More on the Area and Routes
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STOURPORT-ON-SEVERN and the STAFFS AND WORC. CANAL One
of the loveliest canals in England, also one of the earliest, it opened
in 1772 and links the Trent & Mersey Canal with the River Severn at Stourport-on-Severn,
home of Stroudwater Cruisers. Engineered by James Brindley this delightful
waterway features quaint locks (gear,
lock) and weirs, cast-iron split bridges,
sandstone cuttings, villages, and an artificial lake. The whole 46 miles
from Stourport to Gt. Haywood, junction with the Trent & Mersey canal
and back, can be cruised comfortably in a week. Or you can turn left at
Autherley Jcn. and cruise to Norbury Jcn. on the Shropshire Union canal. There is a fun-fair, lots of pubs, restaurants, cafes and take-aways and canal, river and sea-going boats pass through the lock-flights from the basins to the river. Bewdley is 3 miles from Stourport-- 'the most perfect Georgian small-town in Worcestershire' (Pevsner). This delightful riverside town dates from Saxon times and was once a thriving port on the Severn. Nearby is the West Midlands Safari Park (tel. 01299 - 402114) a drive-round safari with African, Eurasion and American sections and a monkey jungle, pets corner, sealion displays, a hippo lake and walk-through deer and goat park. The Severn Valley Railway (01299 - 403816) has a station in Bewdley. Restored by enthusiasts the 16-mile line from Kidderminster to Bridgnorth operates daily from May 5th to September 30th, weekends throughout the the year. With award-winning stations often used as TV and film locations, historic coaches and wagons and 26 steam engines shedded at Bridgnorth it's Britain's premier steam railway. Between Stourport and Autherley Junction(where the Shropshire canal leaves the Staffs. & Worcester canal) the picturesque canalside village of Kinver is a good place to pause. Nearby is Kinver Edge, good walking country with cave dwellings. At The Bratch , near Wombourne is a unique 3-lock staircase with sideponds and toll-house. From here some of the crew can walk or cycle the old Kingswinford Railway, rejoining the boat at Compton, near Wightwick. Wightwick Manor(01902 - 761108) alongside the canal near Aldersley Jn. is a National Trust house, a masterpiece of the Arts & Crafts movement with original fabrics and wall-coverings by William Morris, glass , tiles and paintings by leading pre-Raphaelites, and a Victorian/Edwardian garden. At Autherley and Aldersley Junctions, near Wolverhampton, the Birmingham and Shropshire canals leave the main-line of the Staffs. & Worcester canal. The RAF Cosford Aerospace Museum ( tel. 01902 - 374112) is a bus or train ride from Wolverhampton. 80 aircraft in 3 hangers, missiles, air-shows and lots more. Past Penkridge and Stafford the canal spreads itself at Tixall Wide, an artificial lake built to placate the owner of Tixall Hall (of which the gatehouse survives) and now a haven for wildlife. At Great Haywood, junction with the Trent & Mersey canal, is Shugborough Hall, ancestral home of Lord Lichfield. The house has 18th century glass, furniture and pictures, restored domestic buildings, Park Farm , gardens and landscaped park. SHROPSHIRE
UNION CANAL The Birmingham and Liverpool Junction Canal, now known as the Shropshire Union, was the last major canal built in England. Engineered by Thos. Telford, it linked the Mersey with the industrial Midlands and opened in 1835 during the 'railway age'. It features deep cuttings and massive embankments affording superb views over Staffordshire and Shropshire, and many attractive villages such as Brewood, Gnosall and Audlem. Telford also engineered public buildings such as Somerset House, bridges and roads. His cast-iron aqueduct at Stretton carries the 'Shroppie' over his A5 Holyhead Road near Brewood. All this can be enjoyed in a one-week cruise from Stourport to Norbury Junction and back. In a fortnight you can cruise the full length of the 'Shroppie' to Audlem, Nantwich, Roman and medieval Chester and Ellesmere Port. Or turn right at Barbridge Junction and return to Stourport via Middlewich and the Trent & mersey canal.
