Old Moaner Travel
I haven’t been everywhere, but it’s on my list
Grand Union Canal: Birmingham to Knowle
It has to be said this isn't the most attractive part of the canal.
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Beginning in the centre of Birmingham the canal passes through bleak, former, industrial areas.
From here it passes through suburban Birmingham, mainly through tree lined cuttings, before becoming more rural after Solihull.
Section Length: 12.13 miles (19.53 km)
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Time Taken: 4 hrs 26 mins
Dates Walked: 10th and 11th April 2017
Weather conditions: mainly sunny with some cloud, temperature around 13°c
Logistics: This section of the walk was completed in two parts.
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The first from Birmingham to Olton (5.13 miles).
The second part was Olton to Knowle (7 miles).
One of the most difficult parts of this walk was deciding where to start as Birmingham is home to some 35 miles of canals, even more than Venice. With the canals criss-crossing the city it isn't clear where the Grand Union Canal actually begins and ends.
In the end I, randomly, decided to begin the walk at the junction with the Digbeth Branch Canal, easier said than done as it was easy to find on a map but slightly more problematical to reach on foot from the central Birmingham stations.
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The early stages of this walk is actually quite depressing as it passes through parts of Birmingham which have clearly seen better days and look to be in need of some serious TLC.
Graffiti covered walls predominate, plenty of undergrowth which, depressingly, has become home to some of Birmingham’s homeless. Gaps into the hedges lead to improvised residences. One feels sympathy for the homeless but the accompanying detritus adds to the depressed feel of the area.
Just under ¾ mile into the walk, near Bordesley, the first surprise appears and also the first, albeit brief, escape from the industrial dirge as the canal takes a sweeping right hand turn, via a huge basin, and green becomes the predominant colour.
The respite is brief as the canal again becomes surrounded by urban sprawl and I have to admit this is one stretch where I began to feel uneasy.
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There were some rather unsavoury characters lurking in the shadows, certainly not the sort of people you would want to encounter after dark. Indeed, at one point, two of these characters began to follow me along the towpath. They may well have been perfectly innocent but they made me sufficiently nervous that I left the canal at the next bridge and I took advantage of the shelter of a nearby café to take a break.
One of the problems of this early part of the canal is very few people, apart from the ‘characters’ seem to frequent this part of the canal. Indeed a notable aspect of this leg of the walk was the distinct lack of fellow walkers, even the ubiquitous dog walkers were conspicuous by their absence.
Carrying on past Small Heath the canal skirts by a massive recycling centre and somewhat ironically the canal itself is full of rubbish and has a dirty film – a sign of neglect and underlying how few barges pass by this stretch of the canal.
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At least we are soon saying farewell to the industrial wastelands and are moving into residential areas. Unfortunately this long stretch is boring for the walker as most of the canal passes through tree lined cuttings and the view becomes monotonous, although the dog walkers begin to re-emerge.
If you’re the sort of person who likes looking at canal side houses and gardens, you will be profoundly disappointed – all you will see are trees and high fences.
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It isn’t until the Lode Heath outskirts of Solihull the scenery starts to open up. It’s still predominantly residential but no longer in a cutting, so more to see.
One advantage of the long, tree lined stretch is with leaves falling off the trees a soft carpet is created along the towpath, making walking comfortable and progressive.
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The “carpet” ends abruptly as you approach the delightfully named Catherine-de-Barnes, a stopping point for canal boats – well it would be if the place was open.
Unfortunately at this point the towpath suddenly becomes very uneven making walking very difficult, having to watch your footings and not being able to make a steady progress.
On the plus side the route finally begins to become more scenic with more open vistas and the rural scenery begins to dominate. A few sharp bends later and the traffic of the M42 motorway comes into view.
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As you approach the motorway it not only gets in your eyeline but the noise assaults your ears as well.
It’s eerie walking under the motorway as the roar, or more appropriately the rumble, of the traffic is hard to ignore and it serves to hammer home the stark difference between the 70 mph motorway and the 4 mph canal. This point is also close to Birmingham Airport where the intermittent noise of aircraft can break the silence.
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Walking away from the motorway you begin to find yourself in classic canal country with the canal bounded by farmland rather than urban sprawl.
A few miles later you will approach the Knowle Flight of locks, the first locks since Birmingham 11½ miles away. Coming from the south these locks are the last wide locks on the canal, as the locks in Birmingham themselves are all narrow locks.
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For the walker the highlight of the locks are some benches, where the walker can have a sit down and rest their weary feet.
Just beyond the locks you reach bridge 70 and, surprisingly, you reach the first canal side pub of the walk – after some 12 miles – the King’s Arms, a good point to end this first leg of the walk.
Next: Knowle - Leamington Spa
