Britain's official guide to canals, rivers and lakes

Saturday 20th March 2010

Birmingham & Fazeley Canal

The Birmingham & Fazeley soon leaves urban Birmingham behind for the green, peaceful and rural Midlands.

The canal starts right in the heart of central Birmingham, dropping through 13 locks in less than a mile at Farmer's Bridge by the Post Office Tower. But its urban origins are soon forgotten as it travels north-eastwards for 15 miles through Minworth and Curdworth.

Nicknamed 'The Bottom Road', the canal is now devoid of much of the industry for which it was built. Salford Junction, the waterway interchange in the bowels of Spaghetti Junction, is starkly impressive. At Drayton Bassett, once the home of Sir Robert Peel, the canal is crossed by a curious Gothic footbridge.

Download a Guide and map to Birmingham and the West Midlands’ Canals