We left the Fazeley Inn at 9:20am today and were at the start of the canal within 5 minutes. The photograph below shows the first bridge on the Bimingham and Fazeley Canal south of Fazely Junction and the second shows the view through it. Initially there was a small amount of housing and a marina but the views soon became more rural.
We passed a barge (blue one in photo) which had been lifted out of the canal and was spported on blocks to allow its bottom to be scraped and painted. Apparently one needs to get this done every few years.
After 15 minutes we passed The Drayton Turret Bridge. It is one of the most ornate bridges on the British Canal System we have been told. No room for horses and even a human finds it a bit of a squeeze on the stairs.
We made another discovery on the canal today. We passed anothrr bridge with a gate built in the side. The whole behind the gate was about 2 to 3 metres deep, but not the full width of the bridge. Shiel suggested it was used to store the boards used for blocking off bits of the canal, to allow sections to be drained to allow repairs. There were a few people today out working for The Canal and River Trust. I mentioned the bridge to him and he confimed Shiel's suggestion.
After about an hour's walking we came across our first lock today but it was the first of many, rising as we made our way south to Bimingham. After a couple of hours we stopped for liquid refreshment at the 'Dog and 'Doublet' situated beside the canal.
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