ABOVE MEAN SEA LEVEL

Jokes about "High as a Kite" are permitted.  During the past few days I have progressed from Fradley Junction via Fazely Junction and Salford Junction (which is under Spaghetti Junction) to my arrival this morning at Aston Junction where I discovered that Aston Villa is a local soccer team.

I also learned that Aston Junction is 400' amsl and to the best of my knowledge is the highest Pentargon has ever been above mean sea level.  

From the previous blog 8/6/25 you will remember I had been on the River Trent near Nottingham the surface of which can be taken as sea level and the canal made a series of steps up at the various locks I passed through while the River Trent made its own arrangements joining us from time to time until we swapped it for the Tame at Arlewas.

On arriving at Salford Junction I crossed an aqueduct where thirty feet or more below was a dirty stream which transpired to be a younger River Tame. 

At this point, in the shadow of the junction, it is joined by its tributary the Rae which shadows us to Aston Junction where we prepare to attack the truly wicked Farmers Street climb where in the space of less than a mile we lift the boat over 100 ft to arrive at Gas Street basin and plateau at the highest point above sea level Pentargon has ever been.

Aston Junction is on the Birmingham Main Line which takes it south to London and which we will meet again some weeks later when we exit the Lapworth Link ...