• This topic has 23 replies, 11 voices, and was last updated 11 years ago by mboy.
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  • Tardebigge locals , Worcester to Birmingham canal path?
  • ski
    Free Member

    As it is local to me and I have never riden it before I decided to ride it at the weekend.

    Well, I got as far as the lock climbs at Tardebigge, where the canal dissapears into the hillside?

    Is there still a ridable path, that will take you onto Birmingham. past here?

    MicArms
    Full Member

    Yeap, where the tunnel starts, just cross over the road , there is a house on other side of the road on the left about 10 meters down. There is a little footpath about 6 meters in length.. That will spit you out onto the dual carriage way.
    You can see some steps on other side of carriage way, aim for them. Cross that field..
    You are then onto a road junction, go straight over. Follow road to t junction, go left, then 1st right..down that road about 20 meters past canal boat hire place..there is a cutting in the hedge.. You can pick up the canal there and go along to Alvechurch etc..
    My description is a bit shite so will dig out a link to my off road commute to Brum.. Stand by..

    jes
    Free Member

    Never quite got this far when I tried it.

    But in theory yes, the canal continues on the other side of the Bromsgrove highway, may have link it up by country lanes though.

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    ski
    Free Member

    cheers Mic.

    MicArms
    Full Member
    MicArms
    Full Member

    Thing to note, at 10 mile marker, canal goes into another tunnel so 2 miles on the road before you can pick it up again. Then it’s canal and cycle path markrs through Lea valley.. If you re heading for the east side of Brum..

    ski
    Free Member

    Neat, looks like I can link Worcester to Brum then? Just need to find a decent pub stop on the way now 😉

    It was quite an enjoyable ride from Wor. to Tardebigge tbh, I was not expecting it be, quiet, friendly walkers, would be neat to do it all.

    What is the second leg to Birmingham like to ride Mic?

    MrTall
    Free Member

    Ski,

    I’m one of Mic’s riding buddies and do lots of canal miles.

    You can get decent maps of all the local canal systems from either the canal shops or online (i think they are called GeoGuide something or other, i got mine from Amazon for around £5 each). I’d highly recommend them as they are very detailed and also give loads of interesting info on the canal history etc. It’s easy to get lost without them, especially after the 2 mile tunnel Mic mentioned. The canal starts again in the middle of a pikey housing estate! There are also lots of dead end branches that can take all day to navigate around if you don’t know where you’re going.

    The ride from Tardebigge to Alvechurch is nice (much the same as the leg you have done already but far less locks!) but the ride the other side of West Heath into Brum is obviously far more built up and more paved paths than anything off road although it’s interesting to see Brum from the canal perspective.

    You can also branch off and do the loop all the way to Stratford which is nice but is around 60 miles return trip from the junction, without the rest of the ride taken into consideration.

    Once in Brum there is a variety of loops you can do and you can also come back a different route via Stourbridge or down to Stourport if you fancy it.

    If you happen to pass near Bromsgrove i’ll happily let you look at my map collection (i have around 5 i think as each canal branch gets it’s own map).

    I may do another all day canal tour once (if) the weather picks up again. All i’ve done so far this year is a few round trips to Worcs and back from Bromsgrove, getting on at Tardebigge.

    Sorry for long post but hopefully it gives you lots of info.

    ski
    Free Member

    Thanks Mr Tall, the Stourbridge route sounds interesting too.

    disco_stu
    Free Member

    I can recommend either the Coach & Horses or the Peacock, both of these are a bit of a detour from the route given above but nothing more than 1-2km

    The Coach and Horses has the bonus of having an onsite brewery!

    gusamc
    Free Member

    *hijack (and apologies for), but as planning to treat gf to Brum/Works via canal next weekend and as there are some locals on board was wondering if apart from Brum/Worcs and back are there any canal/cyclepath routes that included old architecture/history/industrial buildings/scenery/must vist bits etc etc as gf is into that sort of thing and we’re doing the weekend in Brum

    BlobOnAStick
    Full Member

    Yep, I’ve used the tow-path to commute Birmingham to Worcester. There should be proper bridleways over all of the tunnels, but some sections are impassable due to vegetation and others are labelled as footpaths. An OS map will show all you need, but you’re best off diverting on the roads over Wast Hill Tunnel.

    Some sections get very gloopy after wet weather (notably the section south of Wast Hill Tunnel) the best sections are along the Tardebigge locks and in Birmingham, so I think you’ll have only seen the good stuff so far!

    There are quite a few pubs on the tow-path, just don’t visit them all, or you’ll find yourself getting an early bath!

    MrTall
    Free Member

    Gusamc,

    I’ll try and remember to look at my maps tonight as they have all the historical bits of interest (canal related) on them and let you know.

    Ski, if you try the Stourbridge route try and take in the Netherton tunnel which is an experience to ride. It’s one of the longest canal tunnels in the country (the longest is next to it but no longer used) at over 2000m. It has a towpath which is rare for canal tunnels and is completely pitch black – as in can’t see you hand infront of your face dark. Cold and eerie and an experience to ride though (takes around 10 mins) but definitely an experience – lights are a must!

    Stu – rode past the Peacock last night, used to go there a bit but not for ages now – may pop there one day soon when the weather is good as the beer garden is lovely.

    disco_stu
    Free Member

    MrTall got a quick q about the Canal link to Halesowen after the Netherton tunnel as I did a ride from Birmingham – Netherton – Clent – Birmingham last year.
    I had to get off the canal as I got close to Halesowen as there is a canal boatyard which blocks access to the towpath as a result I had to ride through Halesowen along the Duldley Road to get to Clent Hills, I had hoped to be able to ride under Mucklow Hill but couldn’t find a way to do that, is there a way to hop back onto the canal that I missed?
    Cheers

    ski
    Free Member

    Good call disco_stu.

