Jump to content

Curly Wyrley and other lost bits of the BCN


OldGoat

Featured Posts

Passing away the time looking for the end of lockdown, I chanced across 

AATXAJzGFwpAJuCmt-8o3Mk_lTNiKp5_o2JP3EK_

Life at 2.3 miles an hour on Youtube and have spent many hours tracing bits of dead canals.
 
I wonder whether any on here have looked at some of these videos? Certainly some of the junctions / dead arms have made me wonder "what used to lie beyond" and now I know.
When we go boating we tend to crash on - looking for somewhere pleasant to moor for the night  - which often means that we don't come up to the Birmingham Level at all...
Next trip - if the canal system is accesible at all I/We will make more effort to explore the bits we usually pass by.
 
Has anybody looked at these videos - and what do you think of them?
 
 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

hi well if you have never done the curly wurly its a must .but not many have ,2,3 miles an hour less then that most times lol i have been in theses parts 20/25 years and i luv it .being a black country wench  helps tho 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

12 minutes ago, OldGoat said:

Passing away the time looking for the end of lockdown, I chanced across 

AATXAJzGFwpAJuCmt-8o3Mk_lTNiKp5_o2JP3EK_

Life at 2.3 miles an hour on Youtube and have spent many hours tracing bits of dead canals.
 
I wonder whether any on here have looked at some of these videos? Certainly some of the junctions / dead arms have made me wonder "what used to lie beyond" and now I know.
When we go boating we tend to crash on - looking for somewhere pleasant to moor for the night  - which often means that we don't come up to the Birmingham Level at all...
Next trip - if the canal system is accesible at all I/We will make more effort to explore the bits we usually pass by.
 
Has anybody looked at these videos - and what do you think of them?
 
 

 

Yes, lots of members have watched them. I’m assuming you weren’t about for the virtual BCN Challenge on the forum in May? Andrew (Capt Ahab) is a forum member.

 

And about the bit I’ve highlighted. Have you written off the entire Birmingham level (and by extension the Wolverhampton level) as an unpleasant area?

 

JP 

Edited by Captain Pegg
Link to comment
Share on other sites

15 minutes ago, Captain Pegg said:

Yes, lots of members have watched them. I’m assuming you weren’t about for the virtual BCN Challenge on the forum in May? Andrew is a forum member.

 

And about the bit I’ve highlighted. Have you written off the entire Birmingham level (and by extension the Wolverhampton level) as an unpleasant area?

 

JP 

Yes broadly, I think we have. We are happy with "either end"   - say, The conference centre or the BCLM, although in the past we've moored at places between which are now we feel are no-go areas. That's sad as there's a huge amount that we'd like to look at in more detail!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, OldGoat said:

Yes broadly, I think we have. We are happy with "either end"   - say, The conference centre or the BCLM, although in the past we've moored at places between which are now we feel are no-go areas. That's sad as there's a huge amount that we'd like to look at in more detail!

I don’t really follow your point since assuming by conference centre you mean Old Turn/Deep Cutting there’s only about 8 miles between there and the BCLM and I suspect many folks who visit the BCN regularly never moor in between the two so I’m not sure what you’re missing. Having known the area concerned for decades - and quite a few people who have lived there - I’d struggle to believe it is less safe today than it used to be.

 

There are secure moorings at the end of the Engine Arm and at Titford Pumphouse if you would like to visit the area. You can also moor at Tividale on the Netherton Tunnel Branch and below Spon Lane locks, I’ve done the former a couple of times. In any case I’d suggest the thing most worthy of a visit in the area is the canal itself.

 

JP

Edited by Captain Pegg
Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 minutes ago, Captain Pegg said:

I don’t really follow your point since assuming by conference centre you mean Old Turn/Deep Cutting there’s only about 8 miles between there and the BCLM and I suspect many folks who visit the BCN regularly never moor in between the two so I’m not sure what you’re missing. Having known the area concerned for decades - and quite a few people who have lived there - I’d struggle to believe it is less safe today than it used to be.

 

There are secure moorings at the end of the Engine Arm and at Titford Pumphouse if you would like to visit the area. You can also moor at Tividale on the Netherton Tunnel Branch and below Spon Lane locks, I’ve done the former a couple of times. In any case I’d suggest the thing most worthy of a visit in the area is the canal itself.

 

JP

We looked up the beginning of the Engine arm many years ago and it didn't look very inviting - last week I had a YT binge and saw how much that has improved and ditto for the Titford pools - so I'm encouraged. Now, I have to convert The Management...

It's so much easier to keep straight on at Fazeley Junction - but that's boring.

Perhaps if we forsake the Thames and it's extreme costs and keep the boat further up the Oxford canal, we may go back to boating around the Midlands.

 

Thank you.

  • Happy 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, OldGoat said:

Yes broadly, I think we have. We are happy with "either end"   - say, The conference centre or the BCLM, although in the past we've moored at places between which are now we feel are no-go areas. That's sad as there's a huge amount that we'd like to look at in more detail!

