We drove up from Cornwall yesterday, leaving at 1 o'clock after having supported the Memory Friendly service at the Betjeman Centre. As we had a couple of people to collect and return home afterwards, we could not load the car until after that, but with everything all piled in boxes by the front door it took very little time.
We had a good run with no real hold ups and reached the final roundabout before Sherborne Street in 3 hours 50 minutes only to be faced with a no entry restriction (it had been the Birmingham Half Marathon earlier in the day) and our GPS took a while to find an alternative route that did not included taking us back to the same blocked road. We encountered another closure for road works but, as we could see plenty of recognisable landmarks, we eventually passed the Fiddle and Bone (Sherborne Wharf's new home) and so that we knew we were only a couple of minutes away from the moorings!
Andrew had arrived much earlier and was already unloaded - ours did not take very long and we packed all the stores wherever we could find room!
Instead of our customary practice of bringing a prepared meal with us, we had already booked to go to the tapas restaurant which we visited at the end of the last trip. It was not busy but the staff were pleasant and attentive. The food was qthe same excellent standard as the first time and we enjoyed the variety of different items. Mike wanted to order ten (usually 3 per person) but Chritine insisted on only nine but did allow some bread and olives for starters!
As we are heading, eventually, back to Packet Boat, we opted to do our car shuffle today and Mike had book his train ticket back several weeks ago - £6.60 on Advance purchase! Although there were some slow patches just south of Birmingham, they seemed to have been factored in to the estimated time and, we just a short comfprt stop at Oxford Services, Mike arrived at the marina by 10 o'clock. He had been instructed to collect a car sticker from the office and after duly fixing it to the windscreen he set off to walk to the station.
In fact he was early enough to catch a slightly earlier train which gave just a little more flexibility in the trip via the Underground from Paddington to Euston.
The train from there to Birmingham was efficient and on time so that therew as no hassle in catching the last train to Alvechurch.
Christine and Andrew, meanwhile, were bringing the boat down. They stopped opposite the Mailbox to fill the water tank but discovered it was a very slow tap. In the end they did not have quite enough patience to fill it completely but we should be OK until first thing tomorrow, or even tonight, at Tardebigge.
They passed under the appropriately named Broad Street, through Gas Street Basin and then Worcester Bar.
A few boats were on the move - here as they approached Kings Norton Junction.
The trees are rapidly turning to the autumnal reds and oranges - further ahead than we had seen back home in Cornwall.
Wast Hill Tunnel is today's longest.
Their route followed the same lock-free course as the railway line for much of the way and they were just pulling in to the bank at Alvechurch as Mike came over the bridge and waved to them. `
Despite his pleas for them not to stop but pick him up at the bridge, they insisted on putting in the pins so that they could have lunch with the soup that Christine had made during the morning run. Mike could not resist even though he had had a 'small sandwich' on the train out of London!
We set off once more passing through the Shortwood Tunnel before we stopped briefly at Anglo Welsh by Bridge 57 to fill up with diesel. By some magic, it seems that we perhaps had quite a good deal!
We saw a heron on the stern fender of one moored boat and a little later a kingfisher - the latter was too fast for a decent picture however.
Finally just out of Tardebigge Tunnel we looked for the Visitor Mooring at the top lock and were pleasantly surprised to find only one other boat there so we had a choice of places!
Christine and Mike walked across a field to take a look at the church on the top of the hill. The tall, incredibly slender, steeple dominates the landscape for some distance. There are only a few houses immediately around the church but a first school, still in use, is nearby.
The New Wharf shows signs of once being a busy place - the large Plymouth Arms was probably once an important stopping place on what was once a main road, now bypassed.
Several cottages and other buildings are now listed and an almost derelict warehouse has now been converted to a home.
On display is the hull of a former steam tug boat that was built to pull horse drawn boats through the three tunnels into Birmingham.
14.5 Miles - 0 Locks
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