If you are asking about Brum you must be starting close to. Gas Street Basin should be OK but a mile north is less so, as long as you are in residence it is not so bad. Black Diamond FC meet on Fri, though not August, easy walk to. Somers FC in Worcester is within very easy walking distance of Diglis Basin and there is a lot of canal to moor in that is nearer, again Fri.

have a look at my lists of sessions & FC's and use the map feature (click county) to find those close to canals.

when I did a canal holiday I lost a hammer mooring in the rural parts (put it down and forgot) and ran out of fuel at the worst time with an empty spare because I rushed the hire company. With narrow boats the fuel should not be a problem - maybe pump-out will be over two weeks - ask the hire company.

Oh and three things to remember
1) boats don't have brakes but they do have momentum - think ahead and slow down. Reverse thrust is not the whole answer.
2) boats - particularly long ones pivot about the centre of mass (centre of pressure but you won't spot the difference) so keep an eye on the stern and the bow when changing direction.
3) the steering in reverse is the opposite to what you think. Trust me - go slow. AND hard to port in reverse will not slow you down longtitudinally but it may turn a little.

Basically - be patient and slow - boats are not about rush.