    I did pass a pub called the Eagle and Sun near Droitwich, but it looked closed?

    The Bridge at Tibberton had a beer garden overlooking the Canal and the service was bike friendly.

    MrTall
    Free Member

    I’m not sure off the top of my head Stu, i’ll grab the maps out later and see if there’s a navigatable route for you.

    My email is in my profile if anybody wants to PM me later in case i forget to look at them (which is highly likely).

    All this canal talk is making me want to go out for another Bimble, i’m thinking into Brum on the Worcs canal and back out the other side via Stourbrige and lanes back to Bromsgrove. Just need some sunshine now….

    MrTall
    Free Member

    Ski,

    Eagle & Sun closed recently but i believe to due to reopen at some stage. It’s usually my mid ride stop off point on the way to Worcs. They do (did) a nice carvery there.

    You can also jump off the canal there and cross the road and go down the newly opened (refurbed) section of canal that goes down to Droitwich via the rugby club and under construction marina. You can follow that section out to the river Severn (i think?) but the last few miles petered out into nothing last time i tried. It’s slowly being revamped via lottery funding over the last few years but progress seems painfully slow. The locks down from the Eagle and sun are enormous.

    Scamper
    Free Member

    Out of interest, is the linked route kiddie trailer friendly in the summer apart from a few steps? Fancy jumping on at QE Hospital to the the in-laws at Brockhill. I’ve done it a few years ago minus child, but can’t remember what its like apart from the the Brum sections from University which I’ve cycled a few time before.

    Ski – you can also try and tackle the steps of certain death which i think are around the Lower Bittle Reservoir?

    rOcKeTdOg
    Full Member

    The Crown at withybed Alvechurch is good, night rides usually call in there
    i’ve ridden from Worcs to warwick via canals all on nice towpaths

    Will be v muddy in places after the recent rain though

    I was at the coach and horses mid ride yesterday, lush that i am

    rOcKeTdOg
    Full Member

    section of canal that goes down to Droitwich via the rugby club and under construction marina. You can follow that section out to the river Severn (i think?) but the last few miles petered out into nothing last time i tried.

    It’s a great alternative route to worcs via claines (and great pub called the mug house) a few cyclepaths and through the race course

    Be careful though if they are still about http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/you-know-how-swans-can-break-a-mans-arm

    ski
    Free Member

    and great pub called the mug house

    Now you are talking, the Mug used to be my local, still ride over there sometimes 😉

    section of canal that goes down to Droitwich via the rugby club and under construction marina. You can follow that section out to the river Severn (i think?) but the last few miles petered out into nothing last time i tried.

    Its all good now to the river at Worcester, there is even a new bridge which takes you past the Cricket ground and if you are into a little bit of cheeky, a very nice singletrack that follows the river that takes you to the Camp House Inn at Grimley, another pub not to miss 😉

    budgierider67
    Full Member

    I’ve ridden the Bham – Worcester canal route & back. It’s a decent ride.
    The longest stretch where you have to come off the canal is about a mile after the Hopwood Pub, where you have to cycle through a large housing estate (Walkers Heath) before rejoining the canal at the junction of Foyle Rd/Shannon Rd.
    Decending the Tardebigge locks towards Worcester is fun as is the stretch through open fields at Shortwood over the other tunnel on the route.

    Gusamc,

    You can cycle along the canal from Bham to the Black Country Museum (9 miles).
    Other than that, at Lifford Junction if you take a short diversion along the canal towards Stratford, after a few hundred yards you come to a rare guillotine stop lock.
    Also from Brindley Place it’s a short detour off the canal to Edgbaston Reservoir where on Waterworks road you have the two towers which are supposed to have inspired Tolkien.
    The Ikon gallery at Brindley Place is an impressive looking building & square, whilst you are there. Great cafe bar too.

    MrTall
    Free Member

    Disco Stu,

    Looking at the map it appears the canal ends at Blackheath. It used to go into the Lapal Tunnel (3470m!) which joined onto the Worcs canal but was closed in 1917 after a major roof cave in and never reopened.
    Apparently there are plans to renovate it one day but don’t think it’ll happen anytime soon.
    Your other option is to take the alternative route out of Netherton and come into the Bonded warehouse on the ring road in Stourbridge then a few road miles to Clent.

    Gusamc,

    No hugely significant historical areas to see but the obvious ones are close by like the Bournville area and all the buildings from the Cadbury era which i think is still a conservation area and pleasantto wander around. Also Worcs Cathedral is an amazing building once you finish the ride. There’s a rare Guillotine gate stop lock at the Kings Norton Junction with the Stratford canal built in 1802 ‘it’s an unusual structure of wooden guillotine gates balanced by chains and counterweights’.

    Then there’s the Tardebigge locks which with 30 locks is the longest continuous flight in Britain.

    You could also branch off at the Droitwich junction (at the Eagle & Sun pub) and go down to the Chateau Impney which was built by John Corbett who founded the largest salt works in the world in Droitwich (demolished in 1970). He built it for his wife – generous chap! It’s a hotel now though but a lovely looking structure.

    Hope some of this helps folks. 🙂

    mboy
    Free Member

    Now you are talking, the Mug used to be my local, still ride over there sometimes

    Haha, small world! I live literally just round the corner from the Mug House!

    Ski, are you a Worcester local then?

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