BIRMINGHAM CANAL NAVIGATIONS Instead of heading for rural Shropshire or Great Haywood you can turn right at Aldersley Junction on to the Birmingham Canal Navigations. towards the Black Country and the City of Birmingham, returning to Stourport via Kings Norton, and Worcester. This is the Stourport Ring, a fascinating and varied circular route easily cruised in a week. Birmingham and the Black Country has 130 miles of canals. The city has so many pubs, clubs, discos, restaurants, theatres, multi-screen cinemas, galleries, museums and other venues that only a brief list is possible here. These are just a few of the main attractions close to the Birmingham New Main Line canal, part of the circular Stourport Ring: Black Country Museum, Dudley. (0121 - 557 - 9643). Re-creation of the workshop of England of about 1868. Ride the tramcars, descend the colliery, canal boat dock, workshops, steam engines, cottages, traditional shops & pubs. Boat trips into Dudley Tunnel. Boat moorings in the Museum. Royal Doulton Crystal(01384 - 444654). Royal Brierley Crystal(01384 - 349900) Stuart Crystal and Red House Glass Cone(01384 - 828282). Glass works with factory shops in Brierley Hill on the Stourbridge Canal, part of the Stourport Ring. Dudley Castle and Zoo ( 01384 - 215314). Bumble Hole, Cobb's Engine House, Windmill End, Netherton Tunnel. Industrial relics in a nature reserve. Birmingham City Centre. (Tourist Information: 0121 - 643 - 2514). Overnight moorings available adjacent. Theatres - Alexandra, Repertory, Old Rep, Hippodrome National Indoor Arena Sea-Life Centre, Symphony Hall, Museum & Art Gallery(free) Birmingham Railway Museum(train to Tyseley Station), Jewellery Quarter, Cadbury World chocolate experience, Selly Manor and Bourneville Village, Barber Institute of Fine Arts. WORCESTER
& BIRMINGHAM CANAL The canal leaves Birmingham past Cadbury's Bourneville Chocolate factory(tours available) and Kings Norton, junction with the Stratford-on-Avon canal. After Wast Hill tunnel (1.5 miles long) and Alvechurch is the 36-lock Tardebigge flight, the longest in the country with views to the Malvern Hills. Don't miss the Avoncroft Museum of Buildings (01527 - 831886) with Shire Hall, working Windmill, Church, Barns, Cider Mill and the national Telephone Kiosk collection. Rides, farm animals, picnic area, tearoom and shop. Near Astwood Locks is Hanbury Hall and the Jinney Ring Craft centre. Next to the canal and river in Worcester are the Commandery Civil War Centre(01905 - 355071), the Royal Worcester Porcelain Works (01905 - 23221) (factory tours, seconds shop, porcelain museum, restaurant), multiplex cinema, cathedral, shopping centre, cricket ground and racecourse. A four-hour cruise up the River Severn from Worcester to Stourport-on-Severn completes the STOURPORT RING ONE-WEEK CIRCULAR CRUISE. THE RIVER SEVERN FROM WORCESTER to TEWKESBURY and GLOUCESTER and the GLOUCESTER & SHARPNESS CANAL to SLIMBRIDGE. A one-week trip from Stourport with no locks to work. The Severn is Britain's longest river, 220 miles from the Welsh mountains to the Bristol channel. Navigable from Stourport to Gloucester, spanned by Telford's bridges and rich in wildlife the Severn is a fascinating contrast to the narrow canals. Upton-on-Severn is a pleasant overnight mooring-place between Worcester and Tewkesbury. Tewkesbury is a lovely medieval town. The 900 year-old Abbey is one of the largest parish churches in the country. The Battle of Tewkesbury(1471) one of the bloodiest in the Civil War is commemorated by a Battle Trail. The John Moore Countryside Museum occupies a three-storey timber-framed 15th century house. In Gloucester's Historic Docks the old warehouses now house the National Waterways Museum (01452 - 307009) the Robert Opie Museum of Packaging and Advertising (01452 - 302309). The Gloucester Antiques Centre (01452 - 529716), cafes, restaurants etc. Tourist Information Office - 01452 - 260790. The Gloucester & Sharpness Canal, a ship canal engineered by Telford, takes you to the Slimbridge Wildlife & Wetlands Centre(01453 - 890065), founded in 1946 by Sir Peter Scott who also campaigned for canal restoration. A 1000-acre reserve and visitor activity centre; swans, ducks, geese, migrating birds, tropical house, exhibitions, decoys. STOURPORT to SLIMBRIDGE and return is an easy week's cruise with no locks to work. The Warwickshire Avon (to distinguish it from many others) links Tewkesbury with Pershore, Evesham and Stratford. Many village pubs and restaurants particularly at Twyning, Wyre Piddle, Bidford and Welford. At Stratford overnight moorings opposite the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre, actually three theatres producing plays by Shakespeare and his contemporaries, and other drama. (Booking Office - 01789 - 295623). Tours, Shakespeare Birthplace Trust and visitor centre, Mary Arden's House, Anne Hathaway's Cottage, Butterfly Farm. Tourist Information 01789 - 293127. |
