BCN weed

[gatekrash]

2 hours ago, Goliath said:

Very good beer in there 👍

 

or there’s Noah’s Ark for a pint. 
 

Very, very good beer and the pies 😋

[jam]

5 hours ago, IanD said:

You mean you go to the pub without your own crib board? How remiss of you... 😉

Not so sure I would be entering a pub that uses plastic pots.

Edited September 8, 2023 by jam

[IanD]

3 minutes ago, jam said:

Not so sure I would be entering a pub that uses plastic pots.

 

So don't go in or drink any beer then, if you object so much... 😉

 

(clue: pub in tourist area by the river in Cambridge, guess what kind of vessels they use if you want to drink any beer...)

Edited September 8, 2023 by IanD

[jam]

2 minutes ago, IanD said:

 

So don't go in or drink any beer then, if you object so much... 😉

 

(clue: pub in tourist area by the river in Cambridge, guess what kind of vessels they use if you want to drink any beer...)

Don't worry I won't, although what a Cambridge pub has to do with the BCN I fail to realise.

[IanD]

9 minutes ago, jam said:

Don't worry I won't, although what a Cambridge pub has to do with the BCN I fail to realise.

Crib board... 😉

[Dharl]

Completed Central Brum to W21 via New Main Line recently then reverse via Black Country Museum and Old Main last week. ( as per @davem399).    in both cases Gas Street to Smethwick was good, New Main to Factory was full of algae, not too bad on rubbish but uninspiring from a boating perspective.   Saw no boats, either moving or moored the whole way and moored overnight on the Gower Branch by the Temple.     Local yofs driving their mopeds and trail bikes along the towpath….

 

Tipton to W21 was full of weed, however in both cases didn’t have to go down the hatch.   On return again no real probs with the W21 to Tipton section, water very clear in place’s especially around the Fountain.   Old Main line had several problems with sacks and clothes around the prob which involved a couple of visits down the hatch including 30mins drifting under the M5 trying to sort it.    On reflection preferred the old main line, more interesting from a boating perspective though shame that some of the locals treated it like a dumping ground…..

[Rob-M]

30 minutes ago, Dharl said:

Completed Central Brum to W21 via New Main Line recently then reverse via Black Country Museum and Old Main last week. ( as per @davem399).    in both cases Gas Street to Smethwick was good, New Main to Factory was full of algae, not too bad on rubbish but uninspiring from a boating perspective.   Saw no boats, either moving or moored the whole way and moored overnight on the Gower Branch by the Temple.     Local yofs driving their mopeds and trail bikes along the towpath….

 

Tipton to W21 was full of weed, however in both cases didn’t have to go down the hatch.   On return again no real probs with the W21 to Tipton section, water very clear in place’s especially around the Fountain.   Old Main line had several problems with sacks and clothes around the prob which involved a couple of visits down the hatch including 30mins drifting under the M5 trying to sort it.    On reflection preferred the old main line, more interesting from a boating perspective though shame that some of the locals treated it like a dumping ground…..

I nearly always use the old line as it has more interest, just have to be careful and ease off at bridge 'oles.  Sometimes for interest I'll go down Brades, up Spon Lane and down Smethwick.

[Dharl]

23 minutes ago, Rob-M said:

I nearly always use the old line as it has more interest, just have to be careful and ease off at bridge 'oles.  Sometimes for interest I'll go down Brades, up Spon Lane and down Smethwick.

Was fine in the bridge holes, picked up first lot by tiveton aqueduct and second under the M5.    I was trying the old technique of giving the occasional burst astern to keep the prop clear and was too enthusiastic which caused us to collect the rubbish from the bottom….. 

[Rob-M]

Just now, Dharl said:

Was fine in the bridge holes, picked up first lot by tiveton aqueduct and second under the M5.    I was trying the old technique of giving the occasional burst astern to keep the prop clear and was too enthusiastic which caused us to collect the rubbish from the bottom….. 

Choosing when to go astern on the BCN can be a challenge, get the wrong moment and things can get worse.  Unfortunately sometimes it is always the wrong moment.  Our recent trip over the bank holiday was quite slow going from Smethwick to the BCLM but no visits down the weedhatch.

