For those wishing to visit Birmingham coming from the north, this canal is an alternative to the canals to the north-west of the city. It is far more rural and picturesque than the BCN route into the city.

There is little to say about the canal other than it is set in roughly 15 miles of pleasantly pastoral country with 14 locks. Of these 11 locks constitute the Curdworth flight spread over 3 miles providing some exercise though there are usually volunteers on hand to help out.

The most notable feature is the recently restored gothic-style Drayton Manor Footbridge which has Grade 2 listed building status. Being white and having two towers with spiral staircases up to the walkway spanning the canal, it is unique (I think) and is quite a spectacle.

The surroundings are urban around Minworth which nevertheless is pleasant on the eye. The rest is then rural. Although the M42 runs almost alongside Curdworth locks it is surprisingly unobtrusive.

Fazeley Junction is where the canal terminates and where it meets the Coventry canal. During the 3 hours of my visit to the junction there was far more boat traffic along the Coventry.

 

Below is a gallery of my photos taken en route, and below that a Google map with the locations of the photos marked.

To view photos:
1. View a larger version of a single image in a separate page – Right Click on the image then Left Click on “Open link in new tab” or “Open link in new window”.
Or…
2. Display an enlarged gallery – Left Click on an image – use the large side arrows to move between images – Left Click outside an image or press ESC to close the enlarged gallery.

 

Click in the map below to display a list of locations marked.