After the Tardebigge flight, you can enjoy about 13 miles of lock-free boating. It’s pretty easy to see why the original builders had no trouble making this part of the canal wide enough for barges. With no swing bridges or locks, there’s very little to slow your travel except for four tunnels.
Immediately after the Tardebigge tunnel (580 yards) you’ll find the AngloWelsh boat hire, again conveniently located above the flight but also out in the middle of nowhere. It is convenient to Bromsgrove Highway, but that’s about it.
There’s not a lot to say about this stretch of the canal except to sit back and enjoy the countryside. The next town of any size you come to will be Alvechurch, where you can also find another ABC Boat Hire location. It’s very convenient to the train station, just a four-minute walk away. You can also find several restaurants and a small grocery store in Alvechurch. I’m afraid I haven’t found an official visitor’s site for Alvechurch. You’re probably best served by reading the wikipedia entry.
Continuing north, your next big excitement will be the 1.5 mile long Wast Hill Tunnel, which is wide enough for two narrowboats to pass. It’s not a pleasant experience (I’m just enough claustrophobic to say this) because it takes 30 to 40 minutes to go through the tunnel depending on traffic. But after the gloom of the tunnel, you’ll find suddenly find yourself in civilization again in the suburbs of Birmingham.
We are just on our way to Worcester from the Grand Union canal, where do you receommend in Worcester on the canal, meeting my mother there for her birthday, its the first time for her seeing our new boat, so want a lovely place to moor on the canal in Worcester?
Sorry for the delay in approving this comment. I’ve been busy working on a guide to the Kennet & Avon and let emails slide. I fear this reply may be too late to do you any good.
I traveled the Worcs & B’ham by bike, not boat, but my memory is that all the moorings along the canal are very pleasant. You probably want to moor north of the Commandery. Any further south you’re in Diglis Basin Marina, which would require booking.