About this Event
P LEASE NOTE THAT THE DURATION OF THIS EVENT SHOWN ABOVE IS ONLY APPROXIMATE AND CANNOT BE GUARANTEED; IT WILL DEPEND ON FACTORS SUCH AS THE WEATHER AND THE WALKING PACE OF THE GROUP.
Join this leisurely ramble with a Birmingham Ramblers group leader and enjoy social walking with our friendly members.
It is essential that the walk leader has prior knowledge of numbers that will be on this walk. We ask you to complete this very brief form to help with our planning of the walk to ensure that we can safely accommodate all who wish to join us. You will receive an automatic acknowledgement when you submit this form, and also a reminder of the details 2 days before the walk.
Walk leader: Paul Hatton
This is a 4 ½ mile walk along the well-surfaced towpath of the Birmingham Main Line Canal to the city centre.
Meeting arrangements:
From Birmingham Moor Street station: Meet on the concourse at Birmingham Moor Street Station, Queensway B4 7UL by 10.15 a.m. for the 10.27 a.m. to Smethwick Galton Bridge, arriving at 10.40 a.m. This is the train to Worcester Foregate Street. Travel is free to holders of West Midlands Concessionary Passes.
Meeting at Smethwick Galton Bridge station: Meet at the station exit on Oldbury Road to meet the 10.40 arrival. We won't be waiting there for latecomers, so don't be late.
Walk Description:
This is a 4 ½ mile walk along the well-surfaced towpath of the Birmingham Main Line Canal to the city centre.
This section of canal has received the prestigious Green Flag Award from Keep Britian Tidy, highlighting efforts to provide accessible green spaces. This walk has been named The Revolution Walk by the Canal and River Trust since it celebrates three eras of transport: canals, roads and railway.
Along the way we walk underneath the 1829 Galton Bridge, pass the 1825 Engine Arm Aqueduct, Smethwick Junction where Brindley’s Old Main Line and Telford’s New Main Line meet, a Gauging Station at the start of the Soho Loop, along the Soho Loop under Asylum Bridge linking the city to the Madhouse, the Badhouse and the Workhouse then rejoin the Main Line canal to finish at The Roundhouse, on the approach to the Sea Life Centre.
The Roundhouse, which is Grade II* listed, was built in 1874, when a large, circular brick building emerged on Sheepcote Street, between the London North Western Railway line and the Birmingham Canal. Part of a massive city improvement act, the building was commissioned by the Corporation of Birmingham through an architectural competition, which was won by local architect W H Ward. Ward’s Roundhouse, then known or Corporation Wharf or Sheepcote Street Depot, was used as a stables and stores for the Birmingham Corporation’s Public Works Department.
Due to lack of funding the Visitor Centre at The Roundhouse is now closed, but visitor access to the site is still possible at times. There is also a licensed cafe (and restuarent) which might be open and, if the sun is shining, has outside tables in the courtyard so makes a pleasent place to relax. The coffee is good, but it's at the upper end of the price range.
The Distillery pub, with one of Birmingham's largest canal-side open-air spaces, is next to the Roundhouse which, weather permitting, is an alternative to the Roundhouse cafe. Here we can take a look at the miniature copper pot stills in the pub which are used in the pub’s Gin Making classes - participants make their own gin and can take it home.
If the weather doesn’t permit outside refreshment there are a few pubs very close to The Distillery which are more comfortable indoors.
Bookings for this walk will close at 06.00 on Tuesday 9 June. After this, please email [email protected] to enquire about any late availability for the walk.
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If you later find that you are unable to join us it would be helpful if you let us know by sending an email to [email protected] - this will be passed on to the walk leader and will prevent any delay to the start of the walk should the leader be waiting for you. Please note that some walks have a waiting list so tickets are NOT TRANSFERABLE; if you are unable to join us then please cancel your place to free it up for someone who may be on the waiting list rather than passing it to someone else.
General Information
This is one of several walks and activities offered by the Birmingham Ramblers. If you have found this page through a web search or other means and would like to find out more about the group then please visit the Birmingham Ramblers web site; new members are always welcome.
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Meet at Moor Street station, Moor Street station, Birmingham, United Kingdom
GBP 0.00
