Birmingham and Fazeley Canal
Enjoy a walk or cycle along the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal from the city centre of Birmingham to the town of Fazeley in Staffordshire. Along the way there's lots of pretty locks, old bridges, nature reserves and wildlife to look out for.
You start off at Old Turn Junction near the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham and head through Aston and Tyburn where you pass close to Pype Hayes Park. The large park has 100 acres to explore with a lake, ornamental gardens and woodland. It's just north of the canal at Tyburn and worth a short detour. Just next to the park there is the pretty Plantsbrook Nature Reserve which consists of open water, wetland, woodland and meadow.
You leave the city and head through Minworth and Cudworth before coming to the splendid Kingsbury Water Park. The 600 acre country park is a major highlight on the route. It consists of 15 lakes with miles of good cycling and walking trails to try.
The final section takes you from Kingsbury Water Park to the town of Fazeley near Tamworth. On the way you'll pass Middleton Lakes RSPB reserve with 400 acres to explore. It's a great place for wildlife watching with common pochard, tufted duck and smew to look out for.
At Fazeley you have the option of continuing along the canal towards Whittington and Lichfield. This section passes Hopwas Woods which is good for mountain biking.
National Cycle Network route 535 runs through Aston so this is the best section for those on a bike.
Birmingham and Fazeley Canal Ordnance Survey Map 
- view and print off detailed OS map
Birmingham and Fazeley Canal Open Street Map 
- view and print off detailed map
Birmingham and Fazeley Canal OS Map 
- Mobile GPS OS Map with Location tracking
Birmingham and Fazeley Canal Open Street Map 
- Mobile GPS Map with Location tracking
Pubs/Cafes
The Red Lion is a lovely option on the route. It's located next to Hopwas Woods with a grassy beer garden next to the canal. You can find it on the Lichfield Rd, Hopwas, with a postcode of B78 3AF for your sat navs.
The Dog and Doublet is located on the canal near Kingsbury Water Park. It's a nice place to stop for refreshments and very dog friendly. You can find it on Dog Lane at postcode B76 9JD.
Cycle Routes and Walking Routes Nearby
Photos
Looking towards Minworth with the bridge carrying the Sutton Park line.
Aston Locks No 15, Birmingham and Fazeley Canal. This is the second lock down of the Aston flight of eleven. They lower the water level by seventy feet (about 21 metres) over a distance of about one mile.
Nice tree lined section of the canal. The building to the left of the photograph is an old mill, on the right handside of the photograph are the gardens of peoples houses.
A cold bright winter's morn. Tolson's mill on the right.
Arable land by the Canal. Taken from between Locks Nos 4 and 5 near Curdworth.
This lock is close to the Heart of England Way and to Kingsbury Water Park.
Aston Lock No 23 is by the red brick cottage. The Birmingham and Fazeley Canal joins the Coventry Canal at Fazeley Junction, a distance of fifteen miles from its start at Farmer's Bridge Junction in Birmingham. It includes thirty-eight locks, including the Farmer's Bridge flight, the Aston flight, the Minworth three and the Curdworth flight.
Aston Locks 1976. 1976 was a very hot dry summer, and by the end of August, many canals were seriously short of water. Ascending the Aston flight, it was necessary to let down water to fill each pound to a depth necessary for the boat to be brought up the pound.