Canal Tour '98 The "Grey Wagtail Experience"

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A Smelly Start

Windmill End to The Black Country Museum

Wed 26th

Up this morning in time for a cold, wet and windy start at 7:35. Backed the boat up a couple of hundred yards to try the Bumblehole Branch. Very slow progress - most of the time we were skimming the mud so steering was quite difficult. You could smell the industrial archeology as the bottom was stirred up. Winding at the end of the branch took ages due to the presence of a fisherman at a crucial and strategic point on the towpath - at least we didn't hit any of the moored boats and the fisherman's keep net remained intact! He seemed too bemused to be upset by our presence, helpfully mentioning that we needn't have come all the way up the branch just to turn the boat round. When I apologised for the intrusion and explained that we were only there for the sake of it his expression was a picture - these people must be serious nutters, just smile and they'll go away! We didn't attempt the short Boshboil Branch as it was too windy (and windswept) to be sure of being able to reverse back out without hitting the boats moored there.

Back up to Windmill Junction to turn right onto the Dudley No. 2 Canal as far as Hawne Basin and back. This was a fascinating trip. Lovers of industrial archeology and the history of the waterways can't fail to find much of interest along this canal. Especially exciting were Gosty Hill Tunnel (parts of it could take a double-decker narrowboat with room to spare whereas the other bits are so low that the steerer has to crouch down) and the fortress-like remains of the old tube works at the tunnel's far end.

Returning to the No. 1 Canal we turned right and had an uneventful passage through Netherton Tunnel. Reaching the New Main Line of the BCN we turned left and made good progress to Factory Locks at Tipton Green where we encountered another group of teenage lads looking for something to do with their time. This lot were older and considerably more "streetwise" than the mild mannered kids that helped us up Delph Flight. We've always found that the best way to deal with youths like this is to be friendly and to treat them with human respect - never be "snotty" or dismissive. They're invariably fairly boisterous and invariably want to ride on the boat but, fortunately for us we always have a big enough crew to ensure they never go inside (we always draw the line at that) so this doesn't cause a problem - in fact once I'd shouted at them and explained fairly graphically why they should keep there limbs within the confines of the boat whilst in the lock their demeanour changed significantly for the better. Left at Factory Junction and down to the Black Country Museum, arriving at about 2pm. We moored up on the museum side of the canal and went to register our presence, pay our entrance fees and have a (superb) pint of Holden's at the Bottle and Glass pub in the museum. Jim and Lesley went back to the boat to make an early start on the dinner preparations whilst the rest of us saw out the remains of the afternoon in the museum - well worth the visit, five of us also doing the trip on the Dudley Canals Trust boat into the tunnel and caverns. This was a fascinating trip and the son et lumiere gave us a good feel for the history of the mines and the lives of the miners - I even got to leg the boat out for the last few yards of the tunnel. After being politely kicked out of the museum at closing time we watered the boat and then moved it to the opposite side of the canal for the night.

Mooring on the museum side is just for watering or for museum visitors but, provided they know about your presence, they are happy for boats to stay there overnight. If, however, you want to leave the complex on foot you will need to moor on the other side. These are excellent, secure and quiet overnight moorings by the way - you will need a BW key to get in and out of the site.

Once preparations for dinner were complete we repaired to The Little Pie Factory for preprandial snifters. We'd not been there long before Dave, the barman from the Bottle and Glass, turned up. It transpired that Terri had jokingly (but, unfortunately, convincingly) invited him to dinner. He had called at the boat to find just Pam on board (asleep) and she had sent him on to the pub. We did, in fact, then invite him for dinner but I think the poor chap was quite embarrassed so left after having a couple of drinks with us. This was our third (and last) Little Pub Company hostelry on our trip and was just as fascinating and individually quirky as the other two. The number of reserved tables and the volume of custom arriving as we left indicates that this is a popular local venue for an evening meal - if you want to eat there book first or arrive very early.

Another lovely dinner and again to bed.

Tue

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