We are now on the move again after 3 very pleasant if a bit chilly days in Birmingham. After catching a train from New Street Station to visit Cadbury World on Friday, we met up with our friends Pete & Jenny Copeland who picked us up on Saturday morning to attend the Western Front Association’s AGM & Conference, which despite the title was most enjoyable.

Yesterday (Sunday), after a Tesco experience (oh dear!), we walked all the way down to the National Trust’s Back to Backs – a restoration of the last Court and Back to Back houses left in the City. It was well worth the walk to get there as they are a fascinating snapshot of a world that has long gone and made a pleasant change from the usual National Trust fare of stately homes and castles.

We will now head directly to Llangollen, cruising every day (except perhaps for a 2 night stay in Stone). Accordingly we headed off this morning in bright sunshine, but with a very cold wind, along the New Main Line to Tipton and the moorings at the Black Country Living Museum.



Derelict factories awaiting redevelopment

There are a number of different ways to get to our destination depending whether or not you want to try some of the more esoteric diversions (Old Main Line, Spon Lane Locks, Brades Branch or just to loop the loops of Brindley’s old line of the canal where they cut across Telford’s later and much more direct new line.

A rare working factory near Smethwick Junction

We opted for simplicity and just headed along the New Main Line disdaining the two remaining loops and the older line branching off at Smethwick Junction and following Telford’s brash, brave deep and wide new line. This carves through the landscape through cuttings and embankments and in broad straight lines much like the later railway that follows it so closely from Monument Lane to Tipton.

Pockets of the industry commonly associated with the BCN appears from time to time, but it fast retreating from the onslaught of demolition, retail parks, houses etc. Does this country actually make anything anymore?

 

 

Smethwick Junction

The M6 cossing

At Spon Lane the Old Main Line crosses over on a sturdy two-arched aqueduct, but the pleasing simplicity of its lines are totally overwhelmed by the huge pylon like legs that rise out of the centre of the channel and divide to support the M6 that towers above the canal.

In addition to the various branches that open up on either side (Spon Lane Locks and the link to the Walsall Canal form two of these) there are any number of roving bridges that take the towpath over the entrance to long lost colliery and factory branches or to former loading basins. Perusing a turn of the C20th Ordnance Survey map of the area reveals a multiplicity of arms and branches, many of which have vanished leaving no trace at all.

Beyond Pudding Green Junction where the link to the Walsall Canal bears off along Brindley’s original line to the Wednesbury coalfields, and through a skew railway bridge, the New Main Line stretches out in front of you in a dead straight line. Apart from negotiating the four narrows since leaving central Birmingham (the islands thus formed used to have brick built toll houses on them) there is little to do except set the steering to automatic pilot and turn the mind over to pondering life’s great imponderable questions – like will Peterborough United manage to get the result they need next Saturday to stay in the Championship?).

Junctions come and junctions go – Albion Junction where the Brades Branch bears off up 3 locks (including the BCN’s only staircase) to join the Old Main Line, and Dudley Port Junction where there is a link to the Dudley Canal through the high wide and handsome Netherton Tunnel (with the Old Main Line passing over on Tividale Aqueduct).

We had seen hardly any boats moving all day. An Alvechurch hireboat had headed towards us but turned right at Dudley Port to head for Netherton Tunnel whilst another boat had turned out of the Netherton Branch to head for Tipton.

This straight length of the New Main Line between Albion and Dudley Port passed through a fairly derelict area when it was built. Worked out collieries had been replaced by clay or marl pits. One of the last major commercial traffics on the BCN was bringing waste to be dumped in the marl pits – much of it of a highly toxic nature resulting in a lot of expense being needed to clean them up in more recent times.

A new housing development has inevitably appeared on this land and its boundary fence appears to hover uncertainly on the lip of one of the pits. I hope the toxic soil has been fully removed!

After Dudley Port Junction the canal, high on its embankment, passes over three aqueducts. The first over a major road is apparently called Ryland Aqueduct, but I know it as Spouthouse or Piercey Aqueduct. The second aqueduct, unnamed, passes over a long closed railway whilst the third with the charming name of Puppy Green Aqueduct passes over another, smaller, road.

A slight nudge on the tiller is now called for as a slight bend leads the canal past a small boatyard where the former and wonderfully named Tipton Green and Toll End Communication Canal crossed. The first part of the name related to the canal to the west that linked up three locks to the Old Main Line, the second to a linking canal extended through some more locks to link up with the Walsall Canal a couple of miles to the east.

Approaching Factory Locks

Climbing up Factory Locks

Then we get a bit of variety as the three Factory Locks appear in sight. These are quick and easy to work and made distinctive by the BCN’s policy of having single gates top and bottom. It was at the locks we caught up with the boat that had turned out of the Netherton Tunnel Branch some way in front of us. They had been having problems with rubbish getting caught around their prop and once through the locks pulled in so the chap could delve down into the boat’s weed hatch. As we climbed the top lock we could see all sorts of rubbish being pulled out – what looked like a fleece and the ubiquitous plastic bags and string. It turned out to be his third time down the weed hatch that morning! Oh the joys of cruising the BCN! At least he had cleared some of the way for us!

After leaving the top lock a sharp left turn took us onto the Old Main Line for a short distance as we progressed through Tipton, keeping straight on where the OML bears left onto the Dudley Canal that once led through the long, unventilated, narrow and very low Dudley Tunnel to link up with the Dudley Canal’s main line at Parkhead. The tunnel is now out of bounds to powered craft, and with the low headroom the opportunity to have your boat towed through the tunnel by one of battery powered boats of the Dudley Tunnel Canal Trust’s boats must be one accepted by very few boaters.

Needless to say as we approached the narrows at the start of the branch to the tunnel a boat appeared, leaving the moorings but turning right towards the OML and Birmingham.

The branch now just leads to the 48 hour visitor moorings and services set adjacent to the backdoor of the Black Country Living Museum, with the Tunnel Trust’s boats moored up beyond the winding hole.

We winded and tied up with just two boats for company, taking the opportunity to get rid of the rubbish, empty the loo and fill up with water.

Mooring at the Black Counry Living Museum