Lonbir one

Slow Way not verified yet. Verify Lonbir here.

Unfortunately, as currently mapped this route incorporates a number of problems and alignment inaccuracies. However where the route mapping correctly follows Sustrans national cycle route 5 and/or the towpath of the Birmingham and Worcester Canal it is fine.
Comments (starting from Birmingham New Street Station):
On road footway into the markets area and Digbeth. At Moat Lane the footpath is not usable where the former Wholesale Markets building is currently being demolished.
Along Rea Street and then along a length of MacDonald Street, turning into Charles Henry Street in Digbeth and then into Highgate - this is an area of light industrial buildings and yards and not a particularly pleasant walking environment.
The route then briefly leaves the road network to pass around the back of Chandos Primary School.
A better and simpler route to this point in Highgate and also with more active street frontages and footfall would be to leave New Street Station along the lower end of Hill Street, follow Hurst Street through the Southside/Chinatown area turn along Sherlock Street and then left along Gooch Street.
At this point in Highgate there is a map draughting error which shows the route passing across the river and through industrial buildings whereas it should follow the Sustrans route 5 to the end of Gooch Street and then into Horton Square to cross the Middleway.
From this point running south to Edgbaston Cricket Ground again there are map draughting errors which run the route haphazardly across land alongside the River Rea whereas it should continue to follow the signposted Sustrans route 5.
Similar map draughting errors continue through Cannon Hill Park (such as routing through a fenced allotment site) where the Sustrans route 5 should continue to be followed.
The route crosses Dogpool Lane. Further south an error shows the route on the wrong side of the river whereas it should continue to follow Sustrans route 5.
Close to Hunts Road in Stirchley the route crosses a footbridge and heads towards Bournville Station. At this point a preferable route could be to continue along the riverside Sustrans route 5 until it joins the Birmingham and Worcester Canal towpath at Dacer Close.
The mapped route goes over the Hunts Road footbridge. At this point a large development site has obliterated the mapped route. The suggested route to Bournville Station seems circuitous, the most direct way being to follow Hunts Road onto Pershore Road then turn up Maryvale Road where ramped access is available onto the station and the canal towpath.
The route at this point simply follows the Birmingham and Worcester Canal towpath southwards to Kings Norton Junction. There are further map draughting errors where the route is shown on the wrong side of the towpath.
At this point the route goes through Kings Norton Playing Fields and then Kings Norton Park. Again there are some draughting errors which place the route incorrectly and it should continue to follow Sustrans route 5.
This pattern continues all the way to Longbridge with some draughting errors needing to be corrected so that the route properly follows Sustrans route 5. In Northfield a section of route is shown running through woodland parallel to Mill Lane so for those who wanted to follow a lit section, the footway of Mill Lane could be shown as an alternative.

This route needs amending as the section from the River Rea across to Pershore Rad, Stirchley is closed by a construction site blocking Hazelwell Lane. This appears to be a long established project and it is surprising not to have been picked up by the survey? The road may open again at some future point but a fair sized housing estate is being developed so it will be a good while, if at all. There are easy diversions to avoid this.
When amended, the mapping needs to be tightened up considerably - way points are too far apart to give clear directions, for example, as to exactly where to cross the River Rea. Lonbir 2 gives much clearer guidance for the common elements of the routes.
The route sensibly takes in the refreshment opportunities of Pershore Road, Stirchley (not included in Lobir 2) but the detour into Bournville (presumably to provide an opt-out opportunity at the railway station) seems somewhat unnecessary.

This was my first review of a route that has already been surveyed so I was under the impression that there were no problems before starting. I had high hopes as, unlike Lonbir 2 some attempt had been made to include rest and refreshment stops during its 15km and I was intrigued by the detour into Bournville. It started well although the plotting seemed a little casual but this became critical when it put me the wrong side of the River Rea. I was supposed to cross the bridge at SP 0291 7887 but instead the route continued on the north bank and then suggested that somehow I got across to SP 0334 7894 where there was no crossing. The bridge crossing on the canal was not marked at SP 0545 8031. At Bournville Railway Station the plotting of how to leave the canal was not clear and the route has you walking on the railway prior to leaving the canal. The route then leaves the station to go on a frankly baffling diversion around Mary Vale Road, Franklin Way and then Bournville Lane (see the second photo). In its favour the route then takes you past a number of cafes and a pub in Stirchley but then the route is supposed to go down Hazelwell Lane which has been shut for some time (I recall walking past this more than a year ago) in order to build new houses (see the first and third photos). HOW WAS THIS NOT PICKED UP IN THE SURVEY!!!! The route then rejoins the Rea Walk which is a pleasant way to go. The plotting is loose but not critical as you pass through Ten Acres but as you get near Cannon Hill Park it becomes unusable as it puts you in undergrowth. The only possible route was the Rea path but my phone was telling me I was off course. The next problem encountered was at SP 0741 8541 where the route was asking me to cut through a gap that did not exist to carry on following the river. At this stage, with so many critical errors there seemed no point in trying to follow the rest of the route through Digbeth to the destination outside New Street Station. Poorly conceived, poorly plotted, poorly surveyed.

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