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Yet More Birmingham Advice, Please! Overnight stop somewhere near Ryder's Green Locks?

alan_fincher

By alan_fincher
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alan_fincher Veteran II

alan_fincher

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If you are on form, Ryders Green is five minutes lock entrance to lock entrance

 

Richard

 

Well we decided to just run right through in the end, thinking that the centre of Birmingham seemed a lot more interesting than anything at either end of the Ryders Green locks.

 

9.5 hours Anglesey to Gas Street, beating CanalPlanAC tailored to our settings by a full 2 hours, despite the time spent dredging bits of the Daw End Branch, and refilling a pound at Rushall.

 

We reckoned that ain't bad!

 

Oh, and although I haven't dipped it yet to see how close we got, we didn't run out of fuel.

 

Cath is completely confused whether the Tawny Owl she passed on the way in was the real "Death Boat" or not, though. She yelled enthusiastically at those on board, but got very puzzled looks back. Have you lent her to someone Richard, (or any chance she has been stolen?.....)

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Richard T Experienced

Richard TDonate to Canal World

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If you are on form, Ryders Green is five minutes lock entrance to lock entrance

 

Richard

Thats a bit slow - 32mins for the flight in the challenge one year with Auriga (Star class) and a really slick crew!! Steve Jackson (of josher Camel) on the helm, Ed Mortimer plus 4 of us working the locks. We slowed down a bit at the bottom on account of the long pound to Walsall being 6ins down so every bridge hole was an experience!!

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ditchcrawler Veteran II

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On that subject, there is a "diesel man in a van" who operates (or operated, at least) around the Coventry canal, Fradley to Fazeley area. By road, Brownhills where you are, is not that far and perhaps he could be persuaded though no idea of the price and have never used him.

 

This website http://diesel.fibrefactory.co.uk/#birmingham mentions him, might be worth a call.

He is on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Narrowboatdiesel

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alan_fincher Veteran II

alan_fincher

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If you are on form, Ryders Green is five minutes lock entrance to lock entrance

 

Richard

 

 

Thats a bit slow - 32mins for the flight in the challenge one year with Auriga (Star class) and a really slick crew!! Steve Jackson (of josher Camel) on the helm, Ed Mortimer plus 4 of us working the locks. We slowed down a bit at the bottom on account of the long pound to Walsall being 6ins down so every bridge hole was an experience!!

 

We were coming uphill, but surely it is possible to be faster downhill than up?

 

Those locks certainly seem to empty significantly faster than they will fill.

 

If you consider a lock flighr like Atherstone with a slick crew, and no hold ups, it must be possible to achieve a much faster time overall downhill than you ever could travelling uphill, for example.

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Tacet Rising Star

Tacet

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We were coming uphill, but surely it is possible to be faster downhill than up?

 

Those locks certainly seem to empty significantly faster than they will fill.

 

If you consider a lock flighr like Atherstone with a slick crew, and no hold ups, it must be possible to achieve a much faster time overall downhill than you ever could travelling uphill, for example.

That must often be the case - even if you are prepared to draw the paddles with impunity. It must depend on the size and shape of the culverts and paddle openings. Where there are both ground and gate paddles for filling, it could be a close run thing but (in the main) despite their exciting effects, top gate paddles do not start with such great pressure as ground or bottom gate paddles. Also the force required to overcome the last few inches of difference in water levels will often be less at the tail, where commonly there are two gates as opposed to one at the upper end on a narrow lock; depends on balance beam length too; this assists the descent.

 

Going down the Wolverhampton 21 can be done in no more than 1 hour 22 - or just less than 4 minutes per lock, but how much slower would it be coming up? Canalplan measures the distance as about 1 3/4 miles, which must mean that close to half the time is expended just travelling the distance even at a steady, say, 3mph; in practice it must be rather more particularly if you have a lengthy boat which needs to be slowed well before the back end is past the gates.

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nicknorman Veteran II

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Surely the disparity between filling and emptying times is mostly due to the lock design - AIUI what are now slow filling locks were typically designed with modest sized ground paddles, supplemented with gate paddles to make up the flow without the pull. Due to the ability to cock up when using old fashioned gate paddles (without the modern baffle plates), or more likely due to the extra gate build costs, most of these gate paddles have disappeared, resulting in locks that are much slower to fill than to empty.

