Mooring options in Birmingham

[BCN Challenge]

48 minutes ago, Stroudwater1 said:

Great advise at the time Rob . The grass is all so high now that it’s dried out and gone yellow. Can we receive further instructions, as yellow looks yellow till later at night I believe 🤣 

 

Accepting @BCN Challenge expertise and local knowledge our stops on the towpath visitor mooring side at Bournville have been uneventful and very handy for trains. Selly Oak moorings are good but some is lost to the S Brum Paddle  club and realistically it’s down to two 57foot plus a squeeze in 30 foot. There seems to be a CM there too?  Unreasonable to then turn back to Bournville. That just leaves The Vale which isn’t brilliant IMHO and you best push on to the green grass of Gas Street. 
 

BTW  there were two or three hire boats on the BCN challenge this year cruising till 22.00 and starting at 4am so this appears to be covered by insurance. I would think it unlikely that a giant hire boat policy would be altered specifically for them but could be wrong. 
 

 

 

Good points. One of those hire boats was skippered by an employee of the hire company and the cruise logs show that none of them cruised into darkness.

 

A feature of the BCN Challenge is that it is as near as almost makes no difference possible to complete the 24 hours in sensible light i.e. within civil twilight times.

 

Commericial skipper policies are strict on conditions for operations after dark and there’s no reason why hire policies should be different. Only the hire company know and it’s unwise for a third party to suggest otherwise to a hirer.

 

Whilst tying up before sunset can be an issue at certain times of year passing a designated visitor mooring after sunset without tying up is surely not advisable as it would make the hirer liable. As has been pointed out the liability is more important than the insurance cover.

Edited July 18 by BCN Challenge

[john6767]

33 minutes ago, Stroudwater1 said:

Great advise at the time Rob . The grass is all so high now that it’s dried out and gone yellow. Can we receive further instructions, as yellow looks yellow till later at night I believe 🤣 

 

Accepting @BCN Challenge expertise and local knowledge our stops on the towpath visitor mooring side at Bournville have been uneventful and very handy for trains. Selly Oak moorings are good but some is lost to the S Brum Paddle  club and realistically it’s down to two 57foot plus a squeeze in 30 foot. There seems to be a CM there too?  Unreasonable to then turn back to Bournville. That just leaves The Vale which isn’t brilliant IMHO and you best push on to the green grass of Gas Street. 
 

BTW  there were two or three hire boats on the BCN challenge this year cruising till 22.00 and starting at 4am so this appears to be covered by insurance. I would think it unlikely that a giant hire boat policy would be altered specifically for them but could be wrong. 
 

 

 

If the OP is hiring and doing the Birmingham mini ring, then they are probably hiring for 4 nights, and whilst there are a good few places he could stop on the way into Birmingham, he will not want to waste one of his 4 nights on the boat doing that and then not stopping in Birmingham and having an even longer day on the second day getting to CdeB.  Try to get off early as you can, ie get to the yard early, get you stuff on the boat as soon as they will let you, and make it known that you are ready for the handover, then as long as it does not get dark on you carry on to the centre of Birmingham where there will be a mooring available, even if it is on the main line and you have to bang pins in.

 

At the time of the BCN Challenge it was light at 4am and dark at 10pm, so that would be fine.

[Stroudwater1]

 

1 hour ago, john6767 said:

If the OP is hiring and doing the Birmingham mini ring, then they are probably hiring for 4 nights, and whilst there are a good few places he could stop on the way into Birmingham, he will not want to waste one of his 4 nights on the boat doing that and then not stopping in Birmingham and having an even longer day on the second day getting to CdeB.  Try to get off early as you can, ie get to the yard early, get you stuff on the boat as soon as they will let you, and make it known that you are ready for the handover, then as long as it does not get dark on you carry on to the centre of Birmingham where there will be a mooring available, even if it is on the main line and you have to bang pins in.

 

At the time of the BCN Challenge it was light at 4am and dark at 10pm, so that would be fine.

 

Totally agree, the point was made a few posts back if for some reason they had to set off late it was suggested they stop at Hopwas. That’s not too wise.

 

A compromise in that situation would be stop  one and a half hours earlier than central Birmingham at 6.45- 7. There’s some reasonable food outlets down the road at Bournville too. If say they left Alvechurch at 4 that’s pretty late into Birmingham for 8.15 when they are novice at tying up and will probably miss most eateries these days. A morning arrival is probably better, albeit 1 1/2 hours longer for the day. 

 

It looks like sunset was 21.15 on the BCN challenge and sunrise 5.00. As stated though it looks like the hirers didn’t set off then. 

It really was dark at 21.45 with no green grass away from streetlights. 

 

 

 

[IanM]

1 hour ago, Stroudwater1 said:

 

 

Totally agree, the point was made a few posts back if for some reason they had to set off late it was suggested they stop at Hopwas.

 

 

 

If they set off late and get to Hopwas on the first evening I would think they were doing unbelievably well!

