The Worcester & Birmingham Canal

Cruise through the wooded glades of the Forest of Arden, visit the bright lights of Birmingham and the beautiful Cathedral City of Worcester

This popular 29-mile long waterway starts in Worcester as an off-shoot of the River Severn. It takes boaters through the green hills of Worcestershire and the ancient Forest of Arden, before ending at Gas Street Basin in the heart of Birmingham.

The canal climbs 130 metres from Worcester to Birmingham, using 58 locks, including 30 at Tardebigge – one of the largest lock flights in Europe.

Construction of the canal began in 1792 from the Birmingham end, and the final section was completed in December 1815.  A major user of the canal in its freight-carrying heyday was the canalside Cadbury chocolate factories at Bournville and Blackpole.