09/11/13 - Canalysis

Distance - 6.2 Miles
Geocaches - 3
Start - Tipton
Finish - Wednesbury

Stage 4 of the Brummie Ring

Adventures come in many guises.  I have been reading about the Yorkshire 3 peaks, the welsh 3000's and the people bagging Wainwrights.

This week's adventure has been working out how to catch the bus from Wednesbury Parkway to Tipton.

Buses scare me.  Only the old truly understand them.  Getting them to stop to get on is a challenge... knowing where to get off, an impossibility.

Things couldn't go better though.  We drive to Wednesbury Parkway tram station and come out the car park.  The 313 is due at 9:06.  It is 9:05 when we hit the shleter.  Immediately the bus comes.  Two singles to Tipton is not a phrase Sonia thought she would ever say out loud, but we are on and away.  Sat Nav is turned on, so that I can have an idea of where we need to get off.  The concentration means that I miss all the sights.

At the right place, I ding the bell and we are off, picking up the BCN main line canal to our official start at Tipton Station.

Let's start the Brummie Ring, Phase 4

Not too much to say about the walk.  The BCN Main Line is an OK canal.  There is a lot of litter and the rainy conditions mean that we are probably not seeing it in it's best light.

We have a slight detour down the Gower Branch line to get our first cache of the day.  A distraction from the weather.

We continue and leave the BCN Main Line to pick up the Walsall canal.  This means coming off the Towpath and taking the road bridge.  Its the half way point and we hope for refreshments.

Looks promising.

A sign to a cafe.... and a car wash

It's the Log Cabin Cafe

Sonia had higher hopes of the Log Cabin Cafe.  She was expecting seats and a roaring fire.  She made do with Bacon Sarnie to complement my sausage and black pudding.  To get out of the rain, we head under the bridge on the Walsall Canal. 

There are fishermen there.  We experience black country humour in all its glory as they ask we have bought them any and they say "never mind, we are having fish and chips" when they land a gudgeon.

We say bye to our new friends and continue north on the Walsall Canal.  The rubbish gets us down.  Cans of every sort of Polish Beer ever invented break up the mounds of dog poo. 

At cache location number 2, we find the culprits (beer not poo).  A gang of half a dozen al fresco 10am boozers, who on completion of a Tyskie, lob the empty into the cut.   And there are a lot of empties.

Find the cache and move onto number 3 for the day.  A previous DNF, is found today.  Just as a youth on a motorbike with no helmet comes whizzing paste.

Sonia is kind of relieved when the walk comes to an end.  Will she come for BrummieRing Stage 5?

If she doesn't, she will miss submerged shopping trolleys.