Various lengths and destinations
EASY
West Midlands
Birmingham is the hub of England's waterway network and is well-known for having more canals than Venice! Towpaths provide a great basis for easy and attractive walks even in urban areas. Where no guide is available, they are easily found on maps or you can get leaflets from British Waterways (below).
See also Birmingham walks for more routes in the city centre.
Accessibility
All flat, easy walks. For information about sections with wheelchair access, contact British Waterways (below).
Birmingham and Fazeley Canal
Gas Street Basin, Birmingham to Fazeley 24km/15 miles
Connecting routes
Parks and countryside
Birmingham Canal Navigations
A network of over 160km/100 miles of canals including
- Birmingham Canal Birmingham Gas Street Basin to Wolverhampton Locks (with two parallel ‘levels’ between West Bromwich and Tipton
- Daw End & Rushall Canal Rushall to Brownhills
- Dudley No 1 Canal Delph Junction to Tipton Junction
- Dudley No 2 Canal Selly Oak Junction to Parkhead Junction
- Tame Valley Canal Salford (Spaghetti) Junction to Ocker Hill
- Walsall Canal Riders Green, West Bromwich to Walsall
- Wyrley & Essington Canal Wolverhampton to Brownhills
Connecting routes
Parks and countryside
Coventry Canal
Fradley Junction, Lichfield to Coventry 61km/38 miles
Includes a sculpture trail between Hawkesbury Junction and Coventry. The 4km/2.5-mile section of route between Hartshill and Tuttle Hill is known as the Quarryman's Walk and provides a great walk for children: see website below for more information.
Connecting routes
Parks and countryside
Websites
Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal
Stourport to Great Haywood 74km/46 miles, including
- Stourbridge Canal Stourton to Brierley Hill 9.5km/6 miles
Connecting routes
Parks and countryside
Stratford-upon-Avon Canal
Stratford-upon-Avon to King’s Norton 42km.26 miles
Connecting routes
Parks and countryside
Worcester and Birmingham Canal
Worcester to Birmingham 48km/30 miles
Connecting routes
Navigation Way
Birmingham, Lapworth, Dudley, Wolverhampton, Kinver and Chasewater 160km/100 miles
An unoffical long distance walk using the towpaths around Birmingham, with several shorter connecting routes.
From Gas Street Basin in central Birmingham the route first follows a large loop, along the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal to Salford Junction, the Grand Union Canal to Kingswood Junction, the Stratford upon Avon Canal to Kings Norton and the Worcester and Birmingham Canal back to Gas Street Basin.
It then follows the Birmingham Canal and Dudley Canal (Birmingham Canal Navigations) to Brierley Hill, the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal to Aldersley Junction, and the Birmingham Canal back to Dudley. Further sections of the Birmingam Canal Navigations -- the Walsall, Tame Valley, Daw End & Rushall and Wyrley & Essington canals -- are then used to finish at Chasewater.
Public Transport
Numerous connections are available. See Public Transport for Walkers: West Midlands for more details.
Maps
Publications
- Birmingham: Britain’s Canal City, excellent leaflet/map of canalside and other pedestrian routes in central Birmingham, from British Waterways
- The Navigation Way by Peter Groves and Trevor Antill, ISBN 1 869922 35 2. Meridian £5.95. Guidebook with maps.
- Britain’s Waterways: A unique insight by Brian Roberts, ISBN 0 86351 115 5. GEOprojects £12.95. Guide and directory with circular walk suggestions
Contacts
Regions
Local authorities
Visitor Information
Accommodation
