Hi

the gf likes – architecture, history, mechanical things, old buildings etc etc and is a bimbler, so can anybody recommend a canal path (or similarish) route round Brum that she might like.

(Or any other town with a previous history etc that we could spend a weekend in)

thanks

if you’re after a bit of history ,personally i’d head west out of birmingham and through smethwick into oldbury and the black country. lots of really interesting stuff, bridges, locks, pump houses, beautiful lock keepers cottages, old red brick factories, a real treasure store of victoriana. this is the real cradle of the industrial revolution.

having said that, there’s plenty to see and do in the redeveloped stuff in the city centre too.

cheers Trailmonkey

? do you know how bad from Hagley Rd (on the RHS of the B4129 – B169RA Birmingham) to canal would be – ie is it pavement/hideous road etc (from internet I’d get to B4129 then up that and get onto Edgbaston Res track as it looks ok from there)

Cheers

We’ve done a couple of canal rides around B.’ham. If I get the chance I’ll sketch one onto Google maps. There was a good loop that left town & headed towards Wednesbury, the came back down a flight of nearly a dozen locks, under Spaghetti junction, & back into town under the PO tower. Sounds a bit “urban” but was something different.

Or any other town with a previous history etc that we could spend a weekend in)

thanks

Liverpool has it all, or try shrewsbury and iron bridge gorge museum

You’ve got to do the canal under Spaghetti Junction, and Aston Locks up to Gas Street Basin.

I’m fortunate that the route described by trailmonkey is my commute! From B169RA you can extend the history lesson by taking the Harbourne Railway Walk/Cycleway up to Summerfield Park, through the park to the North Eastern corner, across Dudley Road, up Winson Green Road to the Junction with the B4135, just to the left is a sneaky path down onto the canal! Phew…

If you reach as far as Tipton you can stop off at the Barge & Barrel for a pint…

If you want somewhere about 30 miles from Brum, you could start at Bridgnorth, the Northern end of the Severn Valley Railway, then cycle about 10 miles up to Ironbridge and the museums. Two of the best examples of working Victorian engineering in the Midlands.

Looks like the traffic free/off road section of the Sustrans route is closed at the moment though, with a diversion via the road.
http://www.shropshire.gov.uk/cycling.nsf/open/C111367080FCA9E780257539003EF4ED

You’ve got to do the canal under Spaghetti Junction, and Aston Locks up to Gas Street Basin.

Did this today. It was great actually. Very different and dead interesting too. Parked in A showcase cinema over the M6 and rode in from there. Did a separate arm on the way back and looped back to spaghetti. Good fun jumping off all the lock gate walls too.

The AA website has some rather nice easy rides (and walks)
(Sorry, can’t do a direct link, as it has an ampersand in the address)

Just go to Travel, then choose “Walks and Bike Rides”. Type in your town, tick Bike Rides (rather than Walks) and ignore the Optional Preferences.

They usually give a bit of background info to make it more interesting. A couple of examples:
Kings Norton
Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal