Friday - Earlswood to Alvechurch

After heavy rain overnight a better weather day was promised for Friday, it was a little cool when we set of from Earlswood, I needed my woolly hat for the first time.
We first headed past Lady Lane wharf towards the modern suburb of Dickens Heath. The architecture comes as a bit of a shock, something you would expect in central Birmingham but you come round a corner with rural scenes.

Rural scenes just yards from Dickens Heath.

to modern architecture like this.

Dickens Heath.

After Dickens Heath we motored along, with the sun now out we passed Shirley lift bridge where we held up traffic for a while as the key jammed in the electric controls for the lift bridge, the control panel cycling through the routine 2 or 3 times with the stop lights flashing and barriers going up and down.
The next section is fairly featureless through the back gardens of the Birmingham suburbs up to Brandwood Tunnel.

Brandwood Tunnel.

We then passed through the old guillotine lock at Kings Norton and rejoined the Birmingham and Worcester Canal at Kings Norton Junction and are on the home straight to the boatyard.

Kings Norton Guillotine Lock

Dad cutting the corner (again) at Kings Norton Junction.

Next up was the long Wast Hill Tunnel where we passed a couple of boats inside, a fair bit of water dripping from the roof and ventilation shafts in the tunnel.

Leaving Wast Hill Tunnel with a wet roof.

We moored at Hopwood for lunch, receiving a hungry visitor.

Waiting for bread.

Leaving Hopwood, nice Stowe Hill boat moored outside the pub.

Leaves beginning to gather in the cuttings near Bittel Reservoir.

Getting near journeys end we had a short sharp burst of heavy rain before we pass some nice houses and moorings and then reach Alvechurch Marina.

Approaching Alvechurch after the rain.

A good, enjoyable week, we used 76 Locks, 6 Lift bridges, 4 tunnels, and travelled 56 miles and used 57 litres of diesel.
Saturday morning was spent cleaning and servicing the boat for the next owners before dad left for York by train and we headed back to Norfolk in the car.