[Dharl]

11 minutes ago, Rob-M said:

Choosing when to go astern on the BCN can be a challenge, get the wrong moment and things can get worse.  Unfortunately sometimes it is always the wrong moment.  Our recent trip over the bank holiday was quite slow going from Smethwick to the BCLM but no visits down the weedhatch.

First time on the BCN, every day a school day! ( though it was also the Bank Holiday when we went from Gas Street to Gower Branch along the NML!) 

[Rob-M]

1 hour ago, Dharl said:

First time on the BCN, every day a school day! ( though it was also the Bank Holiday when we went from Gas Street to Gower Branch along the NML!) 

Gower Branch isn't somewhere I would choose to overnight, were you the boat above the staircase moored at the junction...?

[Dharl]

7 hours ago, Rob-M said:

Gower Branch isn't somewhere I would choose to overnight, were you the boat above the staircase moored at the junction...?

we pulled just off the new main line under the bridge and managed to get the pins in there.    We had come all the way from Alvechurch, originally planning for Tipton to overnight however reached the stage where we needed to stop and it looked the best place.     Not in our top 10 of places to return to.      The BCN is in need of some secure VMs along the main line which would encourage more boaters to use the system.   

[Mike Todd]

3 hours ago, Dharl said:

we pulled just off the new main line under the bridge and managed to get the pins in there.    We had come all the way from Alvechurch, originally planning for Tipton to overnight however reached the stage where we needed to stop and it looked the best place.     Not in our top 10 of places to return to.      The BCN is in need of some secure VMs along the main line which would encourage more boaters to use the system.   

Last time through, our schedule left us with little option but to overnight below the pumping station. Not an obvious place (especially in view of Smethwick being on the upper level) but it turned out to be a very quiet stay. 

 

I often wonder about the reputations some places get - are they, like red tops, the result of a single unrepresentative incident that is blown out of proportion? All too often we do not report on mooring stops that were without incident, only those where towpath users distrub the peace!

[IanD]

7 minutes ago, Mike Todd said:

Last time through, our schedule left us with little option but to overnight below the pumping station. Not an obvious place (especially in view of Smethwick being on the upper level) but it turned out to be a very quiet stay. 

 

I often wonder about the reputations some places get - are they, like red tops, the result of a single unrepresentative incident that is blown out of proportion? All too often we do not report on mooring stops that were without incident, only those where towpath users distrub the peace!

 

That's a general problem with the internet (and complaints about products/companies) -- lots of satisfied customers post nothing, occasional disgruntled ones make a big noise about it. Same applies to concerns about safety, one bad incident gets blown out of all proportion because nobody sees the thousands where there was no problem.

 

In all our travels on the canals -- including stopping sometimes in what have been referred to as dodgy areas or "bandit country" -- the only time we ever had a vandal problem was moored overnight in a "safe spot" near the Boat at Birdingbury when our pins got pulled out overnight. Probably not unrelated to the fact it was Halloween and we'd just p*ssed off some of the locals by almost winning the "best carved pumpkin" competition, and it was left sitting on the boat roof after closing time with a candle still inside it...

 

Oh yes, and when we were moored near the Little Dry Dock pub at Netherton someone nicked the lifebelt off the hatch. Disaster... 😞

 

So unless there are regular/multiple reports about trouble in a particular area -- and recently, not ten years ago! -- I tend to not worry too much about the occasions when I have to stop somewhere less salubrious than planned.

 

And maybe if boats didn't avoid some places with a bad reputation, there would be fewer problems there -- safety in numbers and all that?

 

I'm sure somebody will now reply with a horrendous tale of woe about what happened when they moored somewhere, or got broken into or had bricks thrown at them. Which is undoubtedly true and unfortunate, but doesn't change the fact that there are 35000 boaters on CART waters (yes I know lots of them never go anywhere...) and probably 99.9% of them never have any trouble of any kind... 😉

[Dharl]

I saw mooring rings on the upper level, but couldn't see any on the lower, which I thought was odd as it was a canal museum and no where for canal users to stop and visit? 

