Birmingham Main Line Canal part 2, December 2023, Tipton to Wolverhampton Locks

Wednesday 13th December 2023:

This time, after reaching Birmingham New Street station, I took a second train, from there to Tipton, which is about 8 miles away. Tipton station is right next to the canal and is just a little farther along than where I reached in the first video (part 1).

It was a fine sunny day, but very cold, and I decided to walk it rather than take the Brompton, partly because of the cold but also because it was only going to be 6 miles to Wolverhampton, so not worth the palaver of carrying the bike on / off trains and flapping around deciding what cycling kit to wear!

A very enjoyable walk anyway, and I was entertained by plenty of ducks, some swans and a lot of Canada Geese. Walking through Coseley Tunnel was a bit hairy as it was pitch black and 360 yards long. Must be the leakiest tunnel I’ve seen so far on the canals!

Once I reached Wolverhampton, I saw the start of the Wolverhampton Locks – a flight of 21, which leads to the end of the canal, a couple of miles farther, at Aldersley Junction. I’m planning on going back soon to video that last section.

Hope you’ll enjoy watching this one – it’s definitely a walk (or bike ride if you prefer), that I very much recommend!

Cheers,

Jeff

By the way, if you do enjoy the video, then please consider subscribing – it really helps me to grow the channel!

You can see more of my videos, including my journeys along the canals, and of my Brompton bike at:

