Climbing back to Birmingham

After leaving a month between my last updates I've promised myself I will do them more frequently as my memory can't cope with a months worth.  So leaving Hopwas on Wednesday I continued along the Coventry canal for a couple of miles through open countryside and beautiful autumnal trees before reaching Fazeley junction where the Birmingham and Fazeley canal meets the Coventry. 

I had originally thought of continuing on the Coventry canal to join the Oxford and head south that way but it is a route I have covered a few times and I wanted a change. The alternative, which I took, is to follow the Birmingham and Fazeley canal into the centre of Birmingham.  

This will allow me to complete the Black County ring and, when I head out of the city on the Birmingham and Worcester canal and join the Stratford canal,  the Avon ring too.

The canal features this rather unique footbridge near the village of Drayton Bassett, home of Sir Robert Peel who is buried in the local church.  The towers have stone spiral steps in them and it seems to have been built for no other reason than a novelty.

After spending the night on a quiet stretch of canal, although still within earshot of the M42 I headed of this morning in light drizzle to make a start on the 30 odd locks that lie between me and Birmingham.  As I mentioned in my previous entry Birmingham is built atop a hill and thus I have many locks to climb on the way in and just as many to descend on the way out.  In fact there are around 60 more locks on this route than alternative on the Coventry canal which takes a much more level route. However, had I not taken this route I would have missed that fabulous bridge.

As Birmingham get closer the scenery is much more urban and industrial the canal approaches Aston. Here a factory has been extended right across the canal leaving a dark semi tunnel which is enclosed on one side but supported by concrete pillars on the other.

Not a pretty piece of engineering but I suppose it does its job.

The final mile into Aston is rather over crowded with the many road bridges on several levels which make up the infamous Spaghetti Junction.  Not pretty by car it is even worse seen from beneath and very noisy.

I'm now happily moored up in Aston with the remaining 8 locks of the Aston flight and a further 14 on the Farmers Bridge flight between me and Gas Street basin in central Birmingham.  The forecast for tomorrow is wet so it may well be Saturday when I continue this trip and complete the Birmingham and Fazeley canal.