Hop, skip & a jump and wellies out.

The day did not look nearly as bad as forecast so we decided to move a little and see what it was like at the top of Knowle locks.  I set off for my morning stroll with Barney but jumped back aboard after 20 minutes as the rain was becoming heavier. It was definitely a day for wellies as the towpath was very muddy in some places.  It was certainly windy but it didn't seem a lot worse than yesterday.

 Just short of the locks at Knowle we spied a lovely mooring place in the open, metal railings so no pins to pull out if it became very windy and just one boat there.

This end of the canal is now much more rural and possesses charm that the first bit was surely lacking!

Long macs and a grumpy dog in the rain....

The rain had stopped by the time we arrived so Geoff went off to explore the local Village of Knowle and discovered that it was a rather up-market suburb of Birmingham with plenty of facilities.

Knowle Parish Church

Top of the 5 Knowle locks......

........and the bottom

This is what awaits us when we decide to move on, the first of our double locks this year.  It would be handy to find a boat to descend with but there are so few boats around that the chances are not great.   In any event we have decided to stay put over the weekend as the forecast is anything but wonderful and we are in a very congenial spot.

Total distance:2.59 miles 
Elapsed time:1h6m8s 
Locks:0
Bridges:8 
Average speed:2.35 mph (2.35 lock/mph)