The Charm & Canals of the West Midlands Cycle Ride

A cycle ride starting in the industrial city of Birmingham following the Birmingham Old Line and New Line Canals, passing West Bromwich, Wolverhampton and through the West Midlands Countryside to Penkridge and Stafford.

This is a cycle ride I’ve put off for the last two years waiting for the right time and train fare to make it viable. I finally got around to it and it didn’t disappoint me one bit.

The wharfs around the city centre are beautifully restore boxy warehouse buildings making a centre for socialising and culture. As we head through the city along the canals we see both the old warehouses of industry past and also the loud crashing and bangs of modern industry still alive.

Later on after passing through Wolverhampton and the narrow tow path falls of each canal locks and under viaducts carrying the railways we head into the beautiful countryside of the West Midlands.

The canals got quite muddy later on due to the early Spring ride and with the weight of my luggage making the ride precarious with the sun beyond the horizon it was time to cut the ride several miles short. As they say, the mountains will be there tomorrow.

I really enjoyed cycling the West Midlands and it didn’t fail to impress.

I hope you enjoy this cycle film.

Accessibility

The trail itself is relatively flat and hard packed but entry to the canal can be difficult due to steep steps from the road side so an alternative accessible entry point will need to be found. Some steep humps with raise brick steps could cause issues. Some of the later locks around Wolverhampton have narrow slopes under bridges so may need to use the bypass path. Canal trail in the countryside turns to grassy trails which can be challenging and muddy outside of summer or during rain.

Timecodes
0:00:00 – Introduction
0:02:47 – Arriving at Birmingham New Street
0:07:32 – Black Sabbath Bridge
0:08:11 – Regents Wharf, Birmingham Old Line
0:13:06 – Birmingham Main Line Canal
0:15:55 – Remains of Harborne Branch Line
0:19:46 – Engine Arm Aqueduct
0:21:18 – Galton Valley Pumping Station
0:22:34 – Galton Bridge & Smethwick Galton Bridge Railway Station
0:30:30 – Dunkirk Stop Toll Island
0:37:07 – Coseley Canal Tunnel
0:50:51 – Stour Valley Viaduct
0:52:44 – Viaduct over Wolverhampton Locks
0:54:04 – Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal
0:56:10 – Shropshire Union Canal
0:56:40 – West Midlands Countryside Canal
1:12:41 – Penkridge
1:13:20 – Penkridge Railway Station
1:16:43 – Stafford Railway Station
1:18:39 – End Credits
1:20:42 – Bonus Footage