$!&*£@? Ryders Green

Tuesday 7th September 2021

After a peaceful night in Walsall basin we checked on t’interwebnet and it said that the market opened at 08:30 this morning -  wrong! We walked through the town to find that all the stalls were there but not one trader occupying them.

We were surprised by the number of shoppers in Walsall not bothering with masks or using the hand or basket sanitisers, and that included the staff in Sports Direct – not a mask in sight in that shop ( a big UP for Primark though)  We then just restocked with milk and cake and left.

At the end of the town arm, adjacent to the bottom lock we found the CaRT workboat that had been moored on the visitor moorings at arm end was now being aided up the locks by three volunteers. After all our huffing and puffing yesterday coming down we would have appreciated their help had they been there.

 

On the Walsall canal we battled with copious weed and rubbish which slowed progress quite a lot even though the water was clear enough to watch fish shoals where the weed thinned. We spotted that one local graffiti artist, with the tag Ghost, was doing a lot of anti-Covid work.

And then into Ryders Green lock flight. That was hard going in the sunshine. Even the NPAS helicopter hovering above the flight didn’t provide sufficient cooling draft to help. There were also walking plod on the mainline towpath and a police motorcycle crossing a bridge on Ryders Green flight so they were obviously searching for someone.

 

The locks were all in poor condition with the second lock from the bottom leaking so much water through the bottom gate that it wouldn’t stay full long enough to get out and so was draining the pound above. The hire boat crew ascending in front of us were doing their best running water down from the pound above to allow them to move from lock to lock but that just made the situation at the next lock worse.

They, with us following finally made it to the top of the flight where they moored up for a late but well deserved lunch – always eat before ascending a flight, as we did.

 

We turned sharp right onto the mainline and suddenly – a deep canal with no weed. Turning second left took us into the delightfully cool Netherton tunnel – bliss, bliss! When we exited the tunnel, the heat hit us so we moored up in the first shade we came to on the offside. First time we’ve ever moored at Park End. The Black Country boating festival was being set up in the meadow. We were advised that the mooring spot we were occupying was reserved from tomorrow but that didn’t matter as we were leaving anyway. When we looked on Google maps we were amazed to see the festival beer tent marked on the site – excellent!

 

Park End is a wonderful mooring with plenty of paths to walk for the evening constitutional – we walked up Bumble Hole as Graham was thinking of doing it in Jannock but having walked it we decided not to.

G&B