{"id":854,"date":"2016-02-08T19:53:48","date_gmt":"2016-02-08T19:53:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/narrowboatingforbeginners.com\/wordpress\/?page_id=854"},"modified":"2017-12-08T18:57:31","modified_gmt":"2017-12-08T18:57:31","slug":"worcester-birmingham-canal","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/narrowboatingforbeginners.com\/wordpress\/worcester-birmingham-canal\/","title":{"rendered":"Worcester &#038; Birmingham Canal"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/maps\/d\/embed?mid=zIAbc2LzMJ18.kIHBPZuToL2w\" width=\"100%\" height=\"480\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/B00CB5RR9O?keywords=pearsons%20canal%20companion&amp;qid=1455646523&amp;ref_=sr_1_18&amp;sr=8-18\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jmpearson.co.uk\/images\/severn-and-avon-canal-companion.jpg?resize=201%2C142\" alt=\"\" width=\"201\" height=\"142\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"canal-summary\">Difficulty level: high<br \/>\nLocks: 58<br \/>\nBridges: 97<br \/>\nTunnels: 5<br \/>\nAqueducts: 4<\/div>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/canalrivertrust.org.uk\/enjoy-the-waterways\/canal-and-river-network\/worcester-and-birmingham-canal\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Worcester &amp; Birmingham Canal<\/a>\u00a0is just one part\u00a0of\u00a0the vast network of canals in the Midlands of England but it is remarkable for having the longest\u00a0lock\u00a0flight in the UK.\u00a0It connects the second largest city in Britain, Birmingham with a million inhabitants, to Worcester, with about 100,000. The canal, like so many, goes from very urban to quite rural and along its route are the requisite quaint pubs,\u00a0stately homes and impressive engineering.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Severn-Birmingham-Collins-Nicholson-Waterways\/dp\/0007538987\/ref=dp_ob_title_bk\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecx.images-amazon.com\/images\/I\/511M1BIPhsL._SX363_BO1%2C204%2C203%2C200_.jpg?resize=162%2C221\" alt=\"\" width=\"162\" height=\"221\" \/><\/a>The canal begins at the\u00a0River Severn beside Worcester and ends at\u00a0Gas Street Basin in Birmingham, where it meets the Birmingham Canal Navigations (specifically the Old\/New\u00a0Mainline Canal).<\/p>\n<p class=\"aside\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"168\" data-permalink=\"http:\/\/narrowboatingforbeginners.com\/wordpress\/note-icon\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/narrowboatingforbeginners.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/note-icon.png?fit=500%2C438\" data-orig-size=\"500,438\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"note-icon\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/narrowboatingforbeginners.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/note-icon.png?fit=300%2C263\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/narrowboatingforbeginners.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/note-icon.png?fit=500%2C438\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-168\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/narrowboatingforbeginners.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/note-icon.png?resize=150%2C131\" alt=\"note-icon\" width=\"150\" height=\"131\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/narrowboatingforbeginners.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/note-icon.png?resize=300%2C263 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/narrowboatingforbeginners.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/note-icon.png?resize=260%2C228 260w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/narrowboatingforbeginners.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/note-icon.png?w=500 500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/>The Worcs &amp; B\u2019ham was once separated from the BCN by a physical barrier, the Worcester Bar, in Gas Street Basin. It\u00a0kept the water supplies of the two canals separate because the canals were owned by different companies. Goods would have to be <a href=\"http:\/\/openplaques.org\/plaques\/8366\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">offloaded from boats on one canal<\/a> and then taken across the very narrow bar to another boat on the other canal.<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 2592px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/d\/d7\/Gas_Street_Basin_Worcester_Bar.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"hairline\" src=\"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/d\/d7\/Gas_Street_Basin_Worcester_Bar.jpg\" alt=\"The Worcester Bar, separating the Worcs &amp;amp; B\u2019ham Canal from the Birmingham New Main Line Canal\" width=\"2592\" height=\"1944\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Worcester Bar, separating the Worcs &amp; B\u2019ham Canal from the Birmingham New Main Line Canal<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The Worcs &amp; B\u2019ham also connects to the Droitwitch Barge Canal at Hanbury and the Stratford-Upon-Avon Canal at Kings\u00a0Norton\u00a0Junction. It\u2019s definitely a challenging canal for a beginner or for a small crew, although if you restrict your travels from Tardebigge to Birmingham, you can have a lock-free experience. Or, by making a ring with the Droitwich Canal and the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.severn-boating.co.uk\/canals.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">River Severn<\/a>, you can\u00a0avoid the Tardebigge flight, although you\u2019ll still have about 30 locks to negotiate.<\/p>\n<p>Once you reach Birmingham, you can make a ring with the Birmingham Old Main Line, the\u00a0Wyrley &amp; Essington, the Tame Valley and the Birmingham &amp; Fazeley canals, although that would be a challenging route after having just done the Worcs &amp;\u00a0B&#8217;ham.<\/p>\n<p>The Worcs &amp; B&#8217;ham\u00a0never quite lived up to its potential. It was meant to be a wide canal but the expense of the 58 locks in the southern end of the canal resulted in that portion having narrow locks while the northern end has bridges that can accommodate wide boats. The railroads were so competitive that the canal went into receivership, but surprisingly the canal continued until nationalisation in\u00a01948 and chocolate crumb was still \u00a0arriving at the\u00a0Cadbury factory at\u00a0Bournville until the Great Freeze of 1961.<\/p>\n<p>This tour will follow the route of the canal starting in the historic city of Worcester.<\/p>\n<p><!