Birmingham Canals: Best Canal Walks in the City Centre

Birmingham has one of the most interesting canal networks in the UK, with easy towpath walks through the city centre and longer routes beyond it. This guide covers the best Birmingham canal walks, including Gas Street Basin, Brindleyplace, Digbeth, the Birmingham & Fazeley Canal and the Worcester & Birmingham Canal, plus ideas for short strolls and longer walks.

Some of the nicest parts of the canal network in Birmingham city centre to visit are near The Mailbox and Brindley Place. There are many places to eat out or enjoy a drink overlooking the waterways in this central area. Periodically, the Canal & River Trust hosts events, including an open day. On the open day, you can board narrowboats and see dredgers, and they even drain a lock so people can climb inside.

Walks on The Birmingham Canal Network

Some notable places for walks along the city’s canal network, including great starting or ending points. Birmingham also has some other interesting walks besides the towpaths.

Gas Street Basin Walk

One of my favourite places in the city centre is Gas Street Basin. What draws me in is the combination of heritage buildings and water views. The bridges and boats are pretty here, too. It is the best place if you fancy seeing some narrowboats, as there are loads.

It is a good start or end point for walks, and there are many places for refreshments. My favourite is the Canal House, especially the outdoor seating area. This area also includes the Mailbox and The Cube, both of which are shopping and food hubs.

The area around the basin is lovely on a sunny day; however, it can sometimes be difficult to find an outdoor seat when the sun is out. There are some rather interesting footbridges around the water here, too.

Explore Brindley Place

Many of the canal branches start at Brindley Place; thus, it’s a nice place for a mooch around. There are eateries to suit most tastes and budgets in the Brindley Place area. Some of my favourites include:

• The Canal House is a gastropub overlooking the marina, offering magnificent views. The best place to sit is in their outside seating area and balcony.
• Bank is a posh restaurant with comfy outdoor seating, a great place to enjoy a relaxing beer or prosecco.

There are lots of things to see at Brindley Place, including beautiful sights and some interesting attractions. The spring cherry blossom on Oozells Square near the Ikon Gallery is pretty spectacular and well worth a visit in late March or early April. For more sightseeing ideas beyond the canals, see my guide to things to do in Birmingham. It’s a cool place to sit and enjoy the view, and there are some great restaurants nearby too.

This is the junction of three canals meeting at Brindley Place near the Malt House Pub and the National Indoor Arena. Old Turn Junction connects the Birmingham & Fazeley Canal and the Birmingham Canal Main Line. The Worcester & Birmingham Canal joins at Gas Street Basin.

The canals influence the area, and you are never far away from one. This barge is a cafe and serves great breakfast sandwiches, making it an ideal refreshment stop while on a walk. On the towpath joining Brindley Place and Gas Street Basin is Black Sabbath Bridge, which passes under Broad Street. On Broad Street, there are some benches celebrating the local band.

The Three Brindley Place clock tower is visible from many parts of the area and looks great. Utilita Arena Birmingham, formerly the National Indoor Arena (NIA), is an events venue nearby. They host concerts, conferences and other events here.

Birmingham & Fazeley Canal From Brindleyplace to Aston Junction

The Birmingham-Fazeley Canal is a nice place for a walk, with some interesting sights along the route. The walk from Brindley Place towards the Jewellery Quarter at Ludgate Hill passes many locks and feels safe. There are wildflowers and architecture to see. I recommend a slight detour to pop into The Shakespeare Inn just off this stretch.

The Ludgate Hill to Newtown section is a bit sketchy, but there are interesting things to see, including some street art and a nice bridge. If you exit the towpath at Barker Bridge on Loveday Street, you can visit a friendly local pub, The Bull, which serves some great real ales and is dog friendly.

Heading further down from Barker Bridge towards Aston Junction is a pleasant walk. After which you can either head towards Aston or on the Digbeth branch. Aston Junction arrives as you pass under the A38 road and through a long bridge. Here, it splits into the Digbeth branch and continues through Aston Locks on the Birmingham & Fazeley Canal. This section is one of my favourite places for dog walks.

Digbeth Branch Walk

The Digbeth Branch joins the Birmingham & Fazeley Canal to the famous Grand Union Canal. This small section is pretty special for having two decent-length tunnels along the short walk from either end.

The Digbeth Branch starts at Aston Locks; you then walk towards the Aston University campus. This passes under the Love Lane Bridge, which has a red spiral staircase to get off the towpath.

The next landmark is Lister Street Bridge; near here is the Sacks of Potatoes Pub, a nice place for a beer or other refreshments. Continuing along the towpath, walkers pass under a few bridges and then reach one of the walk highlights.

Ashted Tunnel is a long, dark and narrow tunnel to walk through. This is spooky to walk through, especially at night. At the end of the tunnel, you reach the Ashted Locks that lower the water level.

The second tunnel is located two bridges later; this one is the Curzon Street Tunnel. This tunnel is wider than Ashted and heads underneath a busy railway line. If you climb the side path before the tunnel, you’ll reach some delightful views of the city skyline.

After exiting Curzon Street Tunnel, the towpath opens up into a green and pleasant area. This part of the towpath has some fantastic views towards the Bullring. Hence, this is a nice place for a picnic or a drink.

At Digbeth Junction, you have two options: the dead end over a footbridge. Alternatively, turn left towards the principal areas of Digbeth. This area is rich in street art, most of which is high quality. They call Digbeth the creative quarter, and it is known for its street art.

First, in this section, you pass the listed building known as the Banana Warehouse and lock. This looks fantastic. Next, it becomes an aqueduct that crosses the River Rea. There is an offbeat path at the aqueduct to climb down to river level, if you fancy it.

The towpath then passes beneath a disused railway bridge before reaching Great Barr Street. This is the best exit to reach the sights and bars of Digbeth. There are some fantastic bars and eateries in this area. They adorn the streets with some fantastic street art.

Bordesley Junction & Grand Union Canal

Continuing on the towpath from Digbeth, you reach Bordesley Junction, where this branch reaches the legendary Grand Union Canal.

The Grand Union Canal joins the city with London. It stretches 137 miles, with 166 locks along the way. For a walk from here, head towards Warwick; you can then catch a train back.

Birmingham to Wolverhampton Mainline

The mainline runs from Brindley Place to Wolverhampton, and the journey is walkable between the two cities. If you start at the Sea Life Centre, you will easily see the route, known as the New Main Line. A boat roundabout is very near The Malt House Pub. The roundabout has signs pointing you to reach Wolverhampton, Worcester and Fazeley.

Walkers should cross the bridge towards Legoland, then head west on the towpath. Alternatively, follow the Oozells Street Loop, which leads to the same point via a housing complex.

Following the New Mainline, when you pass Sheepcote Bridge, you’ll find a nice bar with outdoor seating called The Distillery. After the distillery, the Oozells Street Loop rejoins the mainline. Many narrowboats are moored here, and they look great on a sunny day.

Heading towards Wolverhampton, the scenery is quite urban with graffiti or street art, depending on your preference. This section has footbridges for vantage points, with access from either side.

From here, the canal splits into another loop, called the Icknield Port Loop. They originally called this the Rotton Park Loop. This is a 0.6-mile loop of the eighteenth-century-built Old Birmingham Canal Network Main Line. They opened it to boats back in 1769, but it was replaced by the straighter New BCN Main Line.

Continuing along the mainline, you reach the other end of the Port Loop, which has a footbridge across it. Directly opposite is another footbridge, the entrance to the Soho Loop, another option for extending the walk. Next up is the exit to head to the beautiful Edgbaston Reservoir. Alternatively, you can continue along the waterway all the way to Wolverhampton.

Worcester & Birmingham Canal

This section starts at the cube next to the mailbox. This is a pleasant area for a short stroll before heading onwards down the towpath.

From the Cube near the Mailbox, it heads towards Five Ways, then on to Worcester. I find this section rather pleasant, except during rush hour when it’s busy with cyclists.