Worcester and Birmingham Canal

Quick Facts

• Length: 29 miles
• Locks: 58 (56 narrow, 2 broad at Diglis) — including the 30-lock Tardebigge flight, the longest flight of locks in Britain
• Connects: Worcester (Diglis Basin, junction with the River Severn) → Tardebigge → Stoke Prior → King's Norton (junction with the Stratford-upon-Avon Canal) → Gas Street Basin, central Birmingham (junction with the BCN)
• Build period & engineer: completed 1815; multiple engineers including Thomas Cartwright
• Boat dimensions: 72 ft long by 7 ft beam (narrow) for 56 of the 58 locks; the 2 Diglis locks at Worcester are 14 ft beam to allow Severn craft access to Diglis Basin
• Typical cruise time: 3–4 days end-to-end Worcester to Birmingham

What's it like to cruise?

The headline number is the climb: 428 ft from Worcester to Birmingham, including the Tardebigge 30 in just over 2 miles, plus the Stoke and Astwood flights. This is one of the lockiest concentrated stretches on the network. Above Tardebigge, the canal runs level for 14 miles into Birmingham through five tunnels including the 2,726-yard Wast Hill. The lower descent into Worcester at Diglis is dramatic. A serious working canal that connects the Severn to Birmingham — and a key leg of the Avon Ring, the Stourport Ring and the Droitwich Ring.

Highlights along the route

• Tardebigge Top Lock — the deepest narrow lock in Britain at 14 ft.
• Tardebigge Flight — 30 locks raising the canal 217 ft in 2.25 miles.
• Wast Hill Tunnel — 2,726 yards, two-way working, no towpath.
• Stoke Prior — pretty canal village mid-way between Worcester and Birmingham.
• King's Norton Junction — the stop-lock junction with the Stratford Canal, with the unique guillotine gates.
• Gas Street Basin — the famous canal-side hub of central Birmingham.
• Diglis Basin and Locks — the Severn junction at Worcester with the broad-locks staircase.

Connections & cruising rings

Joins the BCN at Gas Street Basin, the Stratford-upon-Avon Canal at King's Norton, the Droitwich Junction Canal at Hanbury Wharf, and the River Severn at Diglis. Forms the Stourport Ring (W&B + BCN + Staffs & Worcs + Severn), the Avon Ring (W&B + Stratford + Avon + Severn) and the Droitwich Ring (W&B + Droitwich + Severn).

Suitable for

Confident intermediates and above. The Tardebigge flight is a long, hard day's lockwheeling — most crews split it over two days, with overnight moorings at the visitor moorings between locks. Wast Hill Tunnel is long enough to need lights and care.

Practicalities

• Stoppages: Tardebigge gate replacements appear in winter maintenance schedules.
• Water and elsan: Worcester, Diglis, Stoke Prior, Tardebigge, Alvechurch, King's Norton, Gas Street.
• Mobile signal: good outside the long tunnels.
• Pump-out: at the major marinas — Worcester, Stoke Prior, Tardebigge, Alvechurch.

Best time to cruise

April to October. Tardebigge is hardest in hot weather. Gas Street Basin is at its best on a summer evening.