Urban Ramble: Waterways and Railways of Bygone Birmingham

We have a chance of a breakfast (optional) or coffee at Brindley Place before following an unusual route that is mainly made up of transport routes of a bygone age that can still be found within our modern city if you know where to look! Richard has prepared a hand out for those who want to know more about the many interesting features along the way.

This 7 mile route takes in Edgbaston Reservoir and Harborne as well as the more familiar stretches of Birmingham Canal and Worcester & Birmingham Canal. I must credit John Newson with the route as well as our very own David Ferney who brought it to my attention.

We meet at The Slug & Lettuce Pub on the side of the Canal at Brindley Place. Richard will just before 11am if you want to join him for breakfast or just a drink (pay on day) before we then work off the calories with an unusual 7 miles following a new collection of watery routes. As well as following canals, we will be using greenways, parks and some urban roads. As we are following waterways, the route is all flat, so it is an easy 3 hours of discovery.

The Walk: We start by following the Birmingham Canal going West. We'll pass the impressive Roundhouse which has recently been renovated by The National Trust. We will also pass a Buddhist monastery with its peace pagoda. Leaving the canal, we will then enjoy a stretch on the banks of Edgbaston Reservoir where we can reminisce about the Tower Ballroom (now gone) and spot Perrott's Folley (still with us), a tower that inspired JRR Tolkien. We find a lovely green passageway at Harborne, following Chad Brook and discover the old Chad Valley Toy Factory before we wind our to Somerset Road in Edgbaston which eventually brings us to a lovely stretch of The Worcester and Birmingham Canal that takes us back to Brindley Place.