Merry Hill

Rainboat descended the two Parkhead locks she'd climbed yesterday and a third got us on our way to Merry Hill shopping centre. It was an easy cruise after this and we chose to moor on the grassy embankment instead of the waterfront finger jetties opposite the pubs. It was quieter and less built up here; a lot better for the dogs and for us.

That evening we walked back to Martha, intending to visit one of the Chinese takeaways in Netherton. It was only once we got there that we realised they were both shut on Monday 🥴 We drove back to Merry Hill and Vicky sought out the car park restrictions, reading the small print to make sure we wouldn't be fined. Will went to heat up some leftovers. Happily there didn't seem to be anything stopping us from parking overnight or any other time restrictions so we stayed a couple of days.

Being so close to so many shops was very useful and although we'd normally avoid food courts in shopping centres, we thought we'd give Merry Hill's a go as we were staying so close. We found a surprisingly tasty and healthy(ish) lunch at a greek outlet. When we finished we nonetheless found ourselves relieved to be outside again, away from the busy commercialism and throngs of people.Read more