Birsol one

Verified Slow Way

Verified by 75.00% of reviewers

Good links to public transport starts right at Solihull Station for trains and buses. Heads through town centre to Lode Lane. Best to be on right hand side (if walking from Solihull towards Birmingham) for crossing of Warwick Road (pedestrian crossing only on this side) and entrance to the canal.
I walked but if on a bike you can share pavement if desired signed indicating this so don’t have to cycle on busy Solihull roads. Although the roads had lots of traffic there were wide enough pavements and crossings. Steps down to the canal.
Most of route Grand Union Canal quiet and shady. Muddy and narrow to start but firmer gravel surface from Olton Wharf. Then tarmac from Acock’s Green. Level until you get into city centre and there are a few steep bridges.

There is a sharp right turn and you take a bridge to go over the canal signposted Typhoo Basin then you come off the canal at the blocked off point, take the bridge over. You’re now on Fazeley Street the top is blocked due to HS2 works. So divert left and right up through Digbeth around the back of Moor Street Station and then you are back on the route to finish at Birmingham New Street Station.

A good urban Slow Way walk and considering it starts from England's second city, I was surprised to hardly see another a soul for most of it when I did it in Winter. I started my walk in Birmingham, and as others have rightly pointed out, the exact path given from the city centre along Fazeley Street is impassable at this time due to HS2 construction works. I'm not sure the route is lengthened or any worse for taking a slight detour to get to the canal, my first photo gives the altered route I took. I'm not sure the slight detour warrants creating a whole new Slow Ways route.

After leaving the retail centre of Birmingham, the route quickly takes on a historic industrial feel as you pass through the back streets of Digbeth to get to the canal, and indeed the first couple of miles of the canal towpath pass next to a lot of old industrial buildings which are adorned with much street art graffiti. Eventually the industry gives way to suburbia before the last mile or so takes you along the busy Lode Lane to Solihull station.

Approx. 80% of this walk is along the canal towpath and over half of this is maintained very well with hard surface. Despite it being winter and following some periods of rain, there were no boggy sections to negotiate. It was close to freezing when I did the walk and subsequently I had to take a little care to avoid slipping on some of the canal footbridges, but nothing to cause any serious issues. There is just one flight of steps when you leave the canal (photo 13), and a couple of busy road crossings by Moor St station and through the centre of Solihull, but no serious obstacles.

Fazeley Street has been closed from the junction with Moor Street Queensway to New Bartholomew Street for the construction of Curzon Street HS2 terminal, making it inaccessible.

A pleasant and relatively easy walk. The majority of the walk is along the Grand Union Canal although you have to leave the canal and walk along some large roads at the last bit near Solihull.

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