Waterways Walks: The Lichfield Canal

Resuming my occasional series of towpath trails with this Easter-time solo Staffordshire stroll, which will serve as a companion trip to the Hatherton Canal investigations I did last summer. My focus now is on the other waterway the Lichfield and Hatherton Canals Restoration Trust are aiming to reinstate...

- Lichfield City Station Sign -

Yes indeed, the Lichfield Canal will be taking its turn in the WME spotlight. Originally part of the Wyrley & Essington system linking Ogley Junction (near Brownhills) with the Coventry