Hopwood to Birmingham City Centre

Movement at last.

We are free to move as we wish now the stoppages have cleared. Yet another dull and grey morning but at least it is dry. We set off at 0930hrs towards the bright lights of Birmingham. It was quite cold and as we went through Wast Hill tunnel I started to feel the cold, by the time we had passed through some 50 minutes later I was properly cold and wet. I have never known so much water leaking through the roof of that tunnel before. I ran down the boat and put on a few more layers and returned to the helm looking even more like the Michelin man than I normally do. As expected for this time of year, we did not see any other boats moving all day with the exception of one CRT workboat that was rushing to get back in time for lunch.

We moored up in the city centre at the usual spot close to the sea life centre. The moorings were completely empty. Birmingham never gets full, not even in the peak season. I think there is the fear factor of mooring in the centre of any big city but we have only ever found it to be a nice and quiet mooring with loads to see and do within easy walking distance. A few days are plenty though, I do not like it here over weekends though as it can get a bit busy and noisy at night-time when the clubs and pubs empty. We have never encountered any trouble just people talking and laughing louder than one would like late at night. Let’s get this in some sort of perspective though – I do not like towns and I have a positive dislike for any city but they do have their uses and Birmingham is in the centre of the canal network.

We all went for a walk into the town, just an amble for the sake of a walk.  We managed to walk round the shops without buying anything at all. Didn’t we do well.

The view from the boat - Birmingham Canals at Night