No surprises today. We passed three underwater features on the way to the top of Perry Bar Locks. The first scraped the bottom as we rose over, the remainder were silent eerie rises and falls. Following our Nicholsons were noted the deep cuttings, one through sandstone, and the magnificent high embankments. Who had the imagination to suppose that you could build a canal through hills and over valleys with such incredible engineering achievements? Reaching Perry Barr Top Lock, avoiding a solitary boat on the lock moorings, we set off down. The grass has been cut and they look very neat.
They are well constructed and deep, so heavy bottom mitred gates. The only access at the tail of each lock is a ladder but without any top handrail and there are no bollards there to secure the boat, so it makes our usual method of working pretty well impossible. Most of the pounds had no mooring bollards at all, so we evolved the practice that we both opened bottom gates (Pat wisely not attempting the gate jump), then the lock chamber ladder and the boat going straight to the gate of the lock below while Pat closed up, walking round. Two of the pounds were very low on water, but there were no problems either on the way across or on the lock cill. The locks appear to be side fill, so it would be interesting to try the reverse journey sometime. There was another boat moored at the bottom of the main flight - the 7th we have seen since Pudding Green Junction. Pat took advantage of the SPAR shop and petrol station at the penultimate lock before the last two near spaghetti junction. Passing under here is an awesome experience. The noise and the forest of concrete columns is like a sort of nightmare. Finally we joined familiar territory on the Birmingham & Fazeley. Well technically familiar because neither of us can remember much at all except for two of the locks. Either we have both "lost it" or there has been a lot of change. The mooring we have used before has changed in that the old pub, the Kingsley Arms has gone and is replaced by a swanky hotel & dining venue. In spite of threatening forecasts, we had a dry day with the rain setting in after mooring up.
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