Misleading canal sign?

We were the first boat up the Wolverhampton 21 locks today, as evidenced by the fresh black paint someone had carefully applied to the spindles of the lock gear The spindles!

We had a fairly uneventful trip up the locks, most of which were in our favour. I did my usual lockwheeling, setting a lock ahead each time. In the two and a half hours or so we took to get to the top, I therefore cycled three times the distance Jan covered in the boat. One lockside was adorned with cowslips.

At Factory Junction we turned right to keep on the Old Main Line. We passed some interesting creatures beyond Tipton.

There were plenty of moorhens on their floating nests. There were a few families of moorchicks about too.

At Tividale an aqueduct carries the Old Main Line over the Netherton Tunnel Branch. There is a canal junction sign ...

... but you can't simply turn right here. Yes, Netherton Tunnel is in the direction indicated, but to get there you'd have to turn left, left and left again, having gone down Brades Locks in the process.

High Bridge, which we passed under, is a bridge, certainly, but not what I would call high.

One more photo from today: a goose watches as Jan approaches Smethwick Locks. The Engine Arm goes off to the left under the towpath bridge (even though the bank looks continuous).

We tied up at Cambrian Wharf in central Birmingham, where I removed a large quantity of plastic from the blades.