BCNS Explorer Cruise—day two

BCNS Explorer Cruise day two, and a fairly uneventful six miles cruise up the Rushall Canal to the Manor Arms pub at Daw End, writes Keith Gudgin.

I've just done the nine locks, with the help of the lockwheelers, and I found them a little easier than the Perry Barr Flight. It does mean that we have done half the locks on the cruise though so it should be easier from now on?

Very dirty

I am finding the canals around here very dirty and full of rubbish, with considerable amounts of plastic, and in places they are very shallow with weeds growing out from the banks into the canal on both sides a fair way.

Another thing I have noticed is that there is virtually nowhere to moor properly overnight. I have only come across one visitor mooring in the last two days. At our present mooring we are outside two pubs and again there are no rings or bollards etc. to moor to so it's pins again. There is even a very wide shelf that protrudes into the water requiring most boats to employ their gang-planks to disembark safely.

Views of the country

On the positive side the canals around here are in some very nice country with good views of the country-side. We have just passed through Walsall and if you didn't look on a map you wouldn't know you were passing through a town.

An exciting day is promised tomorrow, no locks and excursions up two dead-end arms if you want them? I'll play it by ear and see what I feel like and see if it has stopped raining by then before I decide whether to do either of them.

Time for a meal before an evening in the pub so—Good night, more later.