--nextpage--><br \/>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/maps\/d\/embed?mid=zIAbc2LzMJ18.kIHBPZuToL2w\" width=\"100%\" height=\"480\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\"  id=\"_ytid_72328\"  width=\"800\" height=\"450\"  data-origwidth=\"800\" data-origheight=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/z_jdPFqwSv4?enablejsapi=1&#038;autoplay=0&#038;cc_load_policy=0&#038;cc_lang_pref=&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;loop=0&#038;rel=1&#038;fs=1&#038;playsinline=0&#038;autohide=2&#038;theme=dark&#038;color=red&#038;controls=1&#038;disablekb=0&#038;\" class=\"__youtube_prefs__  epyt-is-override  no-lazyload\" title=\"YouTube player\"  allow=\"fullscreen; accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen data-no-lazy=\"1\" data-skipgform_ajax_framebjll=\"\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h2>Worcester<\/h2>\n<p>The only thing most Americans might know about Worcester (pronounced Wooster or Wuster) is that it&#8217;s the home of\u00a0the dark brown sauce in the long-necked bottle, and that&#8217;s only for those who realize\u00a0the city is the seat of the county of Worcestershire. But it&#8217;s also justly famous for its cathedral, the many remaining Tudor buildings, fine porcelain, its role in the\u00a0English Civil War and natural beauty represented by the canal,\u00a0rivers and the nearby Malvern Hills.<\/p>\n<p class=\"aside\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"168\" data-permalink=\"http:\/\/narrowboatingforbeginners.com\/wordpress\/note-icon\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/narrowboatingforbeginners.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/note-icon.png?fit=500%2C438\" data-orig-size=\"500,438\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"note-icon\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/narrowboatingforbeginners.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/note-icon.png?fit=300%2C263\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/narrowboatingforbeginners.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/note-icon.png?fit=500%2C438\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-168\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/narrowboatingforbeginners.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/note-icon.png?resize=150%2C131\" alt=\"note-icon\" width=\"150\" height=\"131\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/narrowboatingforbeginners.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/note-icon.png?resize=300%2C263 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/narrowboatingforbeginners.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/note-icon.png?resize=260%2C228 260w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/narrowboatingforbeginners.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/note-icon.png?w=500 500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/>To the best of my knowledge, there is no commonly accepted demonym for people from\u00a0Worcester. The closest I can come up with is Wigornian or <a href=\"http:\/\/vigornians.co.uk\/about\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Vigornian<\/a> from the original Latin Vigorn.<\/p>\n<p>Worcester is a wonderful walking city\u00a0because it&#8217;s\u00a0pretty flat with\u00a0several streets closed to traffic and lots of shopping at the CrownGate Shopping Center and Cathedral Plaza. The central area is compact and you can easily walk to many of the historic sites in a busy afternoon.<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 1280px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/b\/b9\/Worcester_Cathedral_Nave%2C_Worcestershire%2C_UK_-_Diliff.jpg\/1280px-Worcester_Cathedral_Nave%2C_Worcestershire%2C_UK_-_Diliff.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"hairline\" src=\"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/b\/b9\/Worcester_Cathedral_Nave%2C_Worcestershire%2C_UK_-_Diliff.jpg\/1280px-Worcester_Cathedral_Nave%2C_Worcestershire%2C_UK_-_Diliff.jpg\" alt=\"Looking toward nave of Worcester Cathedral\" width=\"1280\" height=\"985\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Looking toward nave of Worcester Cathedral<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3>Worcester Cathedral<\/h3>\n<p>The\u00a0diocese of Worcester was founded in 680, but construction of the <a href=\"http:\/\/worcestercathedral.co.uk\/Home_Page.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">current cathedral<\/a> began under Bishop Wulfstan in 1084. Of course over almost a thousand years there have been many\u00a0changes to the cathedral, including the collapse of the main tower in 1175, the dissolution of the monasteries by Henry VIII and the Parliamentarians damaging it during the Civil War, not to mention the for good or for ill\u00a0Victorian\u00a0restoration.<\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s notable not only for being beautiful, but also for the tombs of King John (he of Magna Carta and Robin Hood) and Prince Arthur (Henry VIII&#8217;s brother), and the premiere of Edward Elgar\u2019s <em>Enigma Variations<\/em>. It\u2019s open seven days of the week and admission is free, but climbing to the top of the tower for a spectacular view of Worcester\u00a0costs \u00a34 for adults and is on a limited schedule. Click here for a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/maps\/place\/Worcester,+UK\/@52.1886874,-2.2205532,3a,75y,91.65h,99.81t\/data=!3m8!1e1!3m6!1s-kino5SP5HCA%2FVq4M286CukI%2FAAAAAAAApbM%2FX0g0RHCd2qs!2e4!3e11!6s%2F%2Flh6.googleusercontent.com%2F-kino5SP5HCA%2FVq4M286CukI%2FAAAAAAAApbM%2FX0g0RHCd2qs%2Fw203-h101-n-k-no%2F!7i8704!8i4352!4m2!3m1!1s0x4870505800bbccd5:0xab9aa4f4d0da911c!6m1!1e1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">panoramic view<\/a> inside the cathedral.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\"  id=\"_ytid_80789\"  width=\"800\" height=\"450\"  data-origwidth=\"800\" data-origheight=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/9vahNUbQ470?enablejsapi=1&#038;autoplay=0&#038;cc_load_policy=0&#038;cc_lang_pref=&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;loop=0&#038;rel=1&#038;fs=1&#038;playsinline=0&#038;autohide=2&#038;theme=dark&#038;color=red&#038;controls=1&#038;disablekb=0&#038;\" class=\"__youtube_prefs__  epyt-is-override  no-lazyload\" title=\"YouTube player\"  allow=\"fullscreen; accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen data-no-lazy=\"1\" data-skipgform_ajax_framebjll=\"\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3>The Commandery<\/h3>\n<p>The last battle of the English Civil Wars was fought in Worcester in 1651. Oliver Cromwell\u2019s New Model Army overwhelmed\u00a0Charles II&#8217;s Royalists in the streets of the city but\u00a0the new king (his father having been beheaded in 1649) escaped thanks to a desperate Royalist cavalry charge. