Walk for the Public: Kings Norton to Mailbox

WALK DESCRIPTION: Walk leader: Paul Hatton. This is a 6-mile easy walk along the canal from Kings Norton to the Mailbox in Birmingham city centre. Apart from an initial short downhill pavement walk from Kings Norton station then along a surfaced path across the Kings Norton playing fields, is along the level, lock-free and well surfaced Worcester and Birmingham canal towpath to the Mailbox in the city centre. After crossing Kings Norton playing fields we join the canal at the Worcester and Birmingham and the Stratford-upon-Avon canal junction. We will take a short - about 10 minutes - walk along the Stratford canal to take a look at the unique guillotine lock, which used to prevent water passing between the canals but is now maintained in an open position. We then retrace our steps to the canal junction. We then walk along the Worcester and Birmingham canal, meeting the railway at Bournville, where we pass by the Cadbury factory. There is an exit from the canal onto Bournville station, where there is (limited) seating, so we will have our morning coffee break there. We then have our lunch break about half-way through the walk in a landscaped area on the canal, developed as part of the new Sainsburys Selly Oak complex. There is direct access to the Sainsburys store from this area which offers toilet facilities and a good café/coffee shop as an alternative (or adjunct) to eating your own lunch here. After lunch we continue across the high-level aqueduct by Selly Oak, with the railway bridge on our left and views to the University, including the Old Joe clock tower, to the right, after which we pass the new University station development on the left. After this it is a green walk past the University, where there is another seating area for a brief rest, before reaching the end of the walk at the Mailbox with a wide selection of coffee houses and pubs which offer further refreshment. It is then a short walk to all of the Birmingham stations and buses. Everyone is welcome to join the walk leader for refreshment in a local traditional hostelry the walk.