https://studio.youtube.com/channel/UCpU5ERG8MwVJN7vRLVvrHMg/content/playlists

[Music] if I get to the end who knows what looks inside the tunnel whether you like it or whether you don’t it’s pretty ingenious how they managed to do it I’d afford it’ be quite dangerous actually but I’ll do my best to get something out on Christmas Eve something short maybe a little different which I hope you’ll be able to watch once again I’m at Birmingham New Street is Aussie the bow suitably decorated for Christmas and uh I’m looking now for my next train which is going to take me up to Tipton okay so there we are wolver Hampton 6 miles that’s my destination today going to walk up the canal now as far as wolver Hampton so this is Tipton it’s a very large gas pipe going across the canal here about 6 miles to wolver hampon not quite sure what’s I think that might be a small boat that’s sunk oh dear so about 6 miles and I think we’ve got a few locks coming up almost uh straight away so that’s something to look forward to this is the bottom lock of a flight of three locks and I think Al together they raised the level of the water 20 ft it’s an interesting design quite a big pound over there to store additional water let’s just girls around I can see two there I passed three of them just now this is lock number two and you can see how it’s the beam here has been reinforced with these steel shoulders paining replacement I suppose here’s the top lock of the three locks another large pound of water just behind this one as usual I’ve got my Nicholson guide and I am now at Tipton green just gone we just going past the third of the locks a bridge ahead this is the way I’m going there’s another Branch goes off in that direction and eventually that leads to or quite shortly leads to deadly tunnel which is 3,154 yds long so quite a long one so I did give very serious thought to bring in the Brompton this time um because the the toll path uh has been pretty good on this canal although in part one when I took a detour of course I came a bit unstuck in those muddy sections but it is only a walk of uh 6 miles so I’m not really sure that it would have been with the B getting the bike out for just 6 miles but don’t worry I will will be getting it out again very soon when you get a pipe crossing the canal like this it’s uh referred to as a pipe Bridge that’s unoriginal but there you go they certainly take enough steps to try and stop people from shimmying across don’t they nice Big Bend here as usual the canal is very close to the railway very close it’s just just over over there here we go wolver onton 4 and a half via the tunnel so I don’t know maybe I can actually walk through the tunnel that’ll be great if I can they’re certainly going at quite a speed aren’t they I suppose having the flow of water in the same direction it’s a bit like having a Tailwind when you’re riding a bike it’s a high bridge isn’t there so this I think is wallbrook Bridge so we’re not far from the tunnel now this one is South Coley Bridge or Cosley I’m not sure how it’s pronounced if anybody knows drop a message in the comments for me now I think the tunnel is pretty much going to be just around the next Bend yeah here we are looks like that that sign is obscure there completely so you’re supposed to come along in your boat and read that sign God knows what it says you know it might say you can only go through on the half hour or something like that that’s sometimes the rule with tunnels here’s another one similarly obscured before you know it you’re in the tunnel looks like there are top passs on over side so that’s nice fancy walking all the way up there I wouldn’t fancy that at all I can see the other side so it’s a straight one and pretty wide too I imagine you’d get two boats through here it’s going to be a bit dark when I get inside so think I might start filming again when I get to the end if I get to the end who knows what looks inside the tunnel just use your imagination a moment I think it’s leaking quite a bit I can see water dropping well here goes see what the other end not enjoying this very much it’s actually very very difficult walking cuz the path in here is quite bumpy yeah it’s not at all flat it actually feels medy underfoot but it’s definitely bumpy you could easily trip up there is a handrail to my left but I can hardly see it now I don’t know if the camera is going to pick it out but just look at all those drips coming from the roof you’ve got a soak in uh driving your boat through this I have to say though it’s a very wide tunnel lots and lots of room it’s great to having a top half on both sides even if it is quite full of bubles what about that for a leaking roof oh dear dear dear that’s going to take some fixing isn’t it anyway I’ve made it to the other end I’m very glad I am too just when I fought I’d escape the mud here we go again I don’t think it’s going to last for long but very glad now I didn’t bring the bromton this is deep Fields foot Bridge got a long straight ahead of me now you know how much I like those oh there a big big pipe bridge I was just speaking to a couple with the walking their dogs and apparently yes it is pronounced Cole so I’m going through Coley at the moment wol rampton 4 miles so a nice wide winding hole here for turning your boat oh I hate these things when you got your bike they’re a real pain in the backside is that nasty Cobble surface again it’s really really not nice on a Brompton I guess it would be okay on a conventional bike but uh very uncomfortable on a bromton and uh oh that’s odd apparently it’s still 4 miles to wolver Hampton that’s something of a disappointment I thought that was going to say three and a half better walk faster I suppose so there’s another Branch or a different Canal I’m not sure coming from that direction I’ll see if I can find out which one it is and put it on the the screen for you another sign and that says 4 miles to W rampton 4 miles something’s not right here it’s got to be less than that surely this then is highfields road bridge I’m not quite sure what the road is above us um again if I can find out I’ll put it on the screen for [Applause] you some interesting graffiti again this is the black country route apparently um whether you like it or whever you don’t it’s pretty ingenious how they managed to do it I’d have thought it’ be quite dangerous actually getting up there to paint those I know I’ve said it before but I’m really struck by how lovely and wide this canal is or much of the way I’m really looking forward to Bringing Gladis sonaro down here or up here whichever way down I suppose down towards Worster perhaps yeah it’s hard to imagine there’s 255,000 volts of electricity up there isn’t it amazing oh that’s a bit more encouraging City