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.worcestershire.gov.uk\/museums\/info\/1\/the_commandery\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Commandery<\/a> was Charles II&#8217;s headquarters just outside\u00a0Sidbury Gate along\u00a0the city walls.\u00a0The site was originally an alms house built by Bishop Wulfstan\u00a0but most of the buildings date from the fifteenth century.<\/p>\n<p>Worcester gave itself the monicker \u201cFaithful City&#8221; for its support of the Royalists during the Civil War, although some commentators point to the pragmatism of the inhabitants.\u00a0\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/worcestercathedral.co.uk\/pgm-download_media.php?name=BoW_Download_Leaflet_-_Feb_2011_3.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Click here for a map<\/a> of the sites associated with the Civil War.<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 1024px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/3\/3a\/Tudor_House_Museum%2C_Friar_Street_%28geograph_3566290%29.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/3\/3a\/Tudor_House_Museum%2C_Friar_Street_%28geograph_3566290%29.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Tudor House Museum<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3>Greyfriar&#8217;s House and Garden\/Tudor House Museum<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.nationaltrust.org.uk\/greyfriars-house-and-garden\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Greyfriar&#8217;s House<\/a> is yet another black-and-white Tudor building on Friar Street, but it was originally the home of a wealthy merchant and not connected with a friary. It is now owned by the National Trust having been rescued from the destruction\u00a0of World War II. The nearby <a href=\"http:\/\/www.tudorhouse.org.uk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Tudor House Museum<\/a> (free) also adds to the charm of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/maps\/@52.1897609,-2.2187596,3a,75y,350.3h,81.04t\/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sm1eCEQDevrLvL-csdr6T7g!2e0!7i13312!8i6656!6m1!1e1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Friar Street<\/a>, a street notable for shops and restaurants and many other buildings that survived the \u201cRape of Worcester&#8221; when city planners tore down many medieval buildings in the \u201950s and \u201960s.<\/p>\n<h3>Worcester Guildhall\/Huntingdon Hall\/Swan Theatre<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.worcester.gov.uk\/guildhall\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Guildhall<\/a> is a Queen Anne era building that is available\u00a0to rent for weddings and other occasions and during Jane Austen\u2019s day served as the Assembly Rooms for dances and other functions. I mention it chiefly because you can get a guided tour of the Guildhall from <a href=\"http:\/\/www.discover-history.co.uk\/page106.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Discover History<\/a>, which as far as I can tell is a two-person historical re-enactor\u00a0troupe that offers many guided tours of Worcester. I just find it charming such a thing exists.<\/p>\n<p>Huntingdon Hall\u00a0and the Swan Theatere, meanwhile, are\u00a0performance spaces that are part of <a href=\"http:\/\/www.worcesterlive.co.uk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">WorcesterLive<\/a>, an\u00a0organization that\u00a0produces\/sponsors\u00a0live theater and music and in the winter months\u00a0the Ghost Walk. Huntingdon Hall and the Guildhall are\u00a0in the rabbit warren of buildings to the west of the High Street, while the Swan is farther northwest, near the\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.worcester-racecourse.co.uk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Worcester Racecourse<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3>The Hive\/Worcester City Art Gallery and Museum<\/h3>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: 0;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/maps\/embed?pb=!1m0!3m2!1sen!2sus!4v1454796517126!6m8!1m7!1sMhAkePltEuCYOKVUvn3Z7A!2m2!1d52.19318386676564!2d-2.226336599873256!3f19.04716015312827!4f6.955568833768041!5f0.7820865974627469\" width=\"100%\" height=\"450\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Part university library, part public library, part event space, The Hive is a gold-colored\u00a0building that defies easy description, at least judging by the website that fails to give a reasonably good explanation of what it&#8217;s about. You\u2019ll find it and the City Art Gallery and Museum to the northwest.<\/p>\n<h3>What\u2019s Worcester known for?<\/h3>\n<p>To the south of the cathedral\u00a0you\u2019ll find examples of the other product for which the city is\u00a0known\u2014porcelain\u2014at the Museum of Royal Worcester. You can tour the galleries, have the epitome of afternoon tea and of course there&#8217;s a gift shop. The museum is open Monday through Saturday and admission is a reasonable \u00a36 (\u00a35 concession). You can also start a <a href=\"http:\/\/www.museumofroyalworcester.org\/your-visit\/worcester-heritage-walk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">self-guided walking tour<\/a> of Worcester\u00a0from the museum although really you can start a self-guided tour anywhere you want.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\"  id=\"_ytid_95719\"  width=\"800\" height=\"450\"  data-origwidth=\"800\" data-origheight=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/K_W01uiuxvk?enablejsapi=1&#038;autoplay=0&#038;cc_load_policy=0&#038;cc_lang_pref=&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;loop=0&#038;rel=1&#038;fs=1&#038;playsinline=0&#038;autohide=2&#038;theme=dark&#038;color=red&#038;controls=1&#038;disablekb=0&#038;\" class=\"__youtube_prefs__  epyt-is-override  no-lazyload\" title=\"YouTube player\"  allow=\"fullscreen; accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen data-no-lazy=\"1\" data-skipgform_ajax_framebjll=\"\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Of course Worcester is most\u00a0known for the famous sauce made there at the factory, although interestingly the US and UK recipes differ slightly as to the vinegar used. And predictably the American recipe is sweeter (using corn syrup) and has more sodium. I believe you can take a tour of the factory but darned if I&#8217;m able to find a link.<\/p>\n<p>Worcester&#8217;s most famous son is Sir Edward Elgar, the composer best known for the march played at graduations. You can <a href=\"http:\/\/www.elgarmuseum.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">find his birthplace<\/a> three miles west of Worcester or you can see his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/maps\/place\/Edward+Elgar+Statue\/@52.1895715,-2.2204273,3a,75y,350.01h,83.25t\/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1shg1n7TVS0LLcqFlHEuHr_Q!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo0.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3Dhg1n7TVS0LLcqFlHEuHr_Q%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D43.825981%26pitch%3D0!7i13312!8i6656!4m2!3m1!1s0x0000000000000000:0xed05e374785d72b8!6m1!1e1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">statue in Cathedral Plaza<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3>Festivals<\/h3>\n<p>If you\u2019re in Worcester at the end of August, you can also enjoy the Worcester Festival (organized by WorcesterLive) featuring live music, street performance and historical re-enactments; or in September you can visit the Music Festival at <a href=\"http:\/\/www.worcestermusicfestival.co.uk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Lowesmoor Wharf<\/a>\u00a0while renting your narrowboat.<\/p>\n<h3>Shopping<\/h3>\n<p>Friar Street, Pump Street and the High Street enclose Cathedral Plaza, which is a shopping area catercorner to Worcester Cathedral. Farther north on the High Street you can find Marks &amp; Spencer and TK Maxx (which in the states we call TJ Maxx).<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 1280px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/8\/8d\/Malvern_Hills_AONB.jpg\/1280px-Malvern_Hills_AONB.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"hairline\" src=\"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/8\/8d\/Malvern_Hills_AONB.jpg\/1280px-Malvern_Hills_AONB.jpg\" alt=\"Malvern Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty\" width=\"1280\" height=\"914\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Malvern Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3>Malvern Hills<\/h3>\n<p>To the southwest of the city you can visit the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.malvernhills.org.uk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Malvern Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty<\/a> (I just love that designation). The hills rise 1,400 feet, which gives a commanding view of the region. There is\u00a0a ridiculously large number of things to do in the hills, including hiking, horse riding, fishing, mountain biking, hang gliding, rock climbing and even scuba diving (if you&#8217;re a member of the Sub Aqua Club).<\/p>\n<p><!--nextpage--><br \/>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/maps\/d\/embed?mid=zIAbc2LzMJ18.kIHBPZuToL2w\" width=\"100%\" height=\"480\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h2>The route<\/h2>\n<h3>Beginning at the Severn<\/h3>\n<p>Diglis Basin is the start of the canal next to the Severn. You\u2019ll find the canal&#8217;s one swing bridge here and occasionally\u00a0a lock keeper (although there&#8217;s an <a href=\"http:\/\/www.worcesternews.co.uk\/news\/14212856.Appeal_launched_to_find_volunteer_lock_keepers_at_Diglis_Basin\/?ref=rss\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">appeal to find more volunteer<\/a> lock keepers). There are moorings and a water point just to the north east of the basin before the Mill Street bridge. Of course although this is the start of the canal, you&#8217;re more likely to have started in Lowesmoor Wharf if you had decided to hire your narrowboat in Worcester, but don&#8217;t worry, we&#8217;ll be in Lowesmoor shortly.<\/p>\n<p>The next bridge\u00a0is where Sidbury (the A44) crosses the canal and coincidentally where you&#8217;ll find the English Civil War (and so much more!) museum the Commandery and also Lock No. 3. There&#8217;s mooring just north of the bridge, where you could park the boat while touring the Commandery or nearby <a href=\"http:\/\/fort royal park worcester address\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Fort Royal Park<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h4>Lowesmoor Wharf\/Worcester Marina<\/h4>\n<p>Continuing north, you&#8217;ll\u00a0travel through several bridges before arriving at the Lowesmoor Wharf where you can find the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.abcboathire.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">ABC boat hire<\/a> and a winding hole. Reasonably convenient to the wharf is either Worcester Foregate Street train station (with a nearby Tesco Express) to the west or Worcester Shrub Hill train station\u00a0to the east. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/maps\/d\/edit?mid=zIAbc2LzMJ18.k4XilprC8QX0&amp;usp=sharing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">See this map for walking routes<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Continuing north west, the canal runs next to garden allotments, the back sides of home and a school cricket pitch before turning north east along Barbourne Brook and a golf course. All very pleasant until just before the A449 and a caravan park\u00a0just south of the canal at Bridge 22. There are also a number of business parks south of the canal but there are also some small nature reserves keeping it from being too bleak. Once past the A449, however, the canal passes through farms and fields divided by hedgerows (although you will go under the M5 motorway). At Dunhampstead Wharf, just before the 236 yard\u00a0Dunhampstead Tunnel, you&#8217;ll find <a href=\"http:\/\/www.brookline.co.uk\">Brook Line narrow boat hire<\/a>. It&#8217;s a small company with just ten boats, so book early if you want to rent from them.<\/p>\n<p>After the tunnel you&#8217;ll reach\u00a0the junction with the Droitwich Canal coming from the west, by which time you\u2019ll have already passed through 34\u00a0bridges and have gone through 16 locks.<\/p>\n<p>You can also find the <a href=\"http:\/\/saltwaynarrowboathire.co.uk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Saltway boat hire<\/a> here, conveniently located before the Tardebigge flight, especially if you want to do the Droitwich Ring and avoid the flight altogether.<\/p>\n<p>As mentioned earlier, you could make the\u00a0ring using the lower portion of the Worcs &amp; B&#8217;ham, the River Severn and the Droitwich Canal, or you could just take a side trip to Droitwich Spa from the Worcs &amp; B&#8217;ham.\u00a0The difficulty with this scheme, however, is that there are no marked winding holes on the Canal &amp; River Trust maps. Presumably you could\u00a0moor and turn around at the Droitwich Spa marina for a trip into the town or turn around at\u00a0another natural if unmarked winding hole near Vines Park.\u00a0Unfortunately the Droitwich Canal was only made navigable so recently\u00a0that Google maps still show an unfinished route. Definitely <a href=\"http:\/\/www.waterscape.com\/things-to-do\/boating\/guides\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">download a current guide<\/a> from the CRT website.<\/p>\n<p><!--nextpage--><br \/>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/maps\/d\/embed?mid=zIAbc2LzMJ18.kIHBPZuToL2w\" width=\"100%\" height=\"480\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3>Droitwich Spa<\/h3>\n<p>From <a href=\"http:\/\/news.bbc.co.uk\/local\/herefordandworcester\/hi\/people_and_places\/religion_and_ethics\/newsid_8473000\/8473037.stm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Roman times<\/a>, salt made Droitwich prosperous. There are brine springs there with as much salt content as the Dead Sea.\u00a0As improvements in extraction and as monopolies on the salt were challenged, production increased and the town needed a connection to the Severn. At first planners hoped to make the River Salwarpe navigable, but\u00a0when those plans failed the Droitwich Barge Canal was begun and opened\u00a0in 1771\u00a0(pre-dating the completion of the Worcs &amp; B&#8217;ham\u00a0in 1815).<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 139px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/d\/d3\/Salt_workers%27_statue%2C_Victoria_Square%2C_Droitwich_-_geograph.org.uk_-_638481.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"139\" height=\"185\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">This statue in the St. Andrews Square Shopping Center in Droitwich Spa honors the bargees who sailed in trows, Severn river barges, on the canal, and the saltworkers who reduce brine to salt by boiling<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Unfortunately for the town, a discovery of salt deposits at nearby Stoke Prior and competition from the railways reduced barge traffic. In 1854 to make the canal more competitive, the Droitwich Junction Canal was completed to connect the town to the Worcs &amp; B&#8217;ham. Later the town\u00a0changed its focus to the restorative aspect of the brine\u00a0springs, relabeling itself Droitwich Spa. Even today the town boasts an outdoor saltwater swimming pool, the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.wychavonleisure.co.uk\/our-centres\/droitwich-spa-lido\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Droitwich Spa Lido<\/a>. For a guide of what to do in the town,\u00a0you can stop at the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.visitdroitwichspa.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Droitwich Spa Tourist Information\u00a0Centre<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Proceeding north on the Worcs &amp; B&#8217;ham from Hanbury, you will have about 7 miles and 41 locks that you&#8217;ll have to face before Tardebigge. If you want to avoid\u00a0the Tardebigge flight, don&#8217;t\u00a0go past the winding hole after lock 23, the bottom lock of the Stoke flight of six locks. There isn&#8217;t another place to turn around until you&#8217;ve passed the top lock of the Tardebigge flight.<\/p>\n<p>Just before that\u00a0point of no return winding hole you&#8217;ll find <a href=\"http:\/\/www.black-prince.com\">Black Prince narrowboat hire<\/a>\u00a0(one of the larger boat hires in the UK) at Stoke Wharf, just south of Stoke Prior.<\/p>\n<p class=\"aside\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"168\" data-permalink=\"http:\/\/narrowboatingforbeginners.com\/wordpress\/note-icon\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/narrowboatingforbeginners.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/note-icon.png?fit=500%2C438\" data-orig-size=\"500,438\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"note-icon\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/narrowboatingforbeginners.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/note-icon.png?fit=300%2C263\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/narrowboatingforbeginners.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/note-icon.png?fit=500%2C438\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-168\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/narrowboatingforbeginners.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/note-icon.png?resize=150%2C131\" alt=\"note-icon\" width=\"150\" height=\"131\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/narrowboatingforbeginners.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/note-icon.png?resize=300%2C263 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/narrowboatingforbeginners.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/note-icon.png?resize=260%2C228 260w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/narrowboatingforbeginners.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/note-icon.png?w=500 500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/>Remember the salt deposits found at Stoke Prior that ate away at Droitwich&#8217;s salt business? Well the guy who later bought the salt workings in Stoke Prior was John Corbett, who had sold his family&#8217;s barge fleet on the\u00a0Droitwich Canal. He reinvested profits into his new\u00a0business and made the process of turning brine into salt more efficient. He was another of those industrialists who contributed to the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.birminghampost.co.uk\/lifestyle\/how-worcestershires-john-corbett-became-3924056\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Age of Philanthropy<\/a>, providing decent wages and living conditions for his workers. Then after selling the profitable business, he used his money \u00a0to promote Droitwich Spa and the therapeutic benefits of the salt baths.<\/p>\n<h4>Tardebigge flight<\/h4>\n<p>You&#8217;ll want to time your trip to allow a full day for the flight because there&#8217;s no overnight mooring allowed on the flight.\u00a0Once you reach the Tardebigge\u00a0Wharf, at least you can enjoy a hot shower\u00a0there with a CRT key. And don&#8217;t forget to look for the plaque (or plaques) near the top lock of the flight commemorating the meeting between LTC Rolt, his wife Angela, and Robert Aickman that led to the founding of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.waterways.org.uk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Inland Waterways Association<\/a>.<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 1280px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/e\/ee\/Locks_and_bridge_near_Tardebigge_Reservoir.jpg\/1280px-Locks_and_bridge_near_Tardebigge_Reservoir.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"hairline\" src=\"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/e\/ee\/Locks_and_bridge_near_Tardebigge_Reservoir.jpg\/1280px-Locks_and_bridge_near_Tardebigge_Reservoir.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1280\" height=\"640\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Lock 54, which is one of the locks in the Tardebigge flight.