Birmingham and Fazeley Canal

Quick Facts

• Length: 15 miles
• Locks: 38 (Aston flight 11, Curdworth 11, with smaller groups en route)
• Connects: Birmingham (Old Turn Junction, BCN main line) → Fazeley Junction (junction with the Coventry Canal)
• Build period & engineer: opened 1789; engineered by John Smeaton (with later improvements)
• Boat dimensions: 72 ft long by 7 ft beam (narrow)
• Typical cruise time: 1–1.5 days end-to-end

What's it like to cruise?

Short, direct and lock-heavy — the canal that links the BCN out into the Coventry Canal and the Midlands network. The Aston flight drops you steeply out of central Birmingham; the Curdworth flight drops you into the open Warwickshire countryside. Between them is some pleasant suburban and rural cruising past Minworth and the M6 toll. A workmanlike connector rather than a destination canal, but it forms the spine of several major rings.

Highlights along the route

• Old Turn Junction, Birmingham — the canal-side heart of the city, with bars, the ICC and the Sea Life Centre.
• Aston Locks — 11 locks dropping out of central Birmingham past Aston Hall and the Villa stadium.
• Curdworth Locks — 11 locks taking the canal down into the Tame valley.
• Salford Junction (Spaghetti Junction) — the famous canal junction beneath the motorway interchange.
• Fazeley Junction — pretty junction with the Coventry Canal and the Hopwas/Drayton corridor.

Connections & cruising rings

A central spine of the BCN. Joins the Coventry Canal at Fazeley, opening routes to the T&M (Fradley), the Ashby (Marston) and the Oxford Canal (Hawkesbury). Forms part of the Warwickshire Ring (B&F + Coventry + Oxford + Grand Union), the Stourport Ring (with Worcester & Birmingham + Staffs & Worcs + Severn) and the Black Country/BCN ring.

Suitable for

Intermediate boaters and above. Aston is a long lock day in an urban setting — the area has historically been a hotspot for vandalism, though it has improved. Most boaters do the full Aston flight in one push and don't moor in the centre of the flight overnight.

Practicalities

• Stoppages: occasional Aston gate works.
• Water and elsan: at Old Turn, Salford Junction, Curdworth and Fazeley.
• Mobile signal: very good in the urban section.
• Pump-out: at the main service points and Curdworth marina.

Best time to cruise

April to October. The urban Aston section is best done in daylight and good weather.