Aston Station to Gas Street Basin Saturday walk for the public

These walks offer the opportunities for non-members to bring the family and start walking in the countryside on walks led by Birmingham Ramblers members.

It is very helpful for the walk leader to have prior knowledge of numbers that will be on this walk. We ask you to complete this very brief form to help with our planning of the walk to ensure that we can safely accommodate all who wish to join us. You will receive an automatic acknowledgement when you submit this form.

To express your interest in this walk:

- click the blue + symbol above to increase the ticket count to 1 - only one ticket can be booked per booking since we ask for the name of each walker - then click Next

- on the following page click the Checkout button then complete the questions, click the Accept box and press the Confirm button. You will receive an automatic acknowledgement when you submit this form.

PLEASE NOTE THAT THE FINISHING TIME OF THIS EVENT SHOWN ABOVE IS ONLY APPROXIMATE AND CANNOT BE GUARANTEED; IT WILL DEPEND ON FACTORS SUCH AS THE WEATHER AND THE WALKING PACE OF THE GROUP.

Walk leader: Paul Hatton

This is an approximately 3 mile walk along the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal to Gas Street Basin

We will meet at Aston Station at 09.53. This is the 09.46 Cross-City train from New Street station, where the walk leader will be joining the train. If joining at New Street meet on the platform - check the departure boards for details since the platform is often subject to change. Aston Station is also served by buses 65, 67, 68 and X64.

This walk takes us from Aston Station along the Birmingham and Fazeley canal past Aston Junction and into Gas Street Basin where there are ample pubs and cafes for refreshment at the end of the walk.

Approaching Aston Junction the canal rises through the eleven locks of the Aston flight, the first locks after Salford junction, 1.8 miles (2.9 km) away beyond our joining point, where it is joined by the Tame Valley Canal and the Grand Union Canal. At Aston Junction the Digbeth Branch heads south-east to Typhoo Basin, and is just 0.9 miles (1.4 km) long. Typhoo Basin is also known as Digbeth Basin or Bordesley Basin. Aston Junction is notable in having two bridges serving the same lock; an iron Horseley bridge at the top and a brick bridge at the bottom.

From Aston Junction, the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal heads to the south-west for 1.3 miles (2.1 km). After passing the Post Office tower we ascend  through the 13 Farmers Bridge locks, rising 81 feet (25 m) to reach Farmers Bridge Junction and Gas Street basin. The Farmer's Bridge Lock Flight is one of the outstanding sights on Birmingham's canal network. The canal rises through dramatically floodlit archways, office undercrofts, and tunnels. It is a truly atmospheric link to the past in the middle of a modern city.

Expressions of interest for this walk will close at 06.00 on Thursday 25 July 2024. After this, please email bhamramblersenquiries@gmail.com or contact us through our contact form at https://cobra.eventcube.io/support-hub/contact to enquire about any late availability for the walk.

If you later find that you are unable to join us it would be helpful if you let us know by sending an email to bhamramblersenquiries@gmail.com or let us know though our contact form at https://cobra.eventcube.io/support-hub/contact - this will be passed on to the walk leader and will prevent any delay to the start of the walk should the leader be waiting for you.

General Information

This is one of several walks and activities offered by the Birmingham Ramblers. If you have found this page through a web search or other means and would like to find out more about the group then please visit the Birmingham Ramblers web site; new members are always welcome.