As we had stayed up near the Uni instead of finishing in Digbeth basin we had to set off 1 hour earlier than our allotted start time to ensure we were at Digbeth at the right time. It was raining for most of the morning so we followed nb Misty down Ashted locks getting wetter as we went. Once clear of the locks Brenda went inside to dry off and I took the helm. Round through Digbeth Junction t'other Brenda (the organiser) was awaiting under the bridge to count us past. Down to Bordersley Junction where a warning blast on the klaxon reverberated around all the tall building magnificently. We turned onto the Grand Union heading back towards Salford junction and met a queue of 5 boats at the top of Garrison locks. Whilst waiting Megapixies Curry House turned into a tea-bar. Down through Salford turning left onto the Tame Valley Canal brought to the first 2 Perry Bar locks. This canal has far more rubbish in it than we have seen elsewhere and I had to assist Misty to get a carpet off their prop. We overtook them at this point but we later learnt that they picked up a bucket on their prop as well a bit further on. The Tame Valley Canal appears to be frequented by grumpy fishermen who do not believe that boats should be allowed along it at all. One miserable git, who wasn't even fishing at the time, vociferously described us as "a bunch of w...@nk$rs coming along here and ruining the locals fishing spots". We finally moored for the night above the top lock in a wonderfully quiet cutting, which in itself is amazing considering how close we are to a main road and the M6. There is a water point and sani-station here so we filled Jannock's tank and later I wandered down and used the nice shower there.
Graham www.jannock.org.uk [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
