July 18-24 up to Gnosall then on to Birmingham

Thursday July 18 Coven to Wheaton Aston

Friday July 19 Wheaton Aston to Gnosall

Saturday July 20 at Gnosall Canal Festival

Sunday July 21 Gnosall to lunch at Wheaton Aston then on to visitor morning by Pendeford stop gates

Monday July 22 Rachel's Birthday. Up the Wolverhampton 21

Tuesday July 23 Wolverhampton to the Black Country Museum, Dudley with Michael Scott

Wednesday July 24 Our 38^th Wedding Anniversary. On to Birmingham Gas Street Basin, with a visit from Michael & Wendy Scott

We had very secure moorings on the services side behind the Black country Museum: Now they open the new swing bridge at 1645 (4.45pm old money), so you can't cross it to get to the access gate with a CRT padlock. The old bridge by the tunnel is locked, too. A side gate on our side has a combination lock, probably for the Dudley Tunnel folk. We set off after breakfast along the old Brindley line, winding along on the Wolverhampton level. Liana walked Honeypie until the Tividale viaduct, which passes over the canal from the Netherton tunnel. John took Annie into the large (and not too shallow) basin at Tipton, and found a lady liveaboard moored there: This could be why there were many fewer lilies. We carried on past Oldbury, to find masses of scaffolding supporting work on the raised M5 section, below which the canal curves, past the Stewart Aqueduct. Once through the summit tunnel, we soon reached the three Smethwick Locks, where we had good chats with a large merry Christian out walking with his family, then with a boating couple coming up the locks. It was after 1300 / 1pm when we reached the crowds at Brindley Place, to meet Michael and Wendy Scott. We all lunched at the Mailbox Pizza Express, then toured the Oozells, Icknield Port and Soho Loops before returning to Gas Street. We tried the beer and cider at the reopened James Brindley pub, now called the Canal House . It was Jazz night, so we enjoyed the music, including later as we ate spaghetti bolognese together on Annie. It's good to catch up with our old friends.