Hail to the Hive!

We have now been aboard little Narrowboat Badger for 4 months and this is now the 4th time we have passed through this particular canal junction.

Fazeley junction is close to the town of Tamworth and is where the Coventry canal, running east to west, meets the Birmingham Fazeley Canal that would take you south to Birmingham.

The first time we came through here we were headed east passing Coventry on our route to Leicester. There's a waterpoint here and it was only the 2nd time we had ever stopped to fill up with water as we were new on the boat and only beginning our journey.

The second time we came through here we were being towed by a friendly boater ' Keith' as we had broken down and needed to get to streethay to black the hull of Badger with bitumen paint to protect her from corrosion.

3rd time we passed through was in convoy with another friendly boater who had towed us for half a day before we magically got the engine started. This was when we turned south to moor up on the Birmingham Fazeley in the nature reserve.

This time it's just a water and shopping run as I didn't fancy carrying the groceries too far but it was a good excuse to wander around what used to be an industrial hub on the canal network and take a few photos.

The junction has been rennovated a tad and is now a mix of old industrial architecture and new developments that are still on going.

This boat is headed down the Birmingham Fazeley arm which is where we just were and will be headed back tomorrow as it is a rather lovely spot.

I do love a bit of wall art.

There's a bird sanctuary along the Birmingham Fazeley arm so they've dedicated the wall art to the birds it would appear.

It's a nice day and there's hardly anyone about which feels odd as there are a few boats morred up and the pub is open.

Gives me a chance to take shots without people getting in the way though so there is that.

In it's hey day there would have been many boats laden with goods, coal, pottery, cotton etc making there way across the country. These days it's pleasure boaters and folks like us who live on their boats making there way along the canals. Eerily quiet today though.

Boats have been going through this junction for 220 years as its construction was completed in 1790. Quite amazing to think we are still using it today.

People now live on the canalside, there's a nice pub overlooking the canal also in a convenient spot to give a friendly wave to a narrowboater passing slowly past. As we pass so slowly there's usualy a bit of friendly banter as words are exchanged back and forth. We get asked alot where we are headed and where we just came from. It's all very relaxed on the canals.