Why Birmingham is built in the wrong place

We like taking the boat into Brum, the routes we have taken so far have been little short of splendid and the city centre visitor moorings are excellent. However, as with everything, there is a downside. Researching it led me to an interesting set of thoughts.

We've just been calculating options for routes from our moorings at Crick to Chester and back, something we meant to do last year but never got round to. There is a wide range of options, all interesting and attractive.

The quickest two are
A) up the Nortth Oxford, Coventry and B'ham and Fazeley canals to Fradley then take the Trent and Mersey to Middlewhich, then across to Chester.

Or
B) we could go through Birmingham, via the GU or the North Stratford canal, then down through Wolverhampton and up the Shroppie.



Or of course we could go up one way and back another.

Now look at these figures (Canalplan calculations)

The shortest route would be B). If we did that and came back the same (shortest) way, it would mean

254 miles. 312 locks. 142 hours.

Alternatively, taking route A) going via Fradley (thus avoiding Brum) and Middlewich and returning down the Shroppie and the Staffs and Worcester ( so completing the four counties ring) and back down through Fradley again, we get

296 miles. 192 locks. 150 hours.

So by avoiding Birmingham we save 120 locks (quite a lot of them heavy GU double widthlocks) and take only an extra day! With Kath suffering a bit with her back recently, that saving is hard to ignore, even if we do like Brum.

I started looking up a few facts (you know me!) about Birmingham's altitude. It's built on a limestone ridge, which at the city centre is around 600 feet above sea level. Compare that with Fradley at 223 feet. No wonder they have all those locks up to Brum.

Now, I can understand why in ancient times a settlement might have been built on a high ridge - defence and all that, but how the hell did Birmingham ever get to its prosperous industrial position when roads, canals and railways had all that climbing to do to get there? No rivers to speak of either. The city is famous for its canals and yet they go right through the highest parts. Even the railway stations are well down the hill.

Browsing about the city's altitude I came across another issue. Aviation. Apparently the Civil Aviation Authority set a maximum height above sea level for the tops of city buildings. This gives Birmingham quite a problem it seems and prevents them from building any skyscraper type buildings ( a good thing some might say). The highest they can build is about 150 feet. (Their BT tower seems somehow to have escaped this ruling but it is not accepted as a precedent). In a time when modern cities seem to get their identities and some sort of kudos from high landmark buildings, poor old Brum has its hands tied.

There, I bet you didn't know that. I didn't anyway.

Best Urban Mooring Award and nominations for village moorings

Yes, the phone lines are closed although you may still be charged.  The people have spoke and they have largely agreed with me and Kath (there’s a first!). So the Herbie Award for Best Urban Mooring 2012 goes to . . .

Cambrian Wharf Birmingham

A well deserved and popular win.
And so we forge onwards with the nominations for the next Award. Best Rural or Village Mooring
Bear in mind that like our other awards, this can only go to somewhere we have been on Herbie this year.  That in effect means somewhere on the Warwickshire ring, the Stratford canal or the South Oxford.  And of course our home patch between Foxton and Braunston.
Let’s see.  We’ve moored at or very near Norton Junction, Foxton, Welford, Braunston, Long Itchington, Napton, Cropredy, Aynho (wharf), Enslow, Thrupp, Preston Bagot,  Curdworth, Alvecote, Hawkesbury, Ansty and probably a couple more I can’t recall, plus a few “out in the sticks”.  There are some lovely remote moorings on the South Oxford summit, and on the Coventry canal like this one

but I think I’ll stick to the villages this time.
I’m ruling out a favourite place. Hawkesbury.  You have to stop at Hawkesbury, you’d be mad not to. Nice grassy moorings on the N Oxford canal side, an attractive canalscape, and the rather wonderful Greyhound pub. So wonderful in fact that I didn’t find time to take a photo of the moorings. Anyway, I’m not sure it’s rural or a village, just the outskirts of Coventry. 
So let’s examine our criteria for judging.
A good village mooring would ideally be well maintained, close to the shop and/or pub, and perhaps handy for public transport.  As with all moorings, some nice bank to sit out on and proper mooring rings are a real bonus.
We had a great time at Long Itchington moored next to Jim and Sarah on Chertsey, but to be fair, it’s a long trek into the village.  At Aynho we moored next to Bones and shared a good evening at the pub, but the village is miles away and the moorings are only OK.  I think for the top three we’’ll go for:
1. Braunston,
- also nominated in 2011.  Braunston has a lot of visitor moorings, although often not as many as there are visiting boats.  This year at the Rally, we had to moor quite a long way out.

Even then, as Grace demonstrates here, there is a good footpath up to the village from “round the back”

Braunston has plenty to offer the boater, not least the numerous chandleries, and a good butcher, cheap meals at the Boathouse pub and now a “reborn” Admiral Nelson.
2. Thrupp
A little gem this one.  Thrupp is for many the last stop before Oxford if heading South. The visitor moorings are overseen and beautifully maintained by the Thrupp Canal Cruising Club and they let you stay for a decent while.  A week I think.  A nice grassy bank, mooring rings, a good pub and Annie’s Tea Room.  BW, sorry, CRT services too.

The little road you see here is only a service road, and very quiet.  The only disturbance we had was a certain Mr Maffi thrusting himself upon us and then dragging us down to the pub, and a certain Mortimer Bones peering into the engine bay while I was hard at work changing the oil.
3. Curdworth
Curdworth is often reckoned to be the first safe overnight stop heading out of Birmingham on the Birmingham and Fazeley canal.  After all the locks you have to do from the Centre of Brum, you’re glad to see it. That’s why it gets a nomination.  It’s in the right place when you need it. Looking on the map in the Nicholson’s guide it looks although the whole area is very built up and urban, but Curdworth is actually a sleepy commuter village and I imagine fairly up  market.  Twice now we have moored in the cutting  near the short tunnel. 

Very quiet, and handy for the village where the Beehive pub does remarkably good value grub and cheap beer.
I have a feeling that this list might be contentious, because I have left out some good places.  The winner will have to be very good won’t it.  Which do you fancy?
As well as a result, tomorrow well have  nominations for Best Cruise on Someone Else’s Boat – we have some absolute crackers.

A flavour of the Warwickshire ring

Total distance is 161 miles, 1 furlong and 217 locks. There are at least 7 moveable bridges of which 2 are usually left open; 34 small aqueducts or underbridges; 12 tunnels and 2 major aqueducts.
This is made up of 125 miles, 5½ furlongs of narrow canals; 35 miles, 3½ furlongs of broad canals; 159 narrow locks; 58 broad locks.
So goes Canalplan’s summary of our recent trip, which is a sort of augmented version of the Warwickshire ring.  Basically a cruise calling in at Warwick, Stratford upon Avon, Birmingham, Tamworth, Coventry and Rugby to the non boater.  Or a cruise passing through Braunston, Wigram’s Turn, Lapworth, Bancroft basin, Gas Street, Salford junction, Fazeley, and Hawkesbury to the canal person.
Whatever, it’s a good mix of canals and scenery, and I’ve picked out a few pictures to show some of the sights  - all from the first half really.
Early morning after we had winded near Braunston after the rally

Me not looking where I’m going steering Chertsey somewhere between Braunston and Wigram’s turn.

The smallest of the three Stratford canal aqueducts

A bit of bad parking near Stratford

Edgbaston on the Worcs and Birmingham

A peaceful night in Birmingham city centre
 
Next morning, only 200 yards away this wonderful wild flower verge on a housing estate!

Believe it or not, in a lock on the Farmer’s Bridge flight

What’s not to like?