Through Birmingham on a Touring Bike - Help

[tippers_kiwi]

Next week I am touring back from Aberhafesp to Essex. With some last minute changes I am now going from Ironbridge to Stratford-upon-Avon on the second day. I had a route through Birmingham previously sorted when it was a simple West to East but now I've got myself all wrapped up on weather I should follow the canal down to Stratford or take roads.

I'll be fully loaded (for a 5 day tour) and currently my route joins the A463 at the junction with the A449 then joins the canals at Tipton. I can make sense of it to the Sealife centre or there abouts but any suggestions on route from there to Stratford would be very helpful indeed.

[nikki]

Not the canal between Brum and S-o-A, as it's not surfaced.

It is surfaced from Wilmcote, or rather was at some stage, but now it's all potholey (unless they've redone it in the last year) and it's not much fun without suspension.

Actually, they're currently putting surface on the singletrack that used to be the towpath above Smethwick Galton Bridge, so that probably scuppers the canals from Tipton part of the plan too...

https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/notice/12407/galton-bridge-to-bromford-lane-bridge

Let me have a look at a map and I'll see what suggests itself. Kim's The Good Bit once you've broken free of Birmingham, obviously, we just need to link it up for you...

[tippers_kiwi]

Awesome, thanks Nikki. Glad I asked!

If avoidi g coming through the middle of Birmingham would be better I am fine with that as well. I've got a whole day so happy to take the advice from those in the know.

[nikki]

Have a peruse of http://www.gpxeditor.co.uk/routes2/users/nikki/Tippers-Stratford-upon-Avon-01 and see what you think.

Beyond West Brom my knowledge is limited to the canal to Wolverhampton. The Dudley Port loop is a fairly decent surface, but then I think you've got grassy singletrack to link back up to the Birmingham Canal New Main Line, which then becomes closed anyway :-(

If you can get to the canal at Smethwick Galton Bridge (this will likely involve a dramatic loss in elevation!) then you'll be okay along the canal into town. There are an assortment of canal bridges to get up and over, but no obstructions until you get to all the humans around The Sea Life Centre and the Gas Street Basin. Fine if you're in touristy photo snapping mode, otherwise skip it by coming off and using Sheepcote/Granville Streets. Then follow NCR5 out of town.

There'll be one or two chicane-y barriers, but no full-on gates.

I can't remember if there's something awkward in combination with the steep ramp up from the end of the canal (NCR55) at the Hawksley Tunnel. Once you've got up Primrose Hill though, you're out into the lanes.

Getting into Stratford you can either go down the main drag or follow some of the side streets to the river.

Does that help?


An alternative to consider might be Woodgate Valley, which I think has recently been tarmac'd, but I also think maybe the end near Selly Oak is closed, so I'm a bit hesitant about that as a recommendation.

[Kim]

What nikki said.  The canal route to Stratford is a day out on a mountain bike.  Also, the Edgbaston Tunnel on the Birmingham & Worcester canal is closed for the installation of a sensible-width towpath, which rules out the non-confusing escape route from the Gastric Basin^[1].  Prior experience suggests that non-locals trying to find the NCN5 route through the city centre (which isn't a terrible one) based on Sustrans' signage alone is a recipe for getting lost, even without the diggy hole that's going on around the Broad Street area.  Study Openstreetmap carefully, use GPS or ask locals for directions to head towards New Street Station, and try to pick up the southbound NCN5 route from there.

Leaving Birmingham to the south without busy roads involves an annoying climb at some point, but once you're over that it's rolling lanes with a downhill bias most of the way to Stratford.  I'd suggest following NCN5 to where it crosses the Pershore Road South by Kings Norton Park, turn left up the hill, cross the annoying roundabout, then follow Masshouse Lane / Primrose Hill up and out of the urban area.  The NCN55 alternative takes you up a steep muddy bank.

The Good Bit™ is roughly Oldberrow->Morton Bagot->Spernal lane->Great Alne.  Stop to admire the weir just after Great Alne, then head to Wilmcote^[2].  Final approach to Stratford via The Ridgeway.