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>By the way, that top lock is the deepest narrow lock in the UK. The original plan was to use an experimental boat lift there but apparently it was a little too experimental and instead they opted for a single, very deep lock.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\"  id=\"_ytid_34464\"  width=\"800\" height=\"450\"  data-origwidth=\"800\" data-origheight=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/S90iGmxC-FE?enablejsapi=1&#038;autoplay=0&#038;cc_load_policy=0&#038;cc_lang_pref=&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;loop=0&#038;rel=1&#038;fs=1&#038;playsinline=0&#038;autohide=2&#038;theme=dark&#038;color=red&#038;controls=1&#038;disablekb=0&#038;\" class=\"__youtube_prefs__  epyt-is-override  no-lazyload\" title=\"YouTube player\"  allow=\"fullscreen; accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen data-no-lazy=\"1\" data-skipgform_ajax_framebjll=\"\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>In addition to the showers at the wharf, you can walk to\u00a0the nearby\u00a0Tardebigge Wacky Warehouse, especially if you have young kids on your boat that need to blow off some steam. (It&#8217;s too lame for teens, I should think.) If you don&#8217;t have kids, you could also stop at the Tardebigge Court \u201cretail village&#8221; for shopping and dining.<\/p>\n<p><!--nextpage--><br \/>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/maps\/d\/embed?mid=zIAbc2LzMJ18.kIHBPZuToL2w\" width=\"100%\" height=\"480\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><br \/>\nAfter the Tardebigge flight, you can enjoy about 13 miles of lock-free boating. It&#8217;s pretty easy to see why the original builders had no trouble making this part of the canal wide enough for\u00a0barges. With no swing bridges or locks, there&#8217;s very little to slow\u00a0your travel except for four tunnels.<\/p>\n<p>Immediately after the Tardebigge tunnel (580 yards) you&#8217;ll find the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.anglowelsh.co.uk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">AngloWelsh boat hire<\/a>, again conveniently located above the flight but also out in the middle of nowhere. It is convenient to Bromsgrove Highway, but that&#8217;s about it.<\/p>\n<p>There&#8217;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&#8217;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&#8217;m afraid I haven&#8217;t found an official visitor&#8217;s site for Alvechurch. You&#8217;re probably best served by reading the <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Alvechurch\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">wikipedia entry<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\"  id=\"_ytid_19944\"  width=\"800\" height=\"450\"  data-origwidth=\"800\" data-origheight=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/toZoALjJS1c?enablejsapi=1&#038;autoplay=0&#038;cc_load_policy=0&#038;cc_lang_pref=&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;loop=0&#038;rel=1&#038;fs=1&#038;playsinline=0&#038;autohide=2&#038;theme=dark&#038;color=red&#038;controls=1&#038;disablekb=0&#038;\" class=\"__youtube_prefs__  epyt-is-override  no-lazyload\" title=\"YouTube player\"  allow=\"fullscreen; accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen data-no-lazy=\"1\" data-skipgform_ajax_framebjll=\"\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>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&#8217;s not a pleasant experience (I&#8217;m just enough claustrophobic to say this) because it takes 30 to 40 minutes to go through the tunnel depending on traffic.\u00a0But after the gloom of the tunnel, you&#8217;ll\u00a0find suddenly find yourself in civilization again in the suburbs of Birmingham.<br \/>\n<!--nextpage--><br \/>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/maps\/d\/embed?mid=zIAbc2LzMJ18.kIHBPZuToL2w\" width=\"100%\" height=\"480\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Also after the tunnel you&#8217;ll come to Kings Norton Junction where the Stratford-Upon-Avon Canal meets the Worcs &amp; B&#8217;ham. The\u00a0featured image for this page (either to your left or at the top of this page) shows the old\u00a0toll\u00a0house which has a sign showing the old toll rates.<\/p>\n<p class=\"aside\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"168\" data-permalink=\"http:\/\/narrowboatingforbeginners.com\/wordpress\/note-icon\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/narrowboatingforbeginners.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/note-icon.png?fit=500%2C438\" data-orig-size=\"500,438\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"note-icon\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/narrowboatingforbeginners.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/note-icon.png?fit=300%2C263\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/narrowboatingforbeginners.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/note-icon.png?fit=500%2C438\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-168\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/narrowboatingforbeginners.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/note-icon.png?resize=150%2C131\" alt=\"note-icon\" width=\"150\" height=\"131\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/narrowboatingforbeginners.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/note-icon.png?resize=300%2C263 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/narrowboatingforbeginners.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/note-icon.png?resize=260%2C228 260w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/narrowboatingforbeginners.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/note-icon.png?w=500 500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/>I suppose if you were in really good shape you could ride a bike to\u00a0Stratford-Upon-Avon along the towpath, but that would make for a 50-mile round trip. The towpath is decent although very muddy in spots and you\u00a0will have to leave the canal for the Brandwood Tunnel close to Kings Norton Junction. You can moor for 48 hours at Yardley Bridge, however if you wanted to make an overnight\u00a0excursion to Shakespeare\u2019s birthplace.