Crossing over

A side view of the Black Lake Rail Bridge.

And here is a Midland Metro crossing over!

No boats

Due to a low bridge the Ridgacre Branch is cut off from the rest of the Wednesbury Old Canal and the rest of the network. Without any boat traffic vegetation is rife.

In the distance

A view of the rather overgrown towpath, in the distance the Black Lake Rail Bridge.

Black Lake Rail Bridge

Crossing the canal is this pedestrian and tram bridge.

Ridgacre Branch

This week's theme is the Ridgacre Branch of the Wednesbury Old Canal, a still watered though unnavigable stretch of canal.

The wall

A rather crumbly wall alongside the Wednesbury Old Canal.

Signposts (7) : Ryder's Green Junction

On the Wednesbury Old Canal.

Belper Bridge

On the Wednesbury Old Canal.

Canal Maintenance (2) : Beech

On the Wednesbury Old Canal.

Dodgy looking bridge

Junctions (12) : Ryder's Green Junction

Where the Walsall Canal ends and joins the Wednesbury Old Canal.

Completing the Tame Valley

The Tame Valley Canal is the one i walk along most, as its close to where i work i tend to walk a short stretch in Perry Barr most days. However the furthest along the canal i have gone from one end of it at Salford Junction is up to the M5 aqueduct so today i started at Great Barr and finally walked the remaining 4 miles or so. The picture below is Tame Valley Junction, the end of the canal (or the beginning depending on your point of view). The photos i took along the Tame Valley can be seen here.

The canal joins the Walsall Canal at this point so i walked this for the first time (and can cross it off in my Ian Allan ABC of Birmingham Canal Navigations). I even did a short stretch of the Wednesbury Old Canal too, and the pictures from those two canals can be seen here.

Brighter warmer days

Crossing over

Mind the edge

The Wednesbury Old Canal has a lot of reeds and other water vegetation at the sides, its not clear exactly where the towpath ends and the water begins, so take care!

Junctions (7) : Pudding Green Junction

Where the Wednesbury Old Canal ends and joins the Birmingham New Main Line so one could say this is where old and new meet.

A journey around the Black Country

Up until most most of my canal walking have been in the East of Birmingham so i decided it was high time i went out to the (wild?) West. I started off going along the Wednesbury Old Canal from Belper Bridge to Pudding Green Junction. Then along the Birmingham New Main Line to Albion Junction where i went the full length of the Gower Branch Canal (its only a short canal). Then i went along the Birmingham Old Main Line to Oldbury Junction. Finally a short stretch of the Titford Canal. And now i need a rest!