Objective: take the train from Stourbridge to Wolverhampton. Cycle down Wolverhampton Locks on the Birmingham Main Line, take the Staffs & Worcester Canal to Stourton Junction, and the Stourbridge Canal and Stourbridge Town Arm back to the start point.
Trip Type: solo cycle
Distance: 19 miles
Time to complete: 2.5 hrs, 8.8 mph
Nicholson Guide: Guide 2, pp 44, 45, 117-120, 132, 133.
Costs: free parking in Stourbridge. Train from Stourbridge Junction to Wolverhampton £6.00, 4 per hour
Difficulty: fair
Adjacent Rides: Halesowen to Kidderminster, Oldbury to Penkridge, Wolverhampton to Nantwich, Kidderminster to Worcester
Overview
A straightforward and pleasant ride, mainly rural apart from the initial section down Wolverhampton Locks. At under 20 miles it can be done in around 2 hours on a dry day.
1. Stourbridge to Aldersley Junction (2 miles cycling)
Park on Bradley Road, Stourbridge, DY8 1UX. There are no restrictions, and there is plenty of room. Cycle down to the ring road (High Street). Use the subway under the ring road bearing right onto Lower High Street. Continue through the old shopping centre. Half way along after the pedestrianised section it becomes one-way against you, so you will need to walk your bike up to the Wetherspoons.
Don’t follow the signs for Stourbridge Town station, unless you want to catch the novelty shuttle the half mile up to Stourbridge Junction, but it’s not worth the wait.
Instead, cross over the ring road again and continue on the busy Hagley Road to Glass House Hill. Turn left, then right into Stourbridge Junction station. Trains are frequent. Change at Smethwick Galton Bridge, where trains for Wolverhampton go from platform 3, so use the lift to drop down to the perpendicular line.
Coming out of Wolverhampton Station go straight ahead [as of April 2023 the area is being pedestrianised, and a tram route installed]. Cross the bridge over the Wolverhampton ring road (the canal is underneath you but you can’t see it). Turn right along the footpath to A4150, Wednesfield Road. Cross this, then drop down to the towpath and continue north (away from the station).
Continue down the fascinating 21 Wolverhampton Locks to Aldersley Junction. At Fox’s Lane Bridge it is easier to go over rather than navigate down the twisty and slippery path. At the junction turn right to cross the footbridge, then left onto the Staffs & Worcester Canal.
2. Aldersley Junction to Stourbridge (17 miles)
The towpath is good quality tarmac for a short while, and then a decent earth surface. It gets narrower at some points, but is fine to ride.
The towpath changes sides at Dimmingsdale Lock.
The unusual Bratch Locks are worth a stop, and an explanation of how they operate from volunteers, if available (they use side ponds and culverts – exciting stuff).
The canal winds its way down to Stourton Junction via Devil’s Den (a boathouse cut into the sandstone cliffs). Turn left over the bridge at the junction and continue 2 miles to where the Stourbridge Town Arm goes off to your right.
If you’ve not visited Stourbridge Locks before they are worth a look (you will come down them on the Halesowen to Kidderminster ride). Otherwise, cross the bridge to take the Arm a further mile back to Stourbridge Wharf. Go past the unusual bonded warehouse on Canal Street, then turn right on the High Street footpath a short distance before dropping down the slope to Bradley Road and your car. If you time it right you can pay a visit to The Cornish Pasty Box to replenish those lost calories (Saturday 10 – 1.30, Tuesday 12 – 2).