certainly if you choose to go GU, then go North Stratford, rather then the GU to Camp Hill.  It is less locks to go the North Straford rather than all the way up the GU, and more pleasant.  It is 65 locks from Napton to Birmingham via North Stratford, with 46 of them being wide.

 

The alternative is North Oxford, Coventry, B&F, that is further and has the least locks at 55, and all narrow locks.  You could divert via Richard esoteric route for more interest, and that would actually reduce the lock count slightly (they must be deeper).

 

For me it would be GU and North Stratford, in fact that will be the way we go in the not too distant future.

[Ex Brummie]

On the subject of tunnels, ASHTED ( N.B. Richard ) is a bit tight, but the earlier suggestion of diverting to Hawne Basin for cheap diesel is probably a no no if you are tall. We have to be careful with Ashted as the cabin is a couple of inches wider than many, and unless I have a full tank of water, it is very tight.

Out of preference, the Stratford would be my choice, as the GU from Catherine de Barnes is not very pleasant, is shallow, and you also have the increased locks as you descend Camp Hill to rise up Ashted and Farmers Bridge, which ideally need to be done in one day. Likewise the B&F with Aston and Farmers Bridge at least if you stop at Star City

Edited March 9, 2020 by Ex Brummie
To reply to original request

[Captain Pegg]

4 minutes ago, Ex Brummie said:

On the subject of tunnels, ASHTED ( N.B. Richard ) is a bit tight, but the earlier suggestion of diverting to Hawne Basin for cheap diesel is probably a no no if you are tall. We have to be careful with Ashted as the cabin is a couple of inches wider than many, and unless I have a full tank of water, it is very tight.

Are there any narrow boats that are known not to fit through Gosty Hill Tunnel? I can think of an array of craft of all shapes and sizes that do fit.

 

Cant say I’d ever noticed Ashted is particularly tight but then again I never really bother about such things.

 

JP

[ditchcrawler]

1 minute ago, Captain Pegg said:

 

 

Cant say I’d ever noticed Ashted is particularly tight but then again I never really bother about such things.

 

JP

Its not, its just people get it wrong, I did once, soon learnt 

[Captain Pegg]

1 minute ago, ditchcrawler said:

Its not, its just people get it wrong, I did once, soon learnt 

Emptied the lock while waiting below it?

[dmr]

1 hour ago, David Mack said:

 

Been there, done that, got the teeshirt (and lost the paint on the front of the handrail). You go in blind, not knowing where the tunnel goes, until you have got far enough to see the daylight at the far end.

Cleaning that nasty black stuff off the handrail took almost as long as putting the paint back on.

 

and due to the bend managed to get the front and back corners of the boat at the same time.

 

One time I forgot to take the front chimney down and still managed to get right through Harecastle without hitting it, so really cross that the little Hebden tunnel got me. ?

 

........................Dave

[Mike Todd]

5 hours ago, RLWP said:

And I have moored much further in on those routes. For instance, there's an offside mooring at Cadburys with BW key access. Likewise The Vale is OK. Or Shirley Drawbridge and go to the pub. And Star City moorings are surprisingly quiet

 

Richard

I agree about Star City. The only issue is that there is not a lot of room and if you arrive well on in the day you are bit stuffed if heading into B as it is some way before there is a reasonable Plan B.

[Jen-in-Wellies]

1 hour ago, Ex Brummie said:

but the earlier suggestion of diverting to Hawne Basin for cheap diesel is probably a no no if you are tall.

The low bit of Gosty Hill tunnel for comparison. Iron Snail is reasonably tall and wide across the roof, but not vertical sided, like some narrowboats that have been built for maximum cabin space. It fitted with ease. Only fits Standedge tunnel with a full water tank. I'd say for 98%+ of narrowboats it wouldn't be a problem. Worth going to Hawne Basin definitely. There are horror stories of boats getting a floating wooden log jammed between the hull and the tunnel side and being stuck for a very long time!

 

Jen

 

[Rob-M]

6 hours ago, ditchcrawler said:

If you are nervous about mooring in Birmingham get round behind the Sea Life Center on the Oozle Street loop, that is where all the security chaps go for their fag break, its also very handy for the centre and no one much walking by.

Last time I was in Birmingham a couple of kids were stood opposite the moorings there chucking stones at the moored boats, not that it would put me off mooring there.

[fittie]

Just got back a week ago from doing the Warwickshire ring and had to go via Camp Hill as we found a bridge out of action on the North Stratford and we were surprised how much better the GU was this time. Last did it 4 years ago. Mooring on the tow path at Camp Hill was fine, shower not so good. Star City has some plastic boat moored in the middle of the pontoon and looks as if it has been there a while. 

 

I think some cash has been spent on the Catly Barnes to Camp Hill section of the GU.