South of Wast Hill tunnel

The plan was to spend tonight in the centre of Birmingham in the Gas St area, but that didnt work out.

We set off at about 8:30 (Nikki & Paul still in bed!), past the new “Waterfront” area. There are plenty of moorings here, but a nearby club with a big sign saying “Open until 2am” means we wont be overnighting there!

Soon after setting off we encountered an engine problem, it was struggling to give any power. We have had this before and it seems to be fuel starvation. Usually I knock it into neutral and rev up a bit and it cures it. I assume because the fuel pump pulls some more fuel through. This time that technique didnt work. But after struggling with it for a while it seemed to improve enough to carry on and eventually went away.
We went up through Blowers Green lock and were now at the highest point on our journey and it would be downhill all the way to the Severn.

South of Netherton tunnel

We went through Netherton Tunnel with Heddi steering, she doesnt like tunnels, but if she’s steering it takes her mind off it.

We arrived in the centre of Birmingham about 3:30, it was packed with boats. At first we thought that we wouldn’t be able to find anywhere to moor, but there was one space at Holiday Wharf by the water point.

We wandered around the shops, bars & cafes for a while soaking up the atomosphere in the warm sunshine. Where we were moored wasnt ideal for an overnight so we decided to press on stop just outside Birmingham.

With the weather looking OK we decided on a barbecue. The only problem was finding a place with a wide enough towpath. The towpath on the W&B is in a much poorer condition than the S&W, narrow in places, overgrown and muddy. Luckily it isnt used much by local cyclists & walkers as we had to get up and move our chairs whenever anyone came past.

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In contrast to yesterday – only one lock today.

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