The Birmingham & Fazeley Canal from Newhall Street

The Birmingham & Fazeley Canal links urban and rural landscapes. It begins at Gas Street Basin, in the heart of Birmingham’s shopping and cultural districts, leading out into the green and peaceful Midlands countryside. In its industrial heyday, the Birmingham & Fazeley Canal was shut away from the city behind high walls. However, in the 1980s, it was reborn as a green haven for locals, with new access points and the towpath resurfaced for walking.The canal takes you past many central Birmingham landmarks, including the Post Office Tower. The Farmer's Bridge Lock Flight is one of the outstanding sights on Birmingham's canal network. The canal plunges down through dramatically floodlit archways, office undercrofts, and claustrophobic tunnels. It is a truly atmospheric link to the past in the middle of a modern city.