Do the Challenge, it can be done seriously to win or more lightheartedly just to get to the beer at the end, this also has the advantage of safety in numbers if you have any concerns about the so called "bad lands"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, dave moore said:

I can only concur with the above by Captain Pegg.

I'm not so sure having been wedged in the Walsall flight on a number of occasions late on a Saturday night when we've got his boat stuck.

 

But then that is part of the attraction of the less used parts of the BCN and taking part in the BCN challenge.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

40 minutes ago, Rob-M said:

I'm not so sure having been wedged in the Walsall flight on a number of occasions late on a Saturday night when we've got his boat stuck.

 

But then that is part of the attraction of the less used parts of the BCN and taking part in the BCN challenge.

Walsall is another thing altogether from the area under discussion though, which is the Main Line transit through the BCN. Pretty standard fare for lots of leisure boaters, which Walsall isn’t. Also the locals were immensely helpful in extricating us on both occasions.
 

JP

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Couldn't fault the Walsall locals, other than the ones that gave us cans of lager although they certainly meant well.

 

We boat in and out of Birmingham a lot and use all the routes although we do usually do a days cruising from places like Merry Hill, Tipton, Wolverhampton, Alvechurch, Catherine de Barnes or Curdworth to moor by the Arena.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 minutes ago, Rob-M said:

Couldn't fault the Walsall locals, other than the ones that gave us cans of lager although they certainly meant well.

 

We boat in and out of Birmingham a lot and use all the routes although we do usually do a days cruising from places like Merry Hill, Tipton, Wolverhampton, Alvechurch, Catherine de Barnes or Curdworth to moor by the Arena.

I’m not averse to being given free beer of any description, even Fosters (IIRC). It went down quick enough.

 

My advice to @OldGoat would be to turn left at Napton Junction not to wait until Fazeley.
 

JP

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Rob-M said:

I'm not so sure having been wedged in the Walsall flight on a number of occasions late on a Saturday night when we've got his boat stuck.

 

But then that is part of the attraction of the less used parts of the BCN and taking part in the BCN challenge.

Waiting at 6am on a sunday morning for some crew to fix a jammed paddle and remove a battery behind a lock gate half way up the Walsall flight, which we had already descended in a thunderstorm.

20180527_063901.jpg

The pound had been drained on porpoise so some brave soul could get at the ground paddle.

Edited by matty40s
Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 minutes ago, matty40s said:

Waiting at 6am on a sunday morning for some crew to fix a jammed paddle and remove a battery behind a lock gate half way up the Walsall flight, which we had already descended in a thunderstorm.

20180527_063901.jpg

The pound had been drained on porpoise so some brave soul could get at the ground paddle.

Eight hours after the same battery had caused us to get stuck for an hour and eventually turn back after ascending a few locks backwards. It didn’t help that we encountered problems at the end of a long day and with a crew of only two. We maybe could have cleared our passage if in a better frame of mind. We weren’t the only ones to be scuppered though.

 

JP

Link to comment
Share on other sites

15 hours ago, OldGoat said:

Passing away the time looking for the end of lockdown, I chanced across 

AATXAJzGFwpAJuCmt-8o3Mk_lTNiKp5_o2JP3EK_

Life at 2.3 miles an hour on Youtube and have spent many hours tracing bits of dead canals.
 
I wonder whether any on here have looked at some of these videos? Certainly some of the junctions / dead arms have made me wonder "what used to lie beyond" and now I know.
When we go boating we tend to crash on - looking for somewhere pleasant to moor for the night  - which often means that we don't come up to the Birmingham Level at all...
Next trip - if the canal system is accesible at all I/We will make more effort to explore the bits we usually pass by.
 
Has anybody looked at these videos - and what do you think of them?
 
 

 

And while you are at it remember the Canal Traders, albeit small in number, who have lost almost all of their trade, apart from fuel boats, for much of this year.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 hours ago, matty40s said:

Waiting at 6am on a sunday morning for some crew to fix a jammed paddle and remove a battery behind a lock gate half way up the Walsall flight, which we had already descended in a thunderstorm.

20180527_063901.jpg

The pound had been drained on porpoise so some brave soul could get at the ground paddle.

On of my treasured memories of that Challenge!

 

Richard

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I find it hard to believe we went through the lock no problem going up, c winner at the junction and then got stuck fast on the gate coming back down as that battery had shifted to behind the gate.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 hours ago, Rob-M said:

I find it hard to believe we went through the lock no problem going up, c winner at the junction and then got stuck fast on the gate coming back down as that battery had shifted to behind the gate.

 

Sounds like sabotage to me... ??

Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 hours ago, Mike Todd said:

And while you are at it remember the Canal Traders, albeit small in number, who have lost almost all of their trade, apart from fuel boats, for much of this year.

I've done my bit to support them.  I rose out of my engine hole after tinkering to see a boat coming towards me with a large picture of an icecream cone on its bow.  I bought two cones, both for me, and didn't bother with accepting change.  I'm considering designing a grabber for the side of the boat to automatically accept icecream cones and proffer payment...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.