The warm summer weather was a great incentive to get out on my bike and explore the canal which runs all the way from Kings Norton to the city centre (with no hills!). Here’s a selection of photos taken this year, going from south to north.
Passing Kings Norton Junction in evening sunshine
A boat heading south towards Kings Norton Junction, with the toll house visible behind
A short detour along the Stratford Canal brings us to the guillotine lock
Poppies growing by the canal
The building in the distance that looks like a church is actually part of a former paper mill
In the spring a flowering bush brightens up a concrete wall
Heritage-style direction sign
The canal in autumn, approaching the Pershore Road bridge
The remains of a military pillbox next to a factory: did they fear water-borne invasion?
For some of its length the canal marks the boundary between Stirchley and Bournville
Reflection of a boat in the water
Reflection of an electricity pylon in Stirchley
Bournville Moorings viewed from the Maryvale Road bridge
Bike shadow selfie by the canal with the rooftops of Stirchley in the background
The Cadbury factory in Bournville is located next to the canal: here, viewed from the towpath in autumn
I hitched a lift with the Moving Memories Café team who used a boat to promote their successful funding bid
Look behind you! A lofty perch on flats beside the canal in Selly Oak
Approaching the main road bridge in Selly Oak: the photo is inverted with the water reflection at the top
A view of Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham is obtained via a short detour from the canal towpath in Selly Oak
Selly Oak aqueduct is a modern addition, installed so that a new bypass and hospital access road could be built underneath
My bike on Selly Oak aqueduct: the cranes in the distance are being used to build new student accommodation
Looking back to Selly Oak aqueduct through a canopy of trees which line the banks of the canal
Old Joe – the University clock tower – pokes up from behind the trees in Edgbaston
Spring flowers by the canal
Bird brain: the canal runs through the University campus, but trees hide much of it from view
Edgbaston Tunnel: the towpath was widened and made safer during 2018
The railway line runs alongside the canal for much of its length
Approaching the city centre, the Cube comes into view
The textured surface of the Cube
Pedestrians look down on the canal from the Salvage Turn Bridge
Padlocks on Salvage Turn Bridge: the idea was borrowed from “Lovelock Bridge” in Paris
A boat makes the final turn towards Gas Street Basin
Another view of the Cube
At Gas Street Basin the Worcester and Birmingham Canal joins the rest of the canal network