<\/p>\n<p>This\u00a0last stretch of canal will take you to Birmingham. The principal attraction along this last leg is Bournville, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/business\/2010\/jan\/23\/bournville-cadbury-town\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">the factory town<\/a> created for \u00a0Cadbury Chocolate. Again if you have kids, you can let them loose in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cadburyworld.co.uk\">Cadbury World<\/a>, although they might return to the boat hopped up on sugar. Adults may prefer to wander <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cadburyworld.co.uk\/plan-your-visit\/bournville-village\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Bournville Village<\/a>, which preserves the factory model housing\u00a0and includes information about the philanthropic (and paternalistic) Cadbury brothers.<\/p>\n<p>After Bournville the canal continues along the University of Birmingham until you reach the end of the line at Gas Street Basin.<\/p>\n<p><!--nextpage--><br \/>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/maps\/d\/embed?mid=zIAbc2LzMJ18.kIHBPZuToL2w\" width=\"100%\" height=\"480\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 1280px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/8\/89\/Brindleyplace%2C_Birmingham.JPG\/1280px-Brindleyplace%2C_Birmingham.JPG\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"hairline\" src=\"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/8\/89\/Brindleyplace%2C_Birmingham.JPG\/1280px-Brindleyplace%2C_Birmingham.JPG\" alt=\"\" width=\"1280\" height=\"853\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><br \/>Brindleyplace, a retail area named after engineer James Brindley<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>Birmingham<\/h2>\n<p>It\u2019s\u00a0Britain&#8217;s second largest city after London, it reeks of the Industrial Revolution and it gave us\u00a0the Midlands Enlightenment with the men and women of the <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/7uYWTB66E_A\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Lunar Society<\/a>. The age of iron and steel and steam was forged here by people like Boulton and Watt and the questioning of man&#8217;s place in the world was examined by Erasmus Darwin and Joseph Priestley. Another famous son, J.R.R. Tolkien later gave us Middle Earth, many locales of which were inspired by the countryside.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\"  id=\"_ytid_84398\"  width=\"800\" height=\"450\"  data-origwidth=\"800\" data-origheight=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/7dXWZm53W1g?enablejsapi=1&#038;autoplay=0&#038;cc_load_policy=0&#038;cc_lang_pref=&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;loop=0&#038;rel=1&#038;fs=1&#038;playsinline=0&#038;autohide=2&#038;theme=dark&#038;color=red&#038;controls=1&#038;disablekb=0&#038;\" class=\"__youtube_prefs__  epyt-is-override  no-lazyload\" title=\"YouTube player\"  allow=\"fullscreen; accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen data-no-lazy=\"1\" data-skipgform_ajax_framebjll=\"\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>The city is also the center of the vast canal network in the Midlands and it boasts more miles of canal than Venice. Since the restoration of the canal network the city has embraced its heritage with lots of canal side development, including the Brindleyplace (named after engineer James Brindley) retail center.\u00a0The canals are quite convenient to the Birmingham Art Museum, the symphony and several events centers. You can find out what&#8217;s on in Birmingham at the <a href=\"http:\/\/visitbirmingham.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">official visitor&#8217;s website<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Unfortunately heavy bombing during World War II has erased a lot of the\u00a0city&#8217;s history,\u00a0but the canals still make a connection to the past. Much of what was lost was replaced by large, bland construction giving Birmingham the moniker of the \u201cConcrete Jungle.\u201d Recently, however, city planners have worked on redeveloping the inner city, making it very walkable with lots of\u00a0shopping and events venues. I don&#8217;t how attractive some of it is, but you certainly wouldn&#8217;t call something like the Bullring bland.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/e\/e4\/Canal_roundabout_2.jpg\/1280px-Canal_roundabout_2.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/e\/e4\/Canal_roundabout_2.jpg\/1280px-Canal_roundabout_2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1280\" height=\"960\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h4>City center<\/h4>\n<p>Very close to Gas Street Basin you\u2019ll find <a href=\"http:\/\/www.brindleyplace.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Brindleyplace<\/a>, t<a href=\"http:\/\/www.mailboxlife.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">he Mailbox<\/a>\u00a0(an old postal sorting facility), the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitsealife.com\/birmingham\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">National SEALIFE Centre<\/a> aquarium, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.thsh.co.uk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Town Hall &amp; Symphony Hall<\/a>, the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.barclaycardarena.co.uk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">BarclayCard Arena<\/a> and the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.birminghammuseums.org.uk\/bmag\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery<\/a>. Just a little further east is the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bullring.co.uk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Bullring<\/a> shopping area with the rather <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Selfridges_Building,_Birmingham\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">bizarre Selfridges<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h4>Getting around<\/h4>\n<p>There&#8217;s no equivalent to the London Underground in Birmingham, but the city is served by bus and surface rail. The <a href=\"http:\/\/www.birmingham.gov.uk\/publictransport\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Birmingham City Council website<\/a> has information about your various options, but the easiest is walking. As with many UK cities, the most convenient way to get a sense of the city is to take one of the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.birmingham-tours.co.uk\/birmingham-bus-tours\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">bus tours<\/a>. The Visit Birmingham website also has <a href=\"http:\/\/visitbirmingham.com\/explore-birmingham\/guides-and-maps\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">several maps you can download<\/a> to give you a sense of the city.<\/p>\n<p>You will have to go on foot \u00a0to visit the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.jewelleryquarter.net\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Jewelry Quarter<\/a> because the canals don&#8217;t\u00a0go there.