UK Canal Boating

From the Marina turn south along the Coventry/Birmingham & Fazeley Canal.

At Huddlesford is the junction with the Wyrley & Essington Canal, now only used for private moorings. There is an award winning friendly canalside pub here, - The Plough serving real ale & good food.

At Whittington which you can approach from bridge 80 , there is a PO stores, garage, chemist, Chinese takeaway & off licence. The village centre is to the west of Whittington Bridge, the shops are best approached from Bridge 78. There are 3 pubs here, The Swan Inn on the Canalside, and the Bell Inn & Dog Inn in the main street.
From here you can catch a bus into Lichfield, which is well worth the detour.

The three spires of the 13th century Cathedral in Lichfield, the 'Ladies of the Vale' are a visible landmark for miles around. The modern shopping centre contrasts sharply with the graceful Georgian buildings of the city centre. There are excellent pubs & restaurants and night clubs, with a Farmers market on Sundays.
You can also catch a train into the centre of Birmingham from Litchfield.

Hopwas is a pretty & tidy village with a green, built on the side of a hill. It has a PO, and a convenience store. It is a nice stop for an overnight stay, as on the Canal is the Tame Otter Pub, where real ale & food are served all day, there are moorings available, also here is the Red Lion, food at lunch and in the evenings, steaks are a speciality.

At the Fazeley Junction turn right along the Birmingham and Fazeley canal, soon you will reach Drayton Manor Theme Park - The UK's best family theme park with kids rides, family fun, zoo, and thrill rides. The entrance to the Theme park & Zoo is a short walk from the canal to your right.

Featuring Stormforce 10 with a backward water drop, Maelstrom, Shockwave- Europes first stand up roller coaster, and the vertical drop -New for 2011 is Ben 10 Ultimate Mission the ride, Ben needs you to stop Vilgax from stealing the Omnitrix and the only way is to board the “Mecha Vehicle”, Good luck on your mission! . Adults & children will love the white knuckle rides, but the park has many family rides and a Thomas Land area for the younger children, and a Zoo to explore. The park is closed during November to March.

The Gothic style footbridge at Drayton Bassett is worth a photo, it has twin battlemented towers which look quite ridiculous on such a small construction, but it is wonderfully eccentric.

From here cruise back to the Fazeley Junction and how about walking to the Snow Dome which is only about 30 minutes from the junction.

All weather skiing and snowboarding centre with kit rental, an ice rink, swimming pool and gym. It is open until late every night.

Also you need to visit Tamworth Castle-
Step back through 900 years of history with a visit to Tamworth Castle. Uncover the secrets held within the chambers and hallways of this unique building and get a real sense of how the Saxons, Normans, Tudors and Victorians lived.

 

NB: This route has been provided as a guide only. Information may become inaccurate or out of date. You should always check with the marina that the route is possible within your time frame, current weather conditions and canal stoppages etc.