Monday 22 July 2013

Visiting Tipton

We spent yesterday giving Merlin a good tidy and generally relaxing. This was our little bit of countryside in the urban sprawl of Birmingham and surrounding districts.



We didn't set off until lunchtime today as we didn't intend going very far. The M5 kept us company for about a mile and a half, it was either above us or beside us then we headed westwards towards Oldbury and Tipton and the motorway made its way southwards. We crossed the Stewart Aqueduct and could see the BCN New Line below us. New Line is a bit of a misnomer, it was built in 1827! Although we are on a 'new' canal for us we are very close to a route previously travelled., actually passing over it on a couple of occasions today.

From Stewart Aqueduct under the M5 and over the New Line


This section of canal is definitely the road less travelled, it seems two boats per day is the norm. We are moored at Tipton for the night with the intention of picking up a few bits of shopping tomorrow then moving on either late tomorrow or on Wednesday. We are sat here with the doors wide open still at ten at night, the news reckons it is the hottest day for seven years, and it has just started raining.

Today's journey 4.7 miles

This year we have travelled 311.4 miles, 288 locks, 6 swing bridges, 13 lift bridges and 6 tunnels

In 2012 we travelled 876.9 miles, 675 locks,  55 swing bridges, 23 lift bridges and 31 tunnels

In 2011 we travelled 461.4 miles, 444 locks, 3 swing bridges, 34 lift bridges and 15 tunnels

During 2010 we travelled 740.3 miles, 642 locks, 53 swing bridges, 4 lift bridges and 25 tunnels

Since Ray retired we have travelled 2390 miles, 2049 locks, 117 swing bridges, 74 lift bridges and 77 tunnels

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