161- Run-Ins with Wrong 'Uns On the BCN in our Narrowboat

In today's vlog we travel down the Rushall Locks on the Rushall Canal to Newton Junction where we head west on the Tame Valley Canal to Tame Valley Junction. It's an interesting urban stretch which runs parallel to the M6 and travels over a couple of aqueducts. We stop for lunch at Ocker Hill and encounter a group of kids with pellet guns aiming at birds and the overhead power lines of all things.
Then its back along the Tame Valley Canal to the top of the Perry Barr flight ready of our decent tomorrow. It is another lovely pre-spring February cruse on the Birmingham Canal Navigations
#Narrowboat #BCN #Minimallist
Music - "UNTITLED" by Josh Woodward. Free download: joshwoodward.com/
Music - "GEMINI" by Josh Woodward. Free download: joshwoodward.com/
Our Links
Blog: www.minimallist.co.uk
Twitter: / nbminimallist
Facebook: / nbminimallist
Patreon: / minimallist
Jo wrote a short book about her travels and how she met Michael.
tinyurl.com/yaw8a7t3
FAQ's
Q. Where are Michael's T-shirts from?
A. Tee Republic; www.teepublic.com/t-shirts
Q. Why do you speed up some of the footage in your videos?
A. We don't, we film it as time-lapse footage. We do not have the battery capacity or data storage to film in real time as our cruises can last up to 7 or 8 hours. We use to the time-lapse footage to help tell the story of movement rather than showcase the scenery. We limit the amount of time-lapse shots we use in each vlog.

[@frglee]

Thankyou for sharing these, very relaxing and pleasant to watch. A snail's pace tour of the UK, and all the better for it. Some lovely quiet Winter sunny weather, with gorgeous light in this video, makes everything look very beautiful.

[@MinimalList]

Thank for following along. Glad to hear you are enjoying the vlogs

[@charleskitson4903]

George, your a lucky dog. You have a intelligent as well as loving Mommy and Daddy. Jo, you lucked out with picking an intelligent American (there's not many of them) and M is still a cradle robber. Thank you both for the wonderful video's . Yea George. Yea Bane.

[@MinimalList]

George is a lucky boy and we are lucky to have him!

[@joyeyoder4783]

So now I have finally caught up with your videos. I have enjoyed them so much. I often get at least one chuckle out of them. Keep up the good work!!

[@MinimalList]

Well done for catching up. I hope you continue to follow along! Thanks for watching!

[@virginiaschott4482]

What a beautiful day you had. I'm enjoying your weather, ours still sucks. Expecting more snow and rain tomorrow. Thanks for the sunshine.

[@MinimalList]

It finally feels like spring! My favourite time of year! Thanks for watching

[@johnneal7832]

Great video as allways guys,and they say men dont know how to show a lady a good time nowadays,"cleaning the compost toilet on your anniversary"he spoils you Jo😂😂😂😂😂

[@2f1234]

Fun fact: the railway that the Tame Valley canal crosses over near the M5/M6 motorway junction was built by the Grand Junction Railway company and opened in 1837. It predates the canal, which wasn't opened until 1844. Tis partly why the Tame Valley is so straight and level: built in the railway age, like a railway would be.

[@oldskoolnutterbielefeldbbc5685]

A W smart arse😁👍

[@MinimalList]

Ah! Interesting! Thanks 😊

[@randallfield4036]

Hi guys, it's been very interesting seeing most of the BCN over the last few months. Thanks for sharing the journey. I guess your both happy to be moving on. Looking forward to the next one.

[@MinimalList]

The BCN was fun and fascinating, but boy is there a lot of it! Looking forward to a change of scenery soon! Thanks for following along!

[@scoobyyt1548]

I have to say after subscribing some months back I tune in always and really enjoy the vids. Ex boater here and dream of returning someday . Enjoy your cruising and keep the vids coming .👍

[@MinimalList]

Thanks for following along. I hope you get back afloat some day soon!

[@moosabones]

Can’t wait for you to leave the BCN! Shropshire is lovely....

[@MinimalList]

We are very much looking forward to it!

[@ianofsjkartwork]

A enjoyable watch great music and lovely video..also bought Jo book on Kindle....thanks for sharing

[@MinimalList]

Aw thank you! Glad you enjoyed the video and book!

[@douglasgodfrey6514]

Hi Jo and mike Had an enforced rest so used the time to watch you from the Wey to the end of the BCN, we hired a boat on the Way about 5 years ago it took us a week to get from Guildford to coxes lock and back, returning totally hooked. We Moore our boat in Cropredy and will leave for the Llangollen early next month if our paths cross and I greet you like a long lost friend it’s because you have been on my tv for the last month. Have some great cruises planned all thanks to you, and Mikes jibber jabber is classy, the glowing Lidl sign a hi spot with a whole lot of great informative information don’t ever stop.

