Route: Birmingham to Worcester Canal (UK)

Submitted by mrbtbarnes@gmail.com on Fri, 07/18/2025 - 07:52am
Location
United Kingdom
Distance
47.2 km
Vertical Gain
123 m
Description

The Worcester & Birmingham Canal towpath makes for a scenic, relatively flat running route spanning about 29 mi (46 km) from Gas Street Basin in central Birmingham down to Worcester, with 58 locks including the famed Tardebigge flight of 30 locks  .

 

Highlights of a typical out-and-back run:

 

  • Start at Gas Street Basin – historic canal basin in the heart of Birmingham with vibrant bars and footbridges ().

  • City section – runs past the Mailbox, under the Grade II-listed Holliday Street Aqueduct, and alongside university and arena areas  .

  • Selly Oak → Bournville near Cadbury World offers fragrant, leafy trail sections  .

  • Kings Norton Junction marks a fork where the Stratford-upon-Avon Canal merges; this is a nice turnaround or extension point  .

  • Rural stretch & locks – beyond here the path turns more countryside‑like, eventually reaching the steep but captivating Tardebigge locks flight  .

  • Worcester end – finishes near Diglis Basin beneath the cathedral, where the canal meets the Severn River  .

GPS Track