Locked Gate

quiet countryside 

working wharf

When Lottie woke me up it was a bright warm morning. I took her out to do her toilet letting the Captain have another hour in bed.

Ogley Junction

Once up the Captain was swift to move off as hot weather had been predicted. We passed quite a few boats but saw none going in our direction. The canal seemed quieter than we remembered apart from the busy Streethay Wharf with the road running alongside. There was lots of space at the moorings, fortunately the breeze prevented us from stifling.

carry me

The tow path was quiet but a man walked a long way with a child on his shoulders.

Coventry Canal meets the Birmingham and Fazeley.

At Ogley junction we passed the unnavigable Lichfield and Hatherton Canal which is undergoing restoration which at this end is used for mooring.

For the first time I spotted a modest stone showing the point where the Coventry Canal became the Birmingham and Fazeley canal

The only noticeable difference between the canals is that the bridges have names instead of numbers and the bridges have arched windows with wooden shutters  in them.

window in bridge

I had often wondered what the windows were for but the Captain noticed stop planks stored in the rectangular cavity beyond an open window.

floral mooring

Peel wharf

Straight ahead for Birmingham

Drayton Manor footbridge

After the redeveloped Peel Wharf we turned towards Birmingham and moored within sight of the junction. We stayed there until the shade from the overhanging trees vanished.

The afternoon was hot and cloudless as we moved off. The Captain stopped for water at Bodymore Heath Bridge so I took a shower while he was filling as I use a lot of water when washing my hair.

He was coiling his hose when a couple with a child in a push chair approached anxiously. They had ignored the private parking sign and parked to go for a walk. When they returned they found the gate locked and didn’t know what to do. He explained that we were just passing through and that his water key might not work on a private car park. However it was an old BW padlock which yielded to his BW key. The family were delighted to be released. Hopefully they won’t park in a private car park again.

emptying the bottom lock

We were the only boat moving beyond Drayton Manor footbridge. Most people were moored and sat in the shade or at a pub.

nearing the top

This made cruising and locking easier but all the Curdsworth locks (bar one} were against us. It would have been lovely if a boat had met us and set them all for us.


Today we had to turn them all round getting hotter and hotter. Lottie kept her cool by bathing in the by washes that ran alongside each lock.

long pound between locks

Wisely the Captain moored in the shade even though it had cooled down. Three quarters of an hour later a boat moored behind us. We had not been alone but they had been at least three locks behind us, hidden from our sight.

The top lock - at last