Joining those two up is pretty much left as an exercise for the reader, though I'd suggest avoiding the NCN55 route down Icknield Street (it's excessively undulatey and the surface is shite).  With a loaded tourer I'd probably head for the *top* of Weatheroak Hill, then down Watery Lane towards Portway.  Any route to Aspley Heath, Forde Hall lane (some climbing required, but it's the most conducive to carrying momentum, and has less motor traffic than the roads around Tanworth) to Ullenhall, then across to Oldberrow (the brief stretch of the A4189 is mostly downhill, and not too busy except during rush hour).

ETA: Apart from using the NCN55 canal bit to get to Primrose hill, this is what nikki's plotted  above in her GPX above


_{[1] Just round the corner from the Sea Life centre.
[2] Avoids the steep climb at Billesley}

[Kim]

An alternative to consider might be Woodgate Valley, which I think has recently been tarmac'd, but I also think maybe the end near Selly Oak is closed, so I'm a bit hesitant about that as a recommendation.

The last bit where the Bournbrook Walkway meets Harborne Lane behind the Shell garage is closed, with a diversion via a residential rat-run and a bit of pavement cycling.  I'm suspicious that may actually be an improvement.

I keep meaning to go and investigate this new tarmac, but last time I thought about it it was a sunny bank holiday weekend and I reckoned that was a stupid time to try and cycle through a country park.

[tippers_kiwi]

Awesome, thanks to both of you. I'll take a bit more of a look at the route and get my bearings this evening.

[robgul]

Why go through Birmingham? - to skirt to the south is pretty simple and picturesque.

I have a route that we used for the MacRide Tour a couple of years ago (the second day of the ride was Shrewsbury - through Ironbridge - and finishing at Strtaford-upon-Avon)     We had about 120 riders on the event with very mixed abilities and they all managed it!

If you want the gpx and a pdf of the OS 1-50000 with the route marked drop me a PM with an email address.

Rob

[tippers_kiwi]

Why go through Birmingham? - to skirt to the south is pretty simple and picturesque.

I have a route that we used for the MacRide Tour a couple of years ago (the second day of the ride was Shrewsbury - through Ironbridge - and finishing at Strtaford-upon-Avon)     We had about 120 riders on the event with very mixed abilities and they all managed it!

If you want the gpx and a pdf of the OS 1-50000 with the route marked drop me a PM with an email address.

Rob

PM sent, thanks very much. With the change in plan avoiding the urban sprawl might just be my safest option. Living in the wilds of Essex I'm happier avoiding the hustle and bustle and with the advice from Nikki and Kim on the towpaths I'm thinking skirting is maybe the wisest idea.

[Kim]

Why go through Birmingham? - to skirt to the south is pretty simple and picturesque.

Wise words.  Cycling through Birmingham on the canals has a certain industrial charm^[1] if you haven't done it before, but there's little to appreciate about it by road:  Imagine cycling through central London if someone nicked the bus lanes, added hills, and all the drivers had the entitled attitude of the home counties commuter wankpanzer belt.

I'd only bother if I actually wanted to get to somewhere in Birmingham, which I have to do with tedious regularity.


_{[1] And if you're going to do that, you really need to do the Birmingham & Fazeley out to Spaghetti Junction.}

[Kim]

An alternative to consider might be Woodgate Valley, which I think has recently been tarmac'd, but I also think maybe the end near Selly Oak is closed, so I'm a bit hesitant about that as a recommendation.

The last bit where the Bournbrook Walkway meets Harborne Lane behind the Shell garage is closed, with a diversion via a residential rat-run and a bit of pavement cycling.  I'm suspicious that may actually be an improvement.

I keep meaning to go and investigate this new tarmac, but last time I thought about it it was a sunny bank holiday weekend and I reckoned that was a stupid time to try and cycle through a country park.

Wednesday afternoons during a lull in the suspicious good weather seem optimal.  It's just the dog-emptiers and a couple of kids on their way home from school.

