Edgbaston, Birmingham & Worcester Canal

Kings Heath was our last stop on the Stratford and Avon Canal, as today we turned on to the Birmingham and Worcester Canal via Kings Norton Junction. The change was obvious and immediate. The huge brick and corrugated metal industrial building that lined the towpath was covered in grafitti tags. Some was quite good.

We paused our cruise when we reached Raddlebarn Road bridge. Will and his sister Sue started life at 8 Raddlebarn Road, moving to 22 Dawley Road, Wall Heath when Will was two and a half. Neither of them really remember their first home, but our journey took us underneath the road so it was a perfect opportunity to revisit it. Will walked up and combined his visit with lunch at the Country Girl pub.

The canal passed Bournville Station, whose metalwork was painted in Cadbury purple and orange. It continued alongside the train tracks, affording us glimpses of distinctive Birmingham buildings, interspersed by stretches overgrown with trees and shrubs.

It was in one of these green patches that we moored. The towpath was busy with students carrying new duvets, pillows and bumper packs of loo rolls to their halls. Cyclists and runners zipped by and Leo went nuts when we took him out walking. He'd ventured out very little during the past few days of rain and was super excited to see all the new people 🤪Read more