Center three Birmingham 11 closely one and a quarter and this is 10 score bridge that looks like something you want to avoid with your boat big lump of wood I think Ducks everywhere at these willow trees in there got their winter clothes on they’re still very pretty though so here’s another Railway Bridge that was good timing I think that was an uh aan West Coast looks like Mommy and Daddy swans and are um growing up children City Center 2 and a half but don’t ask me what this sculpture is supposed to be about and more Ducks coming down to see me they’re all going the same way perhaps they’ve got a meeting or something to go to so I just stopped to change the battery in the GoPro they don’t seem to last very long um maybe about half an hour of actual filming and uh it’s almost down to 10% but I I carry several spare ones so yeah it’s been a nice walk so far uh I really like this canal it’s only a couple of miles now up to wolver Hampton which is that way and I think I’ll I’ll stop when I get there the canal does continue about another two maybe 3 miles I think and then it joins the staffs and westers canal and before it gets there it goes through about uh 20 locks or 21 locks look at these fellas coming to see me I’m afraid they’re disappointed I got nothing for you lovely this is MIL Fields milfield Bridge uh just where my fam is and going to be turning sharp left and I think it’s about 2 miles then ging to the mile markers on the map so not too far I think I think this area is called mil Fields these houses have a nice view of the canal in the summer must be very pleasant seeing boats going by but on the other hand they also got that right in front of them so it really is cold uh today I wasn’t expecting it to be quite so C uh I’ve got to I’ve got to wear this hat when I’m walking and as you can see I’m well wbed up so it would have been far from Pleasant on the bike today for me I’ve always felt the cold when riding the bike any bike and uh certainly uh I would have been cold today the other thing about using the bike is you sometimes miss seeing things you don’t spot quite so much because you’re just concentrating on keeping upright basically I do enjoy a good walk which is just as well in the circumstances again lots of nice houses being built next to the canal but I’m afraid I mean that’s not a very pretty Outlook is it I don’t think so anyway look at this lot yeah I wonder what the attraction is I wonder if these can ofes will jump in or if they’ll let me walk past we find out I’ll go as quietly as I can oh what about that I could swear some of those were stood on one leg the scrap y here on the other side lots and lots of dead cars that’s quite sad it’s very sad look at that one up there they’ve left it on top of a container for some reason that was once somebody’s pride and joy I expect City Center one and a half now go I don’t know I don’t seem to be making very fast progress this is a road bridge called Dixon Street bridge I presume that the road is called Dixon Street although I suppose possibly is named after somebody called Dixon Street oo look at that City Center 1 Bingham 13 yeah that’s about right I think it’s 14 miles between the two cities there’s a sad site that boat looks like it might be resting on the bottom of the canal at the back I hope it is resting on the bottom because otherwise it’ll continue to fill with water and sink even more that’s very sad this is bilston road bridge and it looks a bit like they may have TRS that go along here as well Al i’ be lucky enough to see one so I just walked past a couple of uh rather rough looking chaps who were hanging around underneath that bridge I don’t know what they were smoking but uh it’s had a bit of an effect on me just admit I was slightly anxious but they didn’t bother me as it turned out so I’m happy about that coming in towards wolver Hampton I think now lots and lots of Industry around electricity substation here I think these two overhead Bridges carry life cables and you have signs about the danger of electric shock City Center 3/4s of them Mile and this is wall Soul Street bridge look at all those rivets all the work that went into making this you know it’s getting colder I think my right hand is holding the camera GoPro and my left hand’s holding the book and they’re absolutely Frozen now I could put gloves on but I can’t operate the camera then so um I just have to put up with it I think but it is noticeably colder than when I started earlier on this is horley Fields Bridge just where my finger is and and we’re coming up to a junction with the I think it’s the whirly and essenton Canal which will be going off to the right yeah so that down below is the whle and essenton Canal Bridge number 99 so my plan is uh after I’ve had a little look around wolver rampton is to make my way to the station and catch the train back down to Birmingham and then catch another train from Birmingham New Street back down to ladbury I don’t think I’ll have any difficulty finding the station cuz I can use trains all the time lots of canalside Apartments I expect they come with a pretty tidy price tag as well this is nice isn’t it look at this uh this is wolver Hampton tunnel so we’ve come to uh wolver Hampton there CRT sign over there that boter facilities are available just after this bridge I expect yeah you can more here for a day on either side and then they’re dead ahead here’s the first of the wolver Hampton locks 20 of them let’s just walk up and have a look wellow they don’t seem to be bothered by me excuse me Madam thank you couple of swans as well so here’s lock number one of 21 all together the 21 logs lower the water 132 ft little slain Bridge so I think next time I come to the Birmingham Mainland canal what I’ll do is I’ll just come straight to wolver Hampton and I’ll start here at wolver Hampton top blck and I’ll walk the couple of miles or so to the last one at olders Le Junction so that’s it from wolver Hampton hope you enjoyed this walk from Tipton and that’s the whole length now of the Birmingham Mainland Canal up as far as wolver Hampton and just a few miles left up to aldersley Junction which I’ll do next time hope you enjoyed this this walk if you did please give it a like leave some comments and as usual uh if you haven’t subscribed yet please do think of doing so and if you have subscribed thanks ever so much I really appreciate it and I’ll catch you up next time of course next Monday is Christmas day so I’m not going to uh I’m not going to publish anything on Christmas day cuz you’ve got much better things to do but I’ll do my best to get something out on Christmas Eve something short maybe a little different which I hope you’ll be able to watch so thanks for watching and I’ll catch you soon [Music] bye