The
Stourport Ring
An energetic week’s cruise, perhaps more suited to larger parties (120
locks), the Stourport Ring gives the boater the chance to sample the
delights of river cruising. From Teddesley, the route is south to Aldersley Junction, where the Wolverhampton flight of 21 locks ascend to
the fascinating industrial archaeology of the Birmingham main line. This
straight canal takes the boater through an almost secret passageway past
old wharves and factories.
There are more miles of canals in Birmingham
than Venice and you could easily spend a week exploring the BCN
(Birmingham Canal Navigation) alone. But for the purpose of this cruise,
you take the
direct route into the city centre itself. Here, there is an opportunity to
moor outside the pub where President Clinton famously tucked into a pint
and chips, or to visit the country’s most inland sealife centre. Sharks
really do swim beside the Birmingham Canal! This relatively new cultural
zone offers many attractions and is becoming a must-see tourist venue,
situated beside the National Indoor Arena and the Symphony Hall. The City
of Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery is a short distance away, together
with a multitude of shops for any shopaholics in your party.
From
Birmingham a right turn takes you through the famous Gas Street basin to
the Worcester and Birmingham canal. A long lock-free pound takes you past
Cadbury World (this one’s for the chocoholics) before it’s time to put the
headlight on for a trip underground through Wast Hill tunnel.
Once through
the Warwickshire countryside gives way to Worcestershire pastures before
the descent down Tardebigge locks. Tardebigge is the longest lock flight
in the country and takes the boater from the Birmingham plateau towards
the river Severn at Worcester. Worcester is a must for a stopover, with
its elegant cathedral, delightful museums and more tempting shops. The
locks at Diglis are the gateway to the majestic Severn, where you feel
part of the attraction as you head past the tourists towards Stourport.
Then it’s another right turn and you’re back onto the familiar territory
of the Staffs and Worcs canal as you travel through delightfully wooded
scenery and back towards base. |
 |
The Avon Ring
As its name suggests, this ring offers an opportunity to discover the
delights of the River Avon and Shakespeare’s Stratford upon-Avon. It can
only be completed in a minimum of a fortnight from Teddesley, and involves
paying a separate toll to traverse the Avon, which is not under British
Waterways’ control. Nevertheless, it offers a tour of many contrasts where
you can sample the delights of Birmingham’s award-winning waterside city
centre together with idyllic sections of more rural waterways.
From Teddesley you head south to Aldersley junction where you ascend the
Wolverhampton flight of 2 I locks. It is possible from here to make a
short detour to the famous Black Country Museum with its recreated
Victorian village. Then it’s into Birmingham before taking the Worcester
and Birmingham canal to Kings Norton junction. From there, the
Northern and Southern Stratford canals take you through lovely
Warwickshire countryside to Stratford-upon Avon. |
After visiting the
famous bard’s town, the River Avon offers a picturesque
interlude into the Vale of Evesham passing through the town of Pershore, famous for its plums. The Avon meets
the Severn at Tewkesbury, where there is an abundance of traditional
‘black and white’ buildings. From there, the attractive town of
Upton-upon-Severn offers interesting antiques and bookshops before the
cathedral City of Worcester is reached. Then the official route is back up
the Worcester and Birmingham canal via Tardebigge locks and thence back to
Teddesley via Wolverhampton. Alternatively ( and more easily), you can
continue up to Stourport and follow the delightful southern Staffs and
Worcs canal right back to base.
The Black Country
Ring
This route mainly follows the route of the Stourport ring, but is slightly
shorter as it misses out Stourport, instead passing through the famous
‘glass town’ of Stourbridge. |
