Black Country RinghI

[_Sam_]

Hi Everyone

 

We are hoping to hire a canal boat for the first week in August and do part/all of the Black Country Ring. As we will have our children with us (girl 10 & boy 12) we would at the same time like to go to the Black Country Museum and another other suitable place.

 

So, I am seeking some advice on route, timescales, what to see and do etc

 

Look forward to your replies.

 

Many thanks

 

Sam

[magpie patrick]

Which ring do you mean?

 

If you mean BCN, Birmingham and Fazeley, Coventry to Fradley, Trent and Mersey to Great Haywood and Stiffs and Worse back to the BCN at Wolverhampton, then Shugborough Park is a good half day to day out.

[muddywaters]

Which ring do you mean?

 

If you mean BCN, Birmingham and Fazeley, Coventry to Fradley, Trent and Mersey to Great Haywood and Stiffs and Worse back to the BCN at Wolverhampton, then Shugborough Park is a good half day to day out.

Can't speak for the OP but that is the route we are planning in October and was going to add a simular thread later in the year but might as well combine it with this one now if the OP does not mind, as I do have a few questions

[_Sam_]

Can't speak for the OP but that is the route we are planning in October and was going to add a simular thread later in the year but might as well combine it with this one now if the OP does not mind, as I do have a few questions

 

Muddywaters of course I don't mind - post away

[pearley]

You should try to deviate from the BCN mainline by going via the W & E if you have time. These are underused waterways though the Walsall Canal might be pushing it a bit the art gallery at Walsall is always worth a visit.

[muddywaters]

You should try to deviate from the BCN mainline by going via the W & E if you have time. These are underused waterways though the Walsall Canal might be pushing it a bit the art gallery at Walsall is always worth a visit.

Would love to do that but we need to moor somewhere near the sealife centre at some point as we plan on meeting up with some facebook and myspace friends and that is the easiest place for them all to get to when we are in Birmingham.

But what we are planning to be slightly different from the last time we where in Birmingham is.

We went on the new mainline last time so this year intend taking the old mainline

[pearley]

If you want shops near the Sea Life Centre there is a huge Tesco at the far end of Broad Street. Alternatively, if going by Old Main Line equally large Sainsburys at Oldbury. Moor opposite the garden centre on the bollards.

 

Regards

Pete

[muddywaters]

Right my first question.

How busy is Fradley Junction likely to be the first week in October ?

As we are starting from Great Haywood Saturday afternoon we will be going through Fradley Junction some time Sunday.

Have heard some horror storys about how busy it can get especially at the locks, so do we need to expect ques in October ?

What our plan is, will be to get as far down the T&M as we can Saturday in order to get through Fradley Junction as early as we can, are we right to think like this in October ? and are the horror storys about delays true ?

[Doug_]

I wouldn't think early October would be a problem. You only have to negotiate three locks (Wood End, Shadehouse and Middle locks) into Fradley, then turn right onto the Coventry Canal. It is only 250 yards from the Middle lock to the turn into the Coventry, this will be the busiest section.

 

Doug

[Laurie Booth]

The Black Country Museum

 

[skpt]

my wife is a Netherton girl and well remembers Doo's the chemist. She was very happy to see your post of the museum. Thank you.

[Laurie Booth]

my wife is a Netherton girl and well remembers Doo's the chemist. She was very happy to see your post of the museum. Thank you.

Glad you liked it. My first job was working in a chemist.

[nickfryer]

Hi all. Re the black country ring, Any areas not to moor at overnight on the BCN, we prefer nice quite stops in the middle of knowhere.

 

Nick

[stort_mark]

Hi all. Re the black country ring, Any areas not to moor at overnight on the BCN, we prefer nice quite stops in the middle of knowhere.

 

Nick

 

Sadly most of the stretch of the W&E through Wolverhampton until you get to Pelsall Common.

[pearley]

Sadly most of the stretch of the W&E through Wolverhampton until you get to Pelsall Common.

Not so, there is the stub end of the Bentley Canal at Bentley Retail Park, Sneyd Junction, Walsall Top Lock and a BW mooring just before Sneyd whose name escapes me at present.

[stort_mark]

Not so, there is the stub end of the Bentley Canal at Bentley Retail Park, Sneyd Junction, Walsall Top Lock and a BW mooring just before Sneyd whose name escapes me at present.

 

True about Sneyd..had forgotten that. But wouldn't dream of mooring up overnight at Bentley retail park. Others.....still wouldn't moor there, although I would consider the grass stretch before Sneyd if other boats there.

[pearley]

Moored at Bentley a couple of times with no problems. Mooring at Walsall Top LOck is on offside behind lockable gate. The one whose name I can't recall is also behind gate and fence though I've never stopped there as Sneyd is just around the corner. I should also have mentioned Walsall Town Arm where we've moored on numerous occasions with no trouble.

[muddywaters]

Just handed a wad of money over to Anglo Welsh, well sent them a cheque anyway.

To pay the balance of the holiday so guess that means it's getting close.

Well have 3 weeks to pay it by but better early than late lol.

Oh and another question regards the Black Country Ring.

Whats best clockwise or anti clockwise ?

Our plan is to go round clockwise but thinking about it would we be better going anti clockwise so as to avoid doing Fradley Junction on a Sunday ?

