The leaving of Birmingham.

Today we shook the dust of the Black Country from our shoes and headed off. At 0615 we were at the top off Farmers Bridge locks a.k.a. The Old Thirteen and ready to go.

Note position of bollard in relation to the balance beam, note also what happens when you turn round from the beam and try to walk away.

As you go down the locks the side ponds make a peninsular of the offside lock wall and go in under the new building.

One of the locks is in a short tunnel under a new building. Note graffiti, prolific on the B.C.N. but of poor quality.

Having negotiated the Old Thirteen we arrived at the top of the Aston Flight but we didn't go that way today, instead we turned right

and headed down the Digbeth Branch to Ashted locks and tunnel, which appears to be inhabited by a hairy gnome like creature.

At Typhoo Basin we turned left and went through Warwick Bar out onto the waters of the Grand Union Canal

and at Bordesley Junction the first of Camp Hill locks loomed ahead, but these are G.U. locks with double bottom gates, much easier than the single gates of B.C.N. locks which tend to be a tad heavy.

Only two more locks to go, note stationary traffic.

Birmingham is left behind, Camp Hill top lock is in the distance behind us.

We met intrepid explorers at Ackers.

We passed through the verdant environs of Solihull.

Shortly after we moored at Catherine de Barnes, I don't know who she was but I was pleased to see her. We had worked through twenty five locks in four and a quarter hours and then cruised for just over two hours so we rewarded ourselves with lunch in The Boat Inn, very welcome.