[@MinimalList]

Hah, well since we are also going to be heading up Llangollen-way, do wave and/or honk when you see us! M

[@oldtimers6460]

Guys the early stage you went through a bridge perfectible reflected in the water it looked like a tube , beautiful . Very interesting to travel over roads and rail lines . great country side and another interesting vlog . Would love to do it but other half not interested . All the best and Cheers from OZ.

[@MinimalList]

It was an fascinating section of canal. As we travelled along watching the trucks on the motorway I wondered if any of them noticed us! Thanks for following along!

[@BillMSmith]

Another great video, I really enjoy your style. BTW, apparently chaos + chaos equals something effective as you seem to be making progress on your journey.

[@MinimalList]

Thank you for the kind comments! We just film and edit exactly what happens in our journey and somehow we make progress! Nice to here the videos work!

[@raydellar6935]

Great blog, bet you can't wait to get out into the country again, get away from the submersibles.

[@MinimalList]

We are certainly looking forward to a change for the better!

[@Leonard_Smith]

Jo, don't burst his bubble, he has lived his life to date believing he causes chaos, when everybody else sees him as the rock around which serenity lingers. Still loving your facial expression when he pronounced his credo to the digital world. Love it. Keep the vlogs coming!.

[@marianillingworth4403]

Unfortunately wrong ‘uns are everywhere and always have been, glad they didn’t cause you any trouble. I think whatever is below the water is the biggest issue. Good luck on your travels.

[@MinimalList]

To be honest we haven’t met that many and we only comment on them when we have negative interactions. Most kids hanging around like that are happy to chat and just curious about boat life!

[@mickbroadbent6750]

great vlog as usual guys ,,, could do with a couple of colder days to use some coal lol

[@MinimalList]

Well this was filmed at the end of Feb so we have used quite a bit since then... still have too much though! 🙈

[@ltrtg13]

The pound above the bottom lock is always empty when I cycle passed. I thought is was vandals draining it. Maybe just need maintenance. The pound was empty again on the 5th August. I live in one of he blocks of flat at 5.14.

[@MinimalList]

The lower lock must just be very, very leaky. They can get that way, after enough boats ran the gates. Hopefully they service them this winter. M

[@garrystacey7018]

Great video thanks for sharing 👍🏻

[@MinimalList]

Thank you and thanks for the lovely feedback! 😊

[@adycleve8753]

Just finished catching up with all your vlogs, took over 2 weeks, obviously i've enjoyed them or i'd have given up... i love the 'warts and all' approach. showing the networks as it really is. i don't know what your long term plans are once you've completed the network. i would suggest repeating it but offset by 6 months so you get to visit places you visited in winter in the summer and vice versa, and see the contrast

[@MinimalList]

Not a bad idea, but by the time we finish the whole of the network we think it’ll be time to do something else, at least for a time. M

[@manwithapan9481]

I think it's good that you guys paint a realistic picture of life on the canals warts n all, some boaters seem to have nothing but an idyllic lifestyle sticking round one area, like Dan for instance from an interesting sort of life. Then there's the seeing Britains waterways thing, which looks extremely rewarding, but very challenging in regards to things a lot of people wouldn't consider. Like yobs bricking your boat or wronguns with airguns. I was being entirely serious by the way when I suggested you get a crossbow, whilst I think it's illegal to hunt using them, they are perfectly legal for "sport" :), you could hang it on the wall and leave it on show through the window ;) jobs a goodun :) Last serious boater I took a tow from when my boat broke down had a webley tempest, I commented it was a nice gun as it was holstered by his tiller..he said it was for "shooting rats" ;)

[@MinimalList]

I guess different people have different reasons for moving afloat. We are lucky that we are currently not tied to a particular location for work and so that give us the freedom to explore the whole network, which did Michael means every single navigable stretch! Then we just film what happens to us along the way. Both good and bad, filming the bad is harder because when life gets stressful the last thing you want to do is get out the camera! As for the wrong ‘uns, we have only really had a couple of encounters and we have never really felt in danger. Uncomfortable and annoyed yes, but never like we were in actual trouble. Maybe we have been lucky but hopefully that is as bad as it gets!

[@manwithapan9481]

@@MinimalList I seriously hope your journey is safe, as an atheist though I like to believe in a little more than luck ;) shit I sound like Han Solo ;) Anyway it's better to buy one and never need it that to..well you know the rest.

[@moosabones]

I’m sorry but I do think getting a crossbow is a ridiculous idea.

[@manwithapan9481]

@@moosabones Personal safety is never a ridiculous idea is it ? I mean we're in Tory Britain where the only time you'll get a guaranteed Police response in a timely fashion is if you insult someones religion on Twitter. Especially in some of these more rural areas, you're literally in the middle of nowhere and there's some weirdos about, You wouldn't get me travelling UK's waterways unarmed no way. I have a hard time going round the block with the dog without carrying a baseball bat, mind you I am a scouser so there is that.

[@moosabones]

Dad's Kitchen I live in the middle of nowhere, go out at all times of day and night with only the protection of of a Border Terrier. 🤣😂🤣😂🤣. Y

[@MurphyBeirut]

06:14-06:20 - great framing.