I can report the closed bit is still closed.  You have to follow the unsigned diversion via the lunar surface that is Reservoir Road.

I can also report that Woodgate Valley Country Park has acquired a proper wide smooth tarmac path^[1] for the length of the south side of the Bourn Brook (the path on the north side remains un-surfaced, I assume for the benefit of horseists) .  They seem to have done a not-insubstantial amount of earthworks to facilitate this in places, and given some thought to drainage.  Landscapers were raking topsoil, but there's no immediate evidence that they're going to pour stupid gravel all over it like they have elsewhere.  They've re-instantiated the slalom gate at the West Boulevard (B4121) entrance of the park (formerly bypassed by a gap in the bushes), but it's relaxed enough that you can get a panniered bike through without difficulty.  The stupid A-frames on Northfield Road are more likely to be an issue.

They've also fixed the incorrect symbols on the pelican crossing on Northfield Road.  I assume they decided they'd culled enough colourblind pedestrians for now


(I appreciate none of this is particularly of interest to the OP, beyond "yes, it's not a quagmire".  It's just the novelty value of BCC doing a cycle path properly, for a change.)


_{[1] If it was less undulating and had sensible sightlines it would be practically Dutch.}

[robgul]

Having sent a printed map and gpx to the OP this is the route:

Ironbridge
Beckbury
Upper Ludstone
Halfpenny Green
Kinver
Caunsall
Belbroughton
Bournheath
Lickey End/N Bromsgrove
Burcott
Tardebigge
Upper Bentley
Elcocks Brook
Astwood Bank
Coughton
Great Alne
Wilmcote
Stratford-upon-Avon


Rob

[tippers_kiwi]

Thanks to you all. I looked at the options and I have indeed gone with Rob's route missing out Birmingham altogether. Looking at the size of Birmingham I think my thoughts of how much fun it would be riding through on a fully loaded tourer were probably slightly misguided and then the news of the towpaths not being lovely and smooth I am not convinced I would have particularly enjoyed it.

I am looking forward to the trip now and the route will take in the following overnight stops from Aberhafesp

Ironbridge
Stratford upon Avon
Tiffield
Ashwell
Colchester (Home)

My first tour in the UK and first one carrying everything I need for cooking etc so should be a good learning experience. I'm looking forward to slowing the pace of life down for a few days.

[nikki]

Have a great trip - hope the weather continues to be lovely for you!

[nobby]

Next week I am touring back from Aberhafesp to Essex. With some last minute changes I am now going from Ironbridge to Stratford-upon-Avon on the second day. I had a route through Birmingham previously sorted when it was a simple West to East but now I've got myself all wrapped up on weather I should follow the canal down to Stratford or take roads.

I'll be fully loaded (for a 5 day tour) and currently my route joins the A463 at the junction with the A449 then joins the canals at Tipton. I can make sense of it to the Sealife centre or there abouts but any suggestions on route from there to Stratford would be very helpful indeed.

Can you not use the BCN and join the Grand Union to Warwick and go to SoA from there?
I rode it four years ago and had no problems excepting long grass at the Brummy end of the Grand Union.

[Jakob W]

I was going to suggest going north round Brum (roughly north of Wolverhampton, Walsall, and Sutton Park), then south through the lanes, but Rob's route may well be quicker. I'd agree I wouldn't go through Birmingham as a matter of choice...

[tippers_kiwi]

Thanks again to you all for the help on this. I'm at the campsite in Stratford upon Avon now and it was a cracking day out. Thank you Rob for that GPX file, the route was splendid.

I've loved seeing this part of the world from a bike and with a load the slower speed just makes it all the more enjoyable.

[CAMRAMan]

Just seen this update and am only a stone's throw away in Warwick. Have a good time in Bardsville. Where are you off to next?

[tippers_kiwi]

I spent last night in Tiffield catching up with an old friend. Today's destination is Ashwell before the final leg to Colchester on Thursday. My first tour of any kind in the UK and only my second overall and I've enjoyed every minute. The sun has no doubt helped.