[OldGoat]

If you want shops near the Sea Life Centre there is a huge Tesco at the far end of Broad Street. Alternatively, if going by Old Main Line equally large Sainsburys at Oldbury. Moor opposite the garden centre on the bollards.

 

Regards

Pete

 

 

The Tesco is a fair distance for Gas Street, and the locals think it's rubbish.

If you must shop in the centre, then there are several reasonable "local" sainsbury's and Tescos down towards the Bull RIng.

 

Garden centre??? - stretching it a bit. Acquatic centre, yes; took us ages to find it, I was ooking for plants.

Nicer it is, to moor on the othewr side of the bridge where ther are loads of rings and walk forwards to the next bridge, turn right and the entrance is 200x away. Avoids all those nasty, smelly veh-icles.

[Midnight Rider]

Our plan is to go round clockwise but thinking about it would we be better going anti clockwise so as to avoid doing Fradley Junction on a Sunday ?

You can never tell with Fradley. We have gone through on a Bank Holiday with no hold ups, other times, queues for no particular reason.

 

Hardly any boats going through mid morning today, but I suppose all the buggers are at the National!

[muddywaters]

Original plan it is then, as far down the T&M as possible on the Saturday followed by an early start Sunday to get through Fradley Junction ASAP Sunday morning.

Funny thing is although I've heard a few horror story's about delays at Fradley I am actually looking forward to going through it, as I have also heard it is one of the moor interesting junctions on the system.

Next question is, where is the best safest as we will be entering urban areas by then, place to moor for an early start on the Aston flight.

Having said that the Pearson's guide I have ATM (going to buy a new one when we pick the boat up as it's getting tatty) which was bought for when we did the StourPort Ring way back in 2006 lol, there is a visitor mooring on the Aston flight between locks 8 & 9.

Is this mooring actually there and is it safe to moor on it if it is ?

If not where is the best nearest mooring for an early start on the Aston flight

[Laurence Hogg]

Sadly most of the stretch of the W&E through Wolverhampton until you get to Pelsall Common.

You obviously dont know the canal. Theres a nice mooring at Bentley Bridge Wednesfield with pub, cinema and shops, then if you carry on to Lane head Willenhall you have two pubs and a shop. A quiet overnight stop can ten be had on Bentley common, after then you can either carry on and stop at Pelsall common or carry on to Brownhills (services and shops) or if it is open spend a night in isolation at Anglesey. Very Little of the Wyrley is in Wolverhampton.

 

Original plan it is then, as far down the T&M as possible on the Saturday followed by an early start Sunday to get through Fradley Junction ASAP Sunday morning.

Funny thing is although I've heard a few horror story's about delays at Fradley I am actually looking forward to going through it, as I have also heard it is one of the moor interesting junctions on the system.

Next question is, where is the best safest as we will be entering urban areas by then, place to moor for an early start on the Aston flight.

Having said that the Pearson's guide I have ATM (going to buy a new one when we pick the boat up as it's getting tatty) which was bought for when we did the StourPort Ring way back in 2006 lol, there is a visitor mooring on the Aston flight between locks 8 & 9.

Is this mooring actually there and is it safe to moor on it if it is ?

If not where is the best nearest mooring for an early start on the Aston flight

Either Curdworth or Cuckoo wharf.

Edited July 31, 2011 by Laurence Hogg

[Midnight Rider]

That's a good old haul --- Fradley to Aston in a day --- then again I'm a 5 hours a day man.

 

I would suggest that most boaters moor around Curdworth & go into Brum from there, but I understand that there are secure moorings at Cuckoo Wharf, Aston.

 

Having said that, a timeshare boat left their boat unattended at Cuckoo Wharf recently & had several windows put in.

[muddywaters]

That's a good old haul --- Fradley to Aston in a day --- then again I'm a 5 hours a day man.

 

I would suggest that most boaters moor around Curdworth & go into Brum from there, but I understand that there are secure moorings at Cuckoo Wharf, Aston.

 

Having said that, a timeshare boat left their boat unattended at Cuckoo Wharf recently & had several windows put in.

Even we are not mad enough to try Fradley to Aston in one day lol.

My fault should have said for when we eventually get that far.

[adam1uk]

Next question is, where is the best safest as we will be entering urban areas by then, place to moor for an early start on the Aston flight.

Having said that the Pearson's guide I have ATM (going to buy a new one when we pick the boat up as it's getting tatty) which was bought for when we did the StourPort Ring way back in 2006 lol, there is a visitor mooring on the Aston flight between locks 8 & 9.

Is this mooring actually there and is it safe to moor on it if it is ?

If not where is the best nearest mooring for an early start on the Aston flight

 

The closest I'd moor is just before Wigginshill Road Bridge. An Italian restaurant has just opened in a building which had been a pub, but which had been closed for a while. There's a stretch of piling, complete with rings IIRC, and there'll almost certainly be a few other boats there. The road alongside seems quite busy during the day, but we had a nice quiet night there, and there are fields opposite so it feels quite rural. We stopped there on our trip in June (when we were going the other way), and we'd come out of Birmingham the long way round, using the Tame Valley Canal (blog post for the day here), so you'll easily get into the centre of Brum going the more direct route.