The other cycling thread (leisure )

[eric woolban woolban]

After discovering the canal from Great Barr to  Minworth and beyond.  Are there any other long canal rides that can be done in and around the West Midlands?

[spk]

Mate there are loads.my summer hobby.Brum to Notts is good (get the train back) or Brum Stratford,Brum Worcester.Ive done Manchester in 2 days,and London in 2 hard days.Get a canal map and it will all be clear.Ask away for further info.

[itbrvilla]

Love doing Kings Norton to Lapworth, have a pint and turn around.  Done Stratford-upon-Avon  on same route but from  Lapworth the towpath was non existentoxic or in a pretty bad state. Did the Rea Valley route from Northfield  to Clent this morning on my MTB. 

[Comrade Blitz]

I've only run part of the route but the Old Main Line/New main Line to Wolverhampton via Tipton is fabulous.

You can also do a loop from nr Star City south down into town to meet the Grand Union and then head back northish through Aston U and back up the Brum & Fazeley to Spaghetti Junction

[Villan For Life]

The National Cycle Network have a useful map on their website:

 http://www.sustrans.org.uk

[Andy_Lochhead_in_the_air]

Not cycling but I'm a rather keen canal walker. By keen I mean I have walked the Grand Union from Birmingham to London, all 93 miles of the Trent-Mersey, and the Midlands network out from the City Centre to Stratford, Worcester, Wolverhampton, Fazeley etc.

It's possible to use the canal routes to get to Villa Park leaving the Fazeley canal at Cuckoo Bridge or coming off the Tame canal as it comes through Witton. Travel north on the Fazeley canal and just past the Dog & Doublet you can see the training ground on your left.

There is also the Birmingham Canal canter route which I have done a couple of times.
https://www.sientries.co.uk/event.php?elid=Y&event_id=3418
http://www.mapmyride.com/gb/birmingham-eng/birmingham-canal-canter-route-294191049

P.S. So we can all enjoy our fascinating canal network together will you lovely cyclists please remember to ring your bell when you see us walkers in front of you so we can move to one side of the towpath. Thank you.

[spangley1812]

I commute every day from Bilston to Five Ways every day on my MTB on the canal towpath
I get on the Walsall Canal then up to Albion Road where I get on the Wolves to Birmingham Canal
I love it,its glorious most days so peaceful and tranquil.......Takes me about 50 mins to do the 10 miles

Normally on a Sunday I do the loop described earlier down to Spagetthi, Up past Alexander Stadium and that's about 23 miles but they are doing the towpath
up by the M6

[luke95]

Just get out & ride them, the beauty of the canals is it's virtually impossible to get lost .

That route that Andy Lochead has posted is a decent ride out & has the Black Boy on route for a bit of grub & a refuel .

[eric woolban woolban]

Yeah I should just go exploring really. Managed to get out this morning before the rain (?) Did a nice 22 miles and back home for before 11.
I think I may commute to work some of the days. It's about 90% canal.