Avon Ring
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The Avon Ring is a canal ring which is located to the south west of
Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1. ...
in
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
, and connects the major towns of Stratford-upon-Avon, Evesham,
Tewkesbury Tewkesbury ( ) is a medieval market town and civil parish in the north of Gloucestershire, England. The town has significant history in the Wars of the Roses and grew since the building of Tewkesbury Abbey. It stands at the confluence of the Ri ...
,
Worcester Worcester may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Worcester, England, a city and the county town of Worcestershire in England ** Worcester (UK Parliament constituency), an area represented by a Member of Parliament * Worcester Park, London, Engla ...
and the southern outskirts of Birmingham. It consists of stretches of four waterways, and is heavily locked, with a total of 129
locks Lock(s) may refer to: Common meanings *Lock and key, a mechanical device used to secure items of importance *Lock (water navigation), a device for boats to transit between different levels of water, as in a canal Arts and entertainment * ''Lock ...
on its route of .


The route

The concept of a canal ring is a recent one, having been coined in 1965 to describe routes which could be used by people boating for leisure, that did not require holiday makers to return to their start location by the same route as they had used to reach their destination. The constituent waterways of the Avon Ring, which can take about two weeks to navigate are: * River Avon *
River Severn , name_etymology = , image = SevernFromCastleCB.JPG , image_size = 288 , image_caption = The river seen from Shrewsbury Castle , map = RiverSevernMap.jpg , map_size = 288 , map_c ...
* Worcester and Birmingham Canal *
Stratford-on-Avon Canal The Stratford-upon-Avon Canal is a canal in the south Midlands of England. The canal, which was built between 1793 and 1816, runs for in total, and consists of two sections. The dividing line is at Kingswood Junction, which gives access to the ...
Starting from Stratford-upon-Avon, and travelling in a clockwise direction, the Avon Ring follows the downstream course of the River Avon through Evesham to arrive at Tewkesbury, where the river joins the
River Severn , name_etymology = , image = SevernFromCastleCB.JPG , image_size = 288 , image_caption = The river seen from Shrewsbury Castle , map = RiverSevernMap.jpg , map_size = 288 , map_c ...
. There are 17 locks on this section, ten before Evesham and seven afterwards. The River Avon is a navigation, and so each lock is accompanied by a weir, to maintain the flow of the river. From Tewkesbury, the ring follows the upstream course of the River Severn for to Worcester. This is the longest level section, as the only lock is located at
Diglis Diglis is a suburb of Worcester, England. It is located around half a mile south of the city centre on the banks of the River Severn. The Worcester and Birmingham Canal starts in Diglis where it is connected to the Severn. Diglis Lock is a wide-b ...
, just before the junction with the Worcester and Birmingham Canal. From the junction with the River Severn, there are two locks to reach
Diglis Basin Diglis Basin is a canal basin on the Worcester and Birmingham Canal. It is situated in Diglis in the centre of Worcester, England, near The Commandery (a command post during the English Civil War). To the north is Tibberton (8.41 miles and 1 ...
, and then another eight as the canal leaves Worcester. The Offerton flight of six locks follows, just before the canal passes under the
M5 motorway The M5 is a motorway in England linking the Midlands with the South West England, South West. It runs from junction 8 of the M6 motorway, M6 at West Bromwich near Birmingham to Exeter in Devon. Heading south-west, the M5 runs east of West Brom ...
, after which the Dunhampstead tunnel is encountered. A junction with the Droitwich Canal, which was restored to navigation in 2011, is followed by the six locks of the Astwood flight, another six at Stoke, and almost immediately, the thirty locks of the Tardebigge flight, which raise the level of the canal by . The top lock of the flight brings to 58 the number of locks worked in just , as the final section is level. Two short tunnels follow; Tardebigge tunnel is long and Shortwood tunnel is long. The canal meanders across rural Worcestershire, passing under the
M42 motorway The M42 motorway runs north east from Bromsgrove in Worcestershire to just south west of Ashby-de-la-Zouch in Leicestershire, passing Redditch, Solihull, the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) and Tamworth on the way, serving the east of the ...
just to the north of
Alvechurch Alvechurch ( ) is a large village and civil parish in the Bromsgrove district in northeast Worcestershire, England, in the valley of the River Arrow. The Lickey Hills Country Park is 2.5 miles (4 km) to the northwest. It is south of Bir ...
, before entering the
Wast Hills Tunnel The Wast Hills Tunnel is a canal tunnel on the Worcester and Birmingham Canal. Its northern portal is in Hawkesley, Birmingham. Its southern portal is in fields just outside the city's boundaries, in Worcestershire. Construction and measure ...
. The tunnel is long, and its northern portal is in Warwickshire, in the urban outskirts of Birmingham. Within a mile,
Kings Norton Junction Kings Norton Junction () is the name of the canal junction where the Stratford-upon-Avon Canal terminates and meets the Worcester and Birmingham Canal at Kings Norton, Birmingham, England. History The Worcester and Birmingham Canal was ...
is reached, where the
Stratford-upon-Avon Canal The Stratford-upon-Avon Canal is a canal in the south Midlands of England. The canal, which was built between 1793 and 1816, runs for in total, and consists of two sections. The dividing line is at Kingswood Junction, which gives access to the ...
begins, and the journey up the Worcester and Birmingham Canal ends. The start of the Stratford-upon-Avon canal is marked by a guillotine lock, which used to prevent water passing between the canals, but is now maintained in an open position. The first is level, with a five-mile (8 km) urban section containing the Brandwood tunnel, and a six-mile (9.6 km) rural section which passes under the M42 motorway. The 26 locks of the Lapwood flight start the descent towards Stratford-upon-Avon, with the final one in the shadow of the M40 motorway bridge. The Lapworth Link turns off near locks 20 and 21, to connect with the
Grand Union Canal The Grand Union Canal in England is part of the British canal system. It is the principal navigable waterway between London and the Midlands. Starting in London, one arm runs to Leicester and another ends in Birmingham, with the latter ...
. Only one of these two locks needs to be negotiated, as they are on parallel routes. Another 27 locks complete the journey to Stratford-upon-Avon, with eleven of them concentrated in the Wilmcote flight. The length of the canal is , and officially contains 54 locks, although only 52 of them have to be negotiated.


Points of interest


See also

*
Canals of the United Kingdom The canals of the United Kingdom are a major part of the network of inland waterways in the United Kingdom. They have a varied history, from use for irrigation and transport, through becoming the focus of the Industrial Revolution, to today's ...
* History of the British canal system


Bibliography

* * *


References

{{Coord, 52.1922, -1.7032, type:landmark_dim:100000_region:GB-WAR, display=title, name=Junction at Statford-on-Avon Canals in England Canal rings in the United Kingdom