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Philip Rising Star

Philip

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Not strictly on topic but if you happen to be using the old main line during this trip then I wouldn't moor overnight anywhere between Smethwick and Oldbury, although you can pay the boatyard owner at the aquatics centre for a very secure (locked gate and alarm) mooring there on the pontoon. There was plenty of space. Don't think I'd stop overnight in Tipton either...

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RLWP Veteran II

RLWP

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Not strictly on topic but if you happen to be using the old main line during this trip then I wouldn't moor overnight anywhere between Smethwick and Oldbury, although you can pay the boatyard owner at the aquatics centre for a very secure (locked gate and alarm) mooring there on the pontoon. There was plenty of space. Don't think I'd stop overnight in Tipton either...

 

Valencia Wharf

 

Richard

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  • 4 weeks later...
RLWP Veteran II

RLWP

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What's wrong with Tipton?

 

It's an acquired taste for the educated palate, Laurie

 

wink.png

 

Richard

So far so good, I'm going to post something on cruise diaries later. Currently watering at a rather posh facility in Brownhills en route to Anglesey basin. H removed !

 

If you hang around until the evening, that facility becomes overrun with canoes

 

Richard

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JamesWoolcock Proficient

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What's wrong with Tipton?

Not a lot. An experience I recommend.

 

Tie up on the Neptune Centre moorings, on the off side between Factory Junction and Owen Street Bridge, private but I understand available overnight and very safe. You are a few yards from the famous Fountain Inn and the town has a decent Co-op and another general store and PO too. But do try The Noah's Ark in Wood Street, third turning past The Fountain. A modernised Banks's pub, Caggy Stevens's old local and most of the photos on the walls are probably not to seen elsewhere. And lovely people too.

 

And when you walk over Owen Street Bridge, you will recall that most printed of canal photos as displayed by so many pub chains (usually with a false title), of a man with his Shroppie horse boat and his family sitting by the the same towpath wall, with it's domed copings to ease the towing lines over. And the cottage on the bend is still there too. Magic for me.

 

Right now there are about twenty boats here, half historic ex-working boats, and many more boats of all sorts to come tomorrow for the annual Tipton Cut Weekend. If you are around, come and pay us all a call.

 

James

Edited by JamesWoolcock
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HappyBunny Collaborator

HappyBunny

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Hmm thanks for that link .... he seems very reasonably priced

 

What's wrong with Tipton?

 

Tipton is great ... I'm tied up here as we speak, ready to trade at the canal festival. The town has useful shops and the pub is lovely .... there is also a beer festival here this weekend

 

 

Many people told me not to risk going through Birmingham ever .... bandit country, they said, you won't come out alive .... but I have really enjoyed every minute of my cruising on the BCN ... it is marvelous ... all the contrasts, the remote feel, wild nature reserves and the industrial heritage .... and Birmingham city centre ... amazing .... and have been helped with locks by local people throughout, shutting gates for me etc.

 

And crystal clear water on the curly wyrely .... massive fish ..... Anglesey basin is definitely in my Top Five places to moor.

 

and despite what people say, I have only had to go down the weed hatch once smile.png

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IanM Experienced

IanM

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Many people told me not to risk going through Birmingham ever .... bandit country, they said, you won't come out alive .... but I have really enjoyed every minute of my cruising on the BCN ... it is marvelous ... all the contrasts, the remote feel, wild nature reserves and the industrial heritage .... and Birmingham city centre ... amazing .... and have been helped with locks by local people throughout, shutting gates for me etc.

 

And crystal clear water on the curly wyrely .... massive fish ..... Anglesey basin is definitely in my Top Five places to moor.

 

and despite what people say, I have only had to go down the weed hatch once smile.png

 

Only bits of the BCN I've not done (98% sure anyway) is the Cannock Extension and half the Engine Arm (don't ask!) and we've not had a single issue with 'bandits' :)

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RLWP Veteran II

RLWP

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Only bits of the BCN I've not done (98% sure anyway) is the Cannock Extension and half the Engine Arm (don't ask!) and we've not had a single issue with 'bandits' smile.png

 

You don't get away that easy - half the Engine arm?

 

Richard

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IanM Experienced

IanM

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The engine arm seems to be our nemesis. Every time we planned to do it either there was a problem with the boat, didn't have enough time, too dark, etc. The half bit was when we did go down it we found it was blocked off half way down so had to back out!

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