 

I think you meant Hopwood 😁

 

[Stroudwater1]

4 minutes ago, IanM said:

 

If they set off late and get to Hopwas on the first evening I would think they were doing unbelievably well!

 

I think you meant Hopwood 😁

 

These ABC boats are fast  Ian, but maybe not that fast 🤣 

 

Correct! 

[IanD]

19 minutes ago, IanM said:

 

If they set off late and get to Hopwas on the first evening I would think they were doing unbelievably well!

 

I think you meant Hopwood 😁

 

Using Canalplan default timings possible moorings include Hopwood (1h), King's Norton Junction (not wonderful) 2h20m, Glasshouse Brewery (ditto) 2h40m, Bournville VM (ditto) 2h50m, The Vale (good) 4h, Brum (excellent) 4h30m. It all depends what time they get off and what time they want/need to stop...

 

When I've been hiring boats with plenty of experience, hire bases are happy to get you off first with little instruction and then move on to the newbies who will need more time spent on them, because this keeps the maximum number of people happy -- but does mean a newbie might not get off until 4pm or so, or even later if there's more than one boat in this category. But it all depends on how many boats there are and how many staff, and how diligent they are with educating newbies... 😉 

 

https://canalplan.uk/journey/21332_cp

Edited July 18 by IanD

[nealeST]

How’s the duckweed and algae issue going on the BCN just now? I heard it was multiplying fast….

[Ken X]

28 minutes ago, nealeST said:

How’s the duckweed and algae issue going on the BCN just now? I heard it was multiplying fast….

Don't know about duckweed and algae but the floating Pennywort at Alvechurch is thriving. Saw some at the Shirley lift Bridge as well.

[IanD]

5 hours ago, Ken X said:

Don't know about duckweed and algae but the floating Pennywort at Alvechurch is thriving. Saw some at the Shirley lift Bridge as well.

Floating Pennywort is probably the biggest hazard nowadays because it grows into massive mats really quickly, we've seen some huge ones -- this is actually one of the smaller ones... 😞 

Edited July 18 by IanD

[Francis Herne]

2 hours ago, nealeST said:

How’s the duckweed and algae issue going on the BCN just now? I heard it was multiplying fast….

Not too bad just yet compared to last year.

The only dense patch I'm aware of so far this year is between Pudding Green and Bromford Junction on the New Line. It did seem to be spreading toward Netherton though.

Edited July 18 by Francis Herne

[agg221]

Two points.

 

One, in case this has been misinterpreted, I was not suggesting that a hire boat should be travelling after dark (if you read it carefully I think you will explicitly see that I commented to that effect, although somewhat tongue in cheek in the way that I expressed it). My point was that if I can turn up in central Birmingham at midnight and still find moorings available the OP should not be worried about a risk of turning up much earlier and finding nowhere to moor.

 

Two, in my (fairly considerable) experience as a hirer, you generally get attended to in the order you present yourself at the hire base. Certainly if you turn up slightly early and wait, you are unlikely to get told to hang around for hours while everyone who arrives after you is served first. This generally suits everyone, as a crew which turns up early is more likely to want to get away, whereas a crew which turns up later probably has less intention to do so. Yes, as novices, you would probably get a slightly longer run through but that is an extra 15-20mins, not hours. There is no opportunity to get practical instruction on working a lock from Alvechurch so you are pretty much looking at verbal instruction only, particularly on the workings of the boat, which every hirer will need essentially the same briefing for as it covers what to look for where on a particular boat, and any specific quirks.

 

Alec

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

From OP’s original comment/question it sounds like they’ve made their mind up to go straight in to Brum 👍

I’m sure the folk at Alvechurch will be on the ball and quick to get them going. 
I like the staff I’ve met there.  Nice folk.  And no one likes having to stay after work longer than they need. They’ll turn boats around quick enough. 
 

Will be nice to hear back off OP to know how they got on. There was a similar thread, unless this is the same OP. 

 

[Rob-M]

19 minutes ago, agg221 said:

There is no opportunity to get practical instruction on working a lock from Alvechurch

You used to get accompanied to either Tardebigge top lock or Bittell depending which way you were going.  There was also a model of a lock to demonstrate the workings if heading towards Brum.

[agg221]

1 minute ago, Rob-M said:

You used to get accompanied to either Tardebigge top lock or Bittell depending which way you were going.  There was also a model of a lock to demonstrate the workings if heading towards Brum.

I must admit I was thinking specifically of the OP's intended direction rather than if heading south. Accompanied definitely makes sense to check that people have got the hang of steering but locks - that's a baptism of fire with Farmer's Bridge, Ashted and Camp Hill!

 

Alec

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

1 minute ago, agg221 said:

I must admit I was thinking specifically of the OP's intended direction rather than if heading south. Accompanied definitely makes sense to check that people have got the hang of steering but locks - that's a baptism of fire with Farmer's Bridge, Ashted and Camp Hill!

 

Alec

Yep, good look to them,

and will Catherine de Barnes be award enough?