\u00a0Jewelry&#8217;s not my thing, so I can&#8217;t tell you anything about that part of the city, although it is interesting that the area is the largest concentration of jewelry businesses in Europe and goes back 250 years. It also has the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/maps\/@52.4859264,-1.9057234,3a,75y,210.83h,74.85t\/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1siPR7AdpXeC1hNuKhgzSGBw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">only surviving Georgian square<\/a> in the city.<\/p>\n<p>There is some bike sharing in the Birmingham, although it&#8217;s nowhere near as extensive as \u201cBoris Bikes\u201d in London. As far as I can tell, there are only two <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bromptonbikehire.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Brompton Bikes<\/a> docking stations in the city.<\/p>\n<h4>Cuisine<\/h4>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\"  id=\"_ytid_43696\"  width=\"800\" height=\"450\"  data-origwidth=\"800\" data-origheight=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/qJ4WuRUD3ow?enablejsapi=1&#038;autoplay=0&#038;cc_load_policy=0&#038;cc_lang_pref=&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;loop=0&#038;rel=1&#038;fs=1&#038;playsinline=0&#038;autohide=2&#038;theme=dark&#038;color=red&#038;controls=1&#038;disablekb=0&#038;\" class=\"__youtube_prefs__  epyt-is-override  no-lazyload\" title=\"YouTube player\"  allow=\"fullscreen; accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen data-no-lazy=\"1\" data-skipgform_ajax_framebjll=\"\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>You might notice that the Google map that starts this page has no restaurants listed for Birmingham, mainly because the map would be so crowded as to be meaningless. But I thought I would mention the authentic Brummie (that&#8217;s what Birmingham residents are called) cuisine, the balti. It&#8217;s a perfect pairing of east meets west and is very appropriate for\u00a0a city with such a high ethnic population.<\/p>\n<h4>Boat hires<\/h4>\n<p>Unfortunately Birmingham is not a great place to start a narrowboat trip because as far as I know, there are no boat hires in Birmingham apart from a few day boat\/party boat companies. That&#8217;s a shame because the city is served by a number of train stations that would make it pretty convenient. I haven&#8217;t added the train stations to the map because of this.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\"  id=\"_ytid_41049\"  width=\"800\" height=\"450\"  data-origwidth=\"800\" data-origheight=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Xd5fNmcnpM4?enablejsapi=1&#038;autoplay=0&#038;cc_load_policy=0&#038;cc_lang_pref=&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;loop=0&#038;rel=1&#038;fs=1&#038;playsinline=0&#038;autohide=2&#038;theme=dark&#038;color=red&#038;controls=1&#038;disablekb=0&#038;\" class=\"__youtube_prefs__  epyt-is-override  no-lazyload\" title=\"YouTube player\"  allow=\"fullscreen; accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen data-no-lazy=\"1\" data-skipgform_ajax_framebjll=\"\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h4>Festivals<\/h4>\n<p>Although it would be pretty late in the season for a narrowboat vacation,\u00a0Birmingham is famous for its <a href=\"http:\/\/www.birminghamtattoo.co.uk\">military tattoo<\/a> that&#8217;s held in the BarclayCard Arena in November. (I really included it just so I could embed the cool tattoo video.) At the other extreme of the calendar is the <a href=\"http:\/\/stpatricksbirmingham.com\">St. Patrick&#8217;s Day Parade<\/a>, supposedly the second largest in Europe after Dublin. Slightly closer to boating weather is the <a href=\"http:\/\/visitbirmingham.com\/what-to-do\/festivals-events\/st-georges-day\/\">St. George&#8217;s Day festivities<\/a> in April. Smack dab in summer in July, however, is <a href=\"http:\/\/www.birminghammela.com\">Birmingham&#8217;s Mela<\/a>, a giant Asian music festival, or in June 2016 (it&#8217;s held every two years) is the <a href=\"http:\/\/visitbirmingham.com\/what-to-do\/festivals-events\/annual-events\/june\/birmingham-caribbean-festival\/\">Caribbean festival<\/a>. Fall is my favorite time for boating, however, and at the beginning of\u00a0September is the more laid back <a href=\"http:\/\/www.moseleyfolk.co.uk\">Moseley Folk Festival<\/a>.\u00a0And <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bhamcomfest.co.uk\">Birmingham&#8217;s Comedy Festival<\/a> is in October.<\/p>\n<p>I really can&#8217;t include everything to do in Birmingham because it would go on for pages and pages. I have to confess that when I go to the UK I always want to go to London, but after preparing this tour of the\u00a0Worc &amp; B&#8217;ham I must admit Birmingham is worth another visit.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Difficulty level: high Locks: 58 Bridges: 97 Tunnels: 5 Aqueducts: 4 The Worcester &amp; Birmingham Canal\u00a0is just one part\u00a0of\u00a0the vast<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":861,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[45],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-854","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-canal-guide"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/P74kO9-dM","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/narrowboatingforbeginners.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/854","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/narrowboatingforbeginners.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/narrowboatingforbeginners.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/narrowboatingforbeginners.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/narrowboatingforbeginners.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=854"}],"version-history":[{"count":46,"href":"http:\/\/narrowboatingforbeginners.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/854\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2196,"href":"http:\/\/narrowboatingforbeginners.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/854\/revisions\/2196"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/narrowboatingforbeginners.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/861"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/narrowboatingforbeginners.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=854"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/narrowboatingforbeginners.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=854"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/narrowboatingforbeginners.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=854"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}