Birmingham

The Grand Union flows though Solihull in a narrow green corridor which supports a variety of bird life.  Apart from the usual suspects we saw a jay, long tailed tits and a kingfisher that stopped on it's branch as we passed, of course I didn't have the camera ready.  The canal was shallow and Kev had numerous forays into the weedhatch to clear the propeller.  

Eventually we arrived at the first locks, 5 narrow locks taking us down to the Digbeth Branch which is a short canal and has 6 locks taking us uphill.  Our climb continued when we reached the bottom of the Farmers Bridge flight of 13 locks.  As we climbed these locks we entered an area of redevelopment and were surprised to see a lock underneath a building which is supported by stilts, all 17 floors of it.   

In the lock under Brindley House

As we continued up the flight the canal was flanked by modern buildings and a well maintained block paved towpath at the side of it.  At the top lock we were lucky to find a mooring in Cambrian Wharf which was ideal for our stay in Birmingham. 

The top lock, we were moored to the right of the photo

We enjoyed a walk along the canal and spotted an unusual boat in Gas Street Basin. 

An unusual boat, would the AA come to his rescue if he breaks down? 

Modern buildings have transformed the areas around the canals in central Birmingham and many of them are restaurants and pubs.  As it was the hottest day of the year we sought some liquid refreshment and found ourselves having an interesting chat with a Malaysian Rain Forest guide who was visiting Britain. 

During the next few days I enjoyed exploring the city which has plenty to offer.  The museum has an exhibition of the intriguing Staffordshire Hoard, the largest collection of Anglo-Saxon gold and silver.

The new library building stands out with it's circular patterned exterior but from ground level you cannot see the roof top gardens which give views of the city from two of the floors. 

The 7th floor terrace garden at Birmingham Library

Inside escalators cross a central rotunda which is lined with books.

The view from one of the escalators in the rotunda

There is another surprise at the top of the library building, the Shakespeare Memorial Room. 
The walls in this small room are lined with wooden bookcases were constructed in 1882 and were saved when their previous location was demolished.  

The Shakespeare Memorial Room

The Bullring Shopping Centre was rebuilt in 2003 and is now bright, modern and very busy.  It's flagship store, Selfridges, has a curved exterior covered in silver discs.  It's interior is equally interesting with an open area in the centre of each floor which gives a view down through the building.  

Looking down from the 4th floor in Selfridges

     

In contrast to the shopping centre the Bull Ring outdoor and indoor markets are traditional stalls and they were the busiest markets I've seen for a long time.  The many brightly coloured fabric stalls stood out among the large variety of wares on sale and the narrow aisles were filled with shoppers. 

The city night life was evident from the pedestrian traffic on the towpath and the noise from the nearby pub garden but thankfully after closing time all was quiet. 

Birmingham at night, the blue lights are on the Barclaycard Arena

 On Sunday morning we pulled off the mooring and took a left turn at the canal roundabout.

The canal roundabout

Bess had a moment of stardom as we sailed passed a group of amateur photographers who all raised their cameras in her direction.

The canal became shallow as we sailed south and once again rubbish seemed to be attracted to our propeller.  At Selly Oak we stopped for a big shop at Sainsburys before continuing on into less desirable neighbourhoods.  At Bournville there are some moorings opposite the Cadburys factory  but a sign warned of thieves in the area.   We sailed passed and arrived at Kings Norton Junction where we took a very tight turn onto the Stratford-on-Avon canal.  A guillotine lock once regulated the water levels when the canal was owned by different companies but it is now left open.  Sadly it's sprayed in graffiti, a reminder that we cannot stop yet.

The canal flows around Kings Norton but we found a quiet place to stop next to a golf course and opposite a line of moored boats.  The next day we sailed out of the town and into quiet countryside near Dickens Heath. 

Our journey from Solihull to Dickens Heath