Canal Cruising

                                         Another stroll through the Christmas Market Birmingham 2   The city of Birmingham, or of Brum as it is often called, is under siege by construction workers. Every where you walk or look there is scaffolding, cranes, streets closed and dug up, workers in bright yellow vests and lots of noise.   On one hand, such economic growth and a city’s investment, shows a healthy and invigorated city, but on the other hand, it makes for some difficult sightseeing.                                                           Wouldn't want this job! Birmingham suffered immensely during the German Blitz in 1940-1943. Over 2,000 people lost their lives. Many of their buildings were destroyed or badly dama...

                                                      Birmingham Canal Graffiti...We all float BIRMINGHAM   I know that I have rambled on and on about the locks on the canal. They are both a fascination and sometimes even a challenge for us.   But what a simple and ingenious system!   To think that miles of canal were constructed 300 years ago and chiseled out by picks, axes and shovels amazes us each day.   Most of our time has been a breathtaking journey through farmlands and small villages. Today we ventured into the bowels of Birmingham.                                                                   Entering the city limits We left at 8 am once again trying to b...

                                                      Tight squeeze through the tunnel ERDINGTON   We were trying to beat the rain yesterday, so left at 8:00 am. We went through 4 locks and journeyed past the Middleton Lakes Nature Reserve. There were no other boats moving on our stretch of the canal today. We stopped early, and we were thankful that we were snug and warm when the expected storm arrived with a vengeance. It was Thanksgiving so we had allowed ourselves some resting time before venturing out during a lull in the rain. Walked up to a pub called The Dog and Doublet (which I believe is a piece of a Knight’s clothing that is worn under his armor). It was set in a beautiful old brick building, and you could tell this was a local hangout. The bartender seemed to know everyone. The typical English pub reminds us of the old Murphys Hote...

  FAZELEY   JUNCTION   Woke up early to rain. Decided to wait it out. Finally continued our journey around 9:30 this morning. The sun soon greeted us as we glided down the canal. Only had two locks to navigate today. I am feeling much more comfortable with operating them, but there is one thing that can freak me out a bit. After opening the paddle on one side of a double gated lock, you need to walk across a twelve-inch plank to the other side. The deep lock is filling up with rushing water, and it can be a little unnerving looking down. There are handrails but they are sometimes quite low so reaching out to them before stepping on the plank, can make my heart race. I am not a fan of heights.                                                          Massive gates on the lock               ...