BIRMINGHAM & FAZELEY CANAL:
The Birmingham & Fazeley canal formed an important link from the centre of Birmingham to the Coventry canal, which itself forms part of the main north - south route, by-passing Birmingham.

LEFT: Descending the locks east of Birmingham, heading for Fazeley     RIGHT:  A bit featureless!! - overall, not really a holiday canal.

Parts of the eastern section of the canal towards Fazeley are safe and attractive enough, but much of the canal passes thru some of the seedier areas of the Birmingham conurbation (eg Castle Vale) and are perhaps best avoided. Alternatively the route can be travelled in the morning, before the local youth rises from it’s previous day’s vandalism efforts. This is all a great pity because BW, in partnership with Birmingham Local Councils, have genuinely put in a lot of sterling effort, and resources, in an attempt to improve things - but regeneration of infrastructure doesn’t necessarily change peoples behaviour, which is what really counts. We believe our canal assessments must be frank and candid, or they will lack credibility. We enjoy, and do cruise, much of the BCN (Birmingham Canal Navigations) without any difficulty, but we tend to avoid the Birmingham & Fazeley for the reasons stated - Sorry!

So if on leaving the BCN we want to get to, say, Fradley, we would take the alternative route of descending from the BCN via the ‘Wolverhampton 21’ flight of locks; then onto the Staffs & Worcs to Gt. Haywood; then east on the T&M to Fradley - a much more interesting and prettier route. The Coventry canal link to the south is our preferred route from north to south - but not using the Birmingham & Fazeley link to the BCN. If we wanted to go south from Birmingham, more directly than via Fradley, there are other alternative routes south rather than via the Birmingham & Fazeley.