[@MinimalList]

Thank you! 😊

[@iflick7235]

People out in shirt sleeves!

[@MinimalList]

In February no less!

[@DaveHenry-mort8088]

Morning peeps, great vid as always, so Michael is the lord of organised chaos.

[@MinimalList]

Thank you! Apparently he liked to think he is!

[@paulwilson7234]

Another enjoyable video , would it be possible to video what you should do when you come across an empty pound ? Thanks.

[@MinimalList]

Yes sorry. Sometimes we get distracted and forget to film. Have you watched this vlog ? kzbin.info/www/bejne/qV7Zg2l4qb6krLs we explain it a bit better in this video.

[@paulwilson7234]

@@MinimalList will do , thanks. 👍

[@borderlands6606]

One of the canals I walk the dog along is continually being repaired. I only ever notice boats moving Easter to September, and most of those are high summer. The other day I read how much stuff was moved on the canal for the war effort, which set me wondering whether the canals were always in a poor state of repair, or if this is a leisure boating era phenomenon?

[@MinimalList]

I think in there hay day where they were making their owners a lot of money they were maintained but then as the railways started to take over the routes there was less money for maintenance

[@FlashGormless]

Great vlog as always you two :) Mike why don't you get a cheap set of walkie talkies to aid communication they really do come in handy. you can get a half decent set for 20 quid.

[@firehorse66]

Mobile phones have replaced walkie talkies, I do believe it’s called progress.

[@MinimalList]

We have been talking about it since we got the boat!

[@MinimalList]

Haha! True!

[@Karoti]

It would be interesting if you explained what you had to do, when you came across an empty pound.

[@MinimalList]

Yeah sorry. Sometimes we just get distracted by filling it we forget to film. It’s basically just a case of sending some water down. When there is a flight of locks we send it down the whole flight from the top lock or you just empty one pound to fill another. We explain a bit better in this vlog kzbin.info/www/bejne/rYjGkKKcaK2Nr6s

[@danny117hd]

Funny today as I watch their debating $2000 checks.

[@paula8544]

Sorry for the pun but think George is the Springer,with added Chaos :-)

[@MinimalList]

George is definitely the chaos bringer!

[@colinstewart173]

T shirts, sun hats and shades and bags and bags of coal. Need to put a coal for sale sign up!

[@rwbimbie5854]

Can that coal be used for BBQ, or is it full of chemicals?

[@firehorse66]

RWBimbie sulphated sausage not pleasant to eat!,

[@ncplantdoctor]

Yes, it is warm, but had you not bought all that coal, which is currently helping maintain the trim of the boat, it would now be hovering around 0 degrees C. Of that, I am sure!

[@MinimalList]

Ah! That be Sod’s law!

[@mysickfix]

I love the videos, nice to see a yank! And on that note, this may be a silly question, but what kind of hat was that you were wearing?

[@MinimalList]

It’s a Tilly!

[@paulhowarth8056]

really interesting to see the different canals around Birmingham. Some look very scenic others (Walsall) dumps. Would you do it again and would you advise others to try. Think vandalism would put me off but apart from few kids you dont seem to have suffered much. One more question Jo - how many miles a day do you walk ??

[@MinimalList]

No idea how far George and I walk. Quite far I guess! I would definitely recommend people cruise in the BCN and see it for themselves! It is a pretty fascinating place and there are safe places to moor! Just be prepared for the prop to get fouled and look out for obstructions!

[@BlackCountryPiker]

Morning guys, another great video! You crack me up 🤣🤣 what was the reoccurring issue with the pounds? Is it kids keep messing about or repair work needed

[@MinimalList]

Different things, it could be gates or paddles being left open by boaters or vandals. Or it could be leaky gates which are in need of repair!

[@keltic_nomad]

Mike have you turned your head upside down? beard getting longer top head getting shorter :)

[@mysickfix]

As a bald bearded guy I support this lol.

[@steveparkinson8387]

Where do you get your canal maps please?

[@MinimalList]

Do you mean the Nicholson’s Guides we talk about? Ours were left in the boat by the previous owner but you can get them on Amazon! River Thames and Southern Waterways: Waterways Guide 7 (Collins Nicholson Waterways Guides) www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0008202044/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_C45KCbQBVP3Z0

[@steveparkinson8387]

Actually I meant the "tube map" like maps you use in your videos to show the relationships of the canals. I have Googled them to no avail. I'd be grateful if you would let me know please.

[@MinimalList]

Oh, sorry I misunderstood your question! We made that map ourselves! www.minimallist.co.uk/2018/12/birmingham-canal-navigation-map.html?m=1

[@steveparkinson8387]

That's great! Thank you.

[@AZC1949]

I say again: BCN/Birmingham is so closely related to its namesake in Alabama it is scary. Avoid them both!

[@freedom55er]

I definitely despise graffiti!

[@MinimalList]

I think it is pretty disrespectful!

[@rwbimbie5854]

17:34 US Civil War reboot sequel This time they are gonna have a hard time blaming Slavery for a war against states seceding