Waterway Routes

Maps and DVDs for the Waterways of Britain

Category: Photos

Smethwick Middle Lock

Looking uphill at Smethwick Locks from the Middle Lock towards the Top Lock.

Factory Junction

The photo is taken on the Main Line of the Birmingham Canal Navigations with Wolverhampton behind the camera.

Straight ahead is the New Main Line towards Birmingham and diverging to the right is the Old Main Line to Birmingham.

Industrial Buildings along Both Sides

Parts of the loop run between high sided industrial buildings which restrict the views, rather like being in a cutting.

Virtual Cruise along the Ashby Canal

Select one of these starting points then keep clicking on the “Next” link to progress along the Ashby Canal.

Virtual Cruise along the Ashton Canal

You can make a virtual cruise (VC) along the canal from the comfort of your armchair. Just select your starting point below, then click the next buttons to move along the canal.

Forth & Clyde Canal – Virtual Cruise

Choose your starting point (from the links below), then keep clicking the next button for your virtual cruise (VC) along the Forth & Clyde Canal and the Glasgow Branch.

Union Canal Virtual Cruise (VC)

Choose your starting point (from the links below), then keep clicking the next button for your virtual cruise (VC) along the Union Canal.

Marston Junction

Leaving the Coventry Canal and entering the Ashby Canal at Marston Junction.

Sutton Wharf

Sutton Wharf on the Ashby Canal.

Ashby Trip Boats

Trip Boats waiting at Sutton Wharf.

Market Bosworth

Market Bosworth Station on the preserved Battlefield Line.

Market Bosworth

Attractive cottages at Market Bosworth.

Market Bosworth

Market Bosworth.

Market Bosworth

Market Bosworth.

Market Bosworth

Market Bosworth.

Market Bosworth

Market Bosworth.

Twenty Three Babies

Twenty three babies with just one parent present.

Twenty Three Babies

Just one adult visible with twenty three babies.

Shackerstone

Shackerstone.

Shackerstone

Shackerstone.

Two Thirds Milepost

Mileposts along the Ashby Canal are marked with the distance from Marston Junction (with the Coventry Canal) and the end of the navigation.

Snarestone

Snarestone village near the limit of navigation on the Ashby Canal.

Snarestone

Snarestone village near the limit of navigation on the Ashby Canal.

Ashby Canal Signpost

The signpost clearly points the way along the restored section to the end of the canal.

Milepost 28-2

Mileposts along the Ashby Canal show the distances to Marston Junction (28 miles) and to Moria (2 miles) at the end of the canal.

Start of Restored Section

The far end of the Ashby Canal has already been restored from near Donisthorpe to Moira.

Bridge 73-2 on the Ashby Canal

Bridge 73-2 on the restored section of the Ashby Canal, just waiting for boats to cruise along.

Furnace Bridge

Looking along the restored section of the Ashby Canal towards Furnace Bridge near Moira.

Swing Bridge at Moira

Swing Bridge at Moira on the Ashby Canal.

Dragon’s Head at Moira Furnace

Dragon’s head on top of a pole in the car park at Moira Furnace on the restored section of the Ashby Canal.

Moira Furnace

Boats moored outside Moira Furnace.

Moira Canal Festival 2010

Ashby Canal Trust stand at the Moira Canal Festival 2010.

Moira Lock on the Ashby Canal

New Moira Lock on the restored section of the Ashby Canal. On the right of the picture the water which appears to be flowing over the weir into the canal is being back pumped from below the lock.

Weir and back pumping at Moira Lock

Immediately above the new lock on the Ashby Canal at Moira. The weir on the left takes surplus water from above the lock through the bywash to the pound below the lock.

Ground Paddle at Moira Lock

Ground paddle set into the recess above the top gates at Moira Lock so it is not fouled by the walkway when the gate is opened.

Multiple Gates at Moira Lock

The Ashby Canal is considered a “narrow” canal today, that is one for narrow boats only. Indeed, the narrows at Marston Junction at the start will only allow narrowboats onto the canal.

Gate Paddles on Moira Lock

The lower and intermediate gates have gate paddles at Moira Lock on the Ashby Canal.

Marquis Bridge 73B

Marquis Bridge 73B on the restored section of the Ashby Canal.

Entrance to Bath Yard Basin

Looking into Bath Yard Basin at the end of the restored section of the Ashby Canal near Moira.

Bath Yard Basin

Standing beyond the end of the restored section of the Ashby Canal, looking back into Bath Yard Basin.

Ducie Street Junction

Looking along the Rochdale Canal at Ducie Street Junction, with the Pennines behind the camera and the Rochdale Nine Locks leading to Castlefield Junction heading to the upper right of the photo.

Ducie Street Junction

The Ashton Canal, at the lower left of the photo, meets the Rochdale Canal, running across the width of photo, at Ducie Street Junction.

Near Ducie Street Junction

Looking backwards along our boat when we after emerging from under the building after leaving Ducie Street Junction and heading up the Ashton Canal.

Beswick Top Lock 7

The Ashton Canal climbs through 18 locks between Ducie Street Junction and Fairfield Junction on its way out of Manchester. This is Lock 7, the top of four locks in the Beswick Flight.

Clayton Junction

Looking along the Ashton Canal towards Manchester to Clayton Junction where the abandoned Stockport Canal once passed under the towpath bridge on its way to Stockport.

Yew Tree Swing Bridge 14

Yew Tree Swing Bridge 14 which was normally closed in 2010 when the photo was taken and had to be opened by boaters to let their boat through. By 2018 this had changed so the swing bridge was normally open.

Fairfield Top Lock 18

Fairfield Top Lock 18, the last of the eighteen locks on the Ashton Canal as it climbs out of Manchester. Fairfield Junction with the abandoned Hollinwood Canal is immediately above the locks.

