Hawne Basin

 

Here I am Rune

Distance 12.4 miles 

Total 5205 Locks  427 Tunnels

Running total mileage 7,909.6 miles

 

After a few (cold) days in Birmingham we have now made what is almost certainly our last cruise of the year back to the basin. Whilst in Birmingham we had a wander around the Christmas Market, a go on the skating rink, a swim,steam and sauna at Aston University and a trip across the Leicester to visit Sister in Law. We pretty much got everything done that we wanted.

The trip back could have been better, weather-wise, drizzly rain most of the way in contrast to the bright sun of the trip into Birmingham. On the plus side, the tree that had been down at Galton Tunnel had been fully cleared.

Birmingham

 

Here I am Rune

Distance 11.5 miles 

Total 5205 Locks  424 Tunnels

Running total mileage 7897.2 miles

 

So, for the final time out this year, we are once again in Birmingham. It was a superb and crisp day’s cruise today, bright sunshine and even a Kingfisher following us down the New Main Line. I am currently ‘bike-less’ on the boat having finally put it in to be serviced, I’ve had it for at least 14 years and it has done a fair mileage so is now in need of a bit of TLC.

We’ll be in Birmingham until the end of the week (at least that is the plan) so we’ll have opportunity to go around the Christmas Market. I’ll also pop up the University for a swim (and sauna now the weather has turned colder!).

Hawne Basin

 

Here I am Rune

Distance 7 miles 

Total 5205 Locks  421 Tunnels

Running total mileage 7885.7 miles

 

And so after a fairly uneventful day, we are here back in Hawne Basin. Not many boats on the move once again, we met one other moorer from the basin as we entered Dudley Number 2 canal, and one other boat that we had to wait to exit Gorsty Tunnel. I’m not sure that he has been down there very much because he commented that he thought the water level was down because he found it quite slow through the tunnel. I explained that it is ALWAYS like that and, in fact when I timed myself through the tunnel (16 minutes 50 seconds) it was quite quite compared to some passages (20 minutes +).

We’ll be in the basin for the next week or so before we head back to Devon.