Canal Boat — January 2018

canalboat.co.uk Canal Boat January 2018 63

Birmingham

approach viaduct to Snow Hill Station,
once derelict but now carrying both
trains and trams (and therefore a useful
alternative point to join this walk).
Modern city centre developments give
way to older industrial premises as the
canal continues to Aston Junction. Here
the canal splits: we’ll bear left to follow
the B&F as it continues its descent from
the high ground of the city centre. A
series of 11 locks leads on downwards,
more widely spread out towards the
bottom of the flight, and with a couple of
towpath bridges showing where some of
the many side-arms and basins used to
serve the local industries. It’s still an
intensely industrial area, albeit one that
no longer uses the canal for transport:
the roads that today’s industries use
begin to make themselves felt as you
approach the Gravelly Hill interchange

• better known as ‘Spaghetti Junction’.
  The multiple levels of viaducts and
  twisting slip-roads are much better
  appreciated from underneath on the
  canal towpath (although for the full
  experience you really need to take a
  short detour up the first few hundred
  yards of the Tame Valley Canal), but
  even they aren’t at the lowest level of the
  complex. Right at the bottom is the River
  Tame, which you cross on an aqueduct
  before reaching a canal junction. Sharp
  left is the Tame Valley; half right is for
  Fazeley; but don’t take either of these.
  Turn sharp right to pass under a second
  towpath bridge and re-cross the Tame on
  another aqueduct as you enter the

Birmingham & Warwick Junction Canal.

This short but grandly-titled canal

(also known as the Saltley Cut) isn’t part

of the Birmingham Canal Navigations,

but one of the northern extremities of

the Grand Union Canal system’s main

line. A former stop lock (a shallow lock

built to separate the waters of the two

canal companies) indicates the change of

ownership. Formerly just as industrial as

all of the canals in this area, it’s now

accompanied by a huge entertainments

complex on the left, and there are trees

and reclaimed grass on the right – but at

least a few gasometers and various

railway tracks preserve some of the

traditional atmosphere.

The locks begin again – aficionados

will note that they follow the usual

practice of single top gates and double

bottom, rather than the single gates

(characteristic of much of the BCN) that

we’ve seen so far. A long straight cutting

(at one point you can see straight

through several bridges in a row and

under a factory spanning the water)

brings you to Bordesley, and another

junction. You can bear left across the fine

cast iron towpath bridge to continue the

Aston Locks and (below right) under Snow Hill Station

The top of Farmers Bridge Locks, not far from the Christmas market site