 

We weren't overly disturbed and I would moor there again, however SWMBO prefers to moor at least where you can see other moored boats   

3 minutes ago, IanD said:

And maybe if boats didn't avoid some places with a bad reputation, there would be fewer problems there -- safety in numbers and all that?

 

yes I think that if there was some more secure VMs along that section of the BCN then it would have been a much nicer cruising experience.   As it was it was more of a case of getting on

[IanD]

4 hours ago, Dharl said:

we pulled just off the new main line under the bridge and managed to get the pins in there.    We had come all the way from Alvechurch, originally planning for Tipton to overnight however reached the stage where we needed to stop and it looked the best place.     Not in our top 10 of places to return to.      The BCN is in need of some secure VMs along the main line which would encourage more boaters to use the system.   

 

Completely agree with the last sentence (and not just the main line, the BCN generally) -- but of course this would only work if boaters used them instead of staying away... 😉

Edited September 11, 2023 by IanD

[Dharl]

catch 22.....put in some VM and facilities and boaters will come, but without the boaters there is no need for the facilities..... 

 

 

[IanD]

1 minute ago, Dharl said:

catch 22.....put in some VM and facilities and boaters will come, but without the boaters there is no need for the facilities..... 

 

 

Look on the bright side -- Birmingham isn't as lacking in safe places for visitors to moor (VMs or not) as Manchester is... 😞

[David Mack]

There's safe offside moorings in Wolverhampton. But with no access off the canalside, so only any use if you are staying on board for the evening.

[IanD]

30 minutes ago, David Mack said:

There's safe offside moorings in Wolverhampton. But with no access off the canalside, so only any use if you are staying on board for the evening.

Where do you mean? Top Lock, Hay Basin, Broad Street Basin, Can Lane (just before the tunnel)?

Edited September 11, 2023 by IanD

[David Mack]

40 minutes ago, IanD said:

Where do you mean? Top Lock, Hay Basin, Broad Street Basin, Can Lane (just before the tunnel)?

On the offside between Broad Street Bridge and the tunnel. Roughly opposite Broad Street Basin.

On the left in this photo.

Edited September 11, 2023 by David Mack

[IanD]

11 minutes ago, David Mack said:

On the offside between Broad Street Bridge and the tunnel. Roughly opposite Broad Street Basin.

Got you -- that section of offside towpath also extends towards the tunnel (Can Lane) but as you say doesn't look like there's any way to get out. Looking at Canalplan and Google Maps (satellite) there seem to be boats moored on the towpath (basin) side too, and perhaps moorings in the basin itself (and also above the top lock) -- is this the case, or is the problem too much access for scrotes?

Edited September 11, 2023 by IanD

[Rob-M]

In Broad Street basin is water point and services so no overnight mooring, often there are boats along the towpath and above the top lock on both sides.  There are some permanent moorings in the arm by the top lock as well.

 

When CRT used to used Broad Street basin they often kept a work boat in there, and with permission I've stayed overnight with a pair of working boats in the basin a couple of times.

[IanD]

5 minutes ago, Rob-M said:

In Broad Street basin is water point and services so no overnight mooring, often there are boats along the towpath and above the top lock on both sides.  There are some permanent moorings in the arm by the top lock as well.

 

When CRT used to used Broad Street basin they often kept a work boat in there, and with permission I've stayed overnight with a pair of working boats in the basin a couple of times.

 

That was my point -- in the photos I can see boats (presumably moored) above the top lock and beyond the basin on the towpath side (as you said), but none on the offside which @David Mack suggested -- so I'm trying to find out why he suggested this, was it just that it's secure because there's no access?

[Rob-M]

 

3 minutes ago, IanD said:

 

That was my point -- in the photos I can see boats (presumably moored) above the top lock and beyond the basin on the towpath side (as you said), but none on the offside which @David Mack suggested -- so I'm trying to find out why he suggested this, was it just that it's secure because there's no access?

Before the entrance to Broad Street basin, on the offside are rings with no access to the road.  This is referred to as the secure moorings.