 

I don’t remember it being very ‘nice’. 

[john6767]

23 minutes ago, Rob-M said:

You used to get accompanied to either Tardebigge top lock or Bittell depending which way you were going.  There was also a model of a lock to demonstrate the workings if heading towards Brum.

We have some friends who hired for the first time earlier this year from ABC in Worcester, plenty of locks available but their training was just on a wooden model, so I would guess that they don’t give anyone any training on an actual lock.  They also did not tell them anything about using the centre line when stopping, it was hilarious, and frankly dangerous, to watch them leaping off the bow and try and pull the boat in with the bow line.

[TheBiscuits]

9 hours ago, BCN Challenge said:

A feature of the BCN Challenge is that it is as near as almost makes no difference possible to complete the 24 hours in sensible light i.e. within civil twilight times.

 

Ooh, I beg to differ.

 

My favourite photo from the 2019 BCN Challenge:

Wednesbury Arm winding hole in the dark on a crap phone camera - I had to show Sue the GPS location tag to get the points!

 

 

Edited July 18 by TheBiscuits
Stupid mobile phone

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

I’ve a vague memory of a pub set back from the  bridge. A family pub, like an hungry horse, but probably not Hungry Horse but of that ilk. 
I didn’t explore. Is Catherine de Barnes a decent place? I may have the wrong idea about it. But it didn’t strike me. 

[john6767]

22 minutes ago, beerbeerbeerbeerbeer said:

Yep, good look to them,

and will Catherine de Barnes be award enough?

 

I don’t remember it being very ‘nice’. 

There is nothing wrong with CdeB, but not much there, one pub and a convenience store mainly.  But is a decent enough spot to stop overnight.

2 minutes ago, beerbeerbeerbeerbeer said:

I’ve a vague memory of a pub set back from the  bridge. A family pub, like an hungry horse, but probably not Hungry Horse but of that ilk. 
I didn’t explore. Is Catherine de Barnes a decent place? I may have the wrong idea about it. But it didn’t strike me. 

The pub is The Boat, predictably enough, I don’t think they would appreciate you comparing it to a hungry horse (do they still exist), they would see themselves a substantially more upmarket than that.

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

3 minutes ago, john6767 said:

There is nothing wrong with CdeB, but not much there, one pub and a convenience store mainly.  But is a decent enough spot to stop overnight.

Yes, that’s about as much as I remember. I think the nice name gave me hopes of something better 😂

 

[agg221]

I think on the second day a lot will depend on how early they get away, how many in the crew and how good a system they get going of setting ahead.

 

Start early, get a good system going with a crew of 3 or more and keep going through lunch, and they could get to Knowle (which is nice).

Start later, smaller crew, a bit of bad luck with a fouled prop, stop for lunch and they will make CdeB (which is OK).

 

Farmer's Bridge and Ashted were definitely OK on the Challenge. The bottom lock at Ashted was a bit of a pain to get a level on coming up but it got there in the end.

 

Alec

[IanD]

56 minutes ago, beerbeerbeerbeerbeer said:

Yes, that’s about as much as I remember. I think the nice name gave me hopes of something better 😂

 

IIRC it's a Lees pub with their standard menu and beer -- OK but nothing special...

Edited July 18 by IanD

[David Mack]

11 hours ago, john6767 said:

 

The pub is The Boat, predictably enough, I don’t think they would appreciate you comparing it to a hungry horse (do they still exist), they would see themselves a substantially more upmarket than that.

The Boat is a 1930s brewer's mock tudor building. It had multiple small room when I was first drinking in the area (mid 70s), with old men in flat caps drinking mild in the public bar. Since then the rooms have all been combined and a big single storey extension built on the back. I haven't been there for 3 or 4 years, but last time I visited it had very much gone up market and gastro, with corresponding prices.

10 hours ago, IanD said:

IIRC it's a Lees pub with their standard menu and beer -- OK but nothing special...

Hidden away at the bottom of the website Ts and Cs is the information that it is owned by a subsidiary of Greene King.

Menus are available here.

 

 

11 hours ago, beerbeerbeerbeerbeer said:

Is Catherine de Barnes a decent place? I may have the wrong idea about it. But it didn’t strike me. 

C de B is fine. And closer to a pub than mooring at Knowle. Next canalside pub is The Kings Arms/Cat in the Window/Canaletto/Herons Nest or whatever its called this year, below Knowle Locks, then the Black Boy, just beyond that.

[Midnight]

A couple of weeks ago we cruised up Perry Barr locks around the Curly into the BCLM then into the city centre and back through Netherton tunnel down to the S&W. The canals were extremely quiet even the centre was virtually empty with a choice of moorings. Weed was not much of a problem just he odd touch of reverse required. 

[IanM]

Whilst it's all great to be talking about moorings in Birmingham and the surrounding area, I did notice that the OP has not been back to check on any answers to his question yet!

 

@RobertT has the last two pages answered the concerns you have?