Fairfield Junction

Fairfield Junction sits immediately above Fairfield Top Lock 16. The Hollinwood Canal once ran straight ahead where the short remaining arm is now used for a marina.

Dukinfield Junction

Looking along the Ashton Canal at Dukinfield Junction, with Manchester behind the camera. The Peak Forest Canal leaves under the bridge to the right on its way to Marple, Whaley Bridge and Bugsworth Basin.

Deep Cutting Junction

Our Waterway Routes narrowboat is turning onto the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal which is generally considered to start at

Deep Cutting Junction

Our Waterway Routes narrowboat is turning onto the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal which is generally considered to start at Deep Cutting Junction these days.

Farmers Bridge Junction

Farmers Bridge Junction is immediately above Farmers Bridge Lock 1. The section of canal from Deep Cutting Junction (behind the camera) to the basin on the right was originally constructed as …

Farmers Bridge Junction

Farmers Bridge Junction is immediately above Farmers Bridge Lock 1.

The section of canal from Deep Cutting Junction (behind the camera) to the basin on the right was originally constructed as the Newhall Branch of the Birmingham Canal Navigations (BCN).

Aston Junction

Aston Junction sits immediately above Aston Lock 1.

The Birmingham & Fazeley Canal descends through the 13 Farmers Bridge Locks and appears on the lower right

Aston Junction

The Birmingham & Fazeley Canal passes Aston Junction between Farmers Bridge Junction and Salford Junction.

Canal Boat Mural

A wonderful opportunity to avoid another bank wall alongside the canal has been seized by the builders of this mural.

Salford Junction

Salford Junction is one of the few junction where you can cruise in four different directions.

Salford Junction

Salford Junction is one of the few junctions where you can go four ways.

The Birmingham and Fazeley Canal runs from Fazeley Junction (behind the camera).

Fazeley Junction

Leaving the Coventry Canal at Fazeley Junction where it meets the Birmingham & Fazeley Canal which turns the corner from the bottom right of the photo to the left.

Fazeley Junction

The Birmingham & Fazeley Canal (from Birmingham) enters at the lower right of the photo and continues of the left of the photo to Whittington where it meets the disconnected section of the Coventry Canal end on.

Peel Wharf

Peel Wharf includes permanent moorings. The crane outside is …

Straight Moorings

A long length of almost straight moorings runs towards the north-west from Fazeley Junction.

Named Bridges

Most of the bridges between Fazeley Junction and Whittington are similar in style. As this section of canal was constructed by

Rural Views

Most of the route between Fazeley Junction and Whittington is through …

Route in the Shade

Parts of the route between Fazeley Junction and Whittington are in shade which is …

Day Boat

In most cases the steerers of day boats are very competent but occasionally, when …

Whittington Bridge

Whittington Bridge is of modern design, having been built much more recently than …

Whittington Boundary Stone

The end on junction of the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal and the Coventry Canal at Whittington is marked with …

Whittington Boundary Stone

The end on junction of the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal and the Coventry Canal at Whittington is marked with a boundary stone.

Aston Junction

The Birmingham & Fazeley Canal passes Aston Junction between Farmers Bridge Junction and Salford Junction.

Digbeth Junction

The Digbeth Branch of the Birmingham & Fazeley Canal runs from Aston Junction to Typhoo Basin.

Typhoo Basin

The Digbeth Branch of the Birmingham & Fazeley Canal ends at Typhoo Basin. Two short arms remain from the three longer arms which once served the basin.

Ogley Junction

Ogley Junction is, today, considered the end of the Wyrley & Essington Canal which runs from Wolverhampton.

The Anglesey Branch runs from Ogley Junction to Anglesey Basin.

Anglesey Basin

The northernmost point of the Birmingham Canal Navigations is Anglesey Basin at the end of the Anglesey Branch which starts at Ogley Junction.

Deepfields Junction

The New Main Line of the Birmingham Canal Navigations runs straight past Deepfields Junction between Birmingham and Wolverhampton.

Deepfields Junction

The BCN Wednesbury Oak Loop is the remaining part of the BCN Old Main Line which was severed at Bradley Workshops many years ago. The photo is taken from the BCN Main Line, with Wolverhampton to the left and Birmingham to the right.

Under the Railway Line

Immediately after Deepfields Junction the canal passes under the main Birmingham to Wolverhampton railway line, a little to the north of Coseley station.

Deepfields Bridge

Deepfields Bridge is a modern replacement for the original bridge.

Skirting around the houses

The route appears to skirt around the housing estate, but the canal was simply following the contours through open countryside when it was built and it’s the modern housing estate that has been built up to the line of the canal.

Walking along the towpath

The towpath is easily walk-able along the full length of the Wednesbury Oak Canal and it links with the footpath along the line of the proposed Bradley Canal to form a through route.

Narrows of the former bridge

The narrows are from a former bridge which, presumably, once carried the pipe across the canal and that’s now been made into a free standing structure.

One of the arms is still just there

There were many short arms along the canal, providing connections and moorings for local industries and a few, like this one, are still identifiable, although most have been filled in with nothing left to see.

Modern Housing near the canal

There’s still a lovely green corridor for the canal to pass through with most of the modern housing set back a little from the canal.

Moorhen chicks

The moorhen sitting on the nest stood up as we approached and revealed three eggs and two very young chicks, possibly watching their first boat going past.

Moorhen sitting on nest

The man looking over the fence on the left was one of several locals who stood and watched the moorhen sitting on the nest in the middle of the canal as we cruised slowly past.

Gliding along

The swan kept a very close eye on us as we cruised past – perhaps it had a nest nearby.