We're Finished........

....... in more ways than one!  Luckily our hotel was just across the road.  After a cup of tea, a Danish pastry and a bath we were ready to go out for a celebratory drink and dinner.  We were pretty tired still though so it wasn't a late night and we didn't hear all the hordes of stag and hen do people returning to the hotel in the early hours.

The Last Leg

Approaching Gas Street Basin.  The area around this interchange is lovely.

Watery Foundations

It's not every block of flats that has a canal running through underneath it.

Where's Dr Who?

This rather impressive telecom tower looks a bit like a dalek don't you think?

Part Time Bridge

As we were walking on  Friday it was obviously a non-working day for the bridge.  Pity no-one had told the cars and people who were using it!

Urban Scene

You can tell we are getting close to the centre of Birmingham.

Another Tunnel

At last a tunnel we could walk through instead of having to go over the top.  It was just as well we could walk through this one as we were so shattered by this stage we wouldn't have managed to climb anything.

In Need of Renovation

This arm of the canal was heading off to spaghetti junction.  How about a nice development of modern flats instead of  that graffitied building?

Goodbye Heron

This was our last glimpse of the heron before we reached Birmingham.  

Narrow Locks

Near to Birmingham the locks become narrow.  Only wide enough for one boat.

Industrial Scene

It makes a change after all the rural scenes that we have seen along the canal to be faced with one more associated with a city although it is more of a warehouse scene than an industrial one really.

Shocking Experience

We were a little concerned that there was such a high voltage cable so near to all that water in the canal.  We felt a lot happier when we had left it behind. 

Group Photo

Not too sure what is happening in the water to the right but at least Angela is looking at the camera!

More Ducks

We just couldn't resist one more Mummy and Baby Ducks photo.

Idyllic Scene

Along the canal it is still quite picturesque considering that we are getting closer to Birmingham.

Return of the Heron

Well they may not have heron at the Heron's Nest pub but they have them a few miles away on the canal!

Rain, Rain Go Away

After a pleasant stay at the Heron's Nest pub Andy took us to Bridge 71 to start our walk to Birmingham.

Well we have been incredibly lucky with the weather on all our walks so far - hardly a drop of rain but for our last walk of the main canal the heavens really opened.  We had to contend with rain all the way from Bridge 71 to Olton a distance of about 6 miles.  Andy and Brendan joined us there after taking the luggage to the hotel in Birmingham and catching a train out. As soon as we met them the rain stopped and it didn't rain again for the rest of the walk (about 8 miles).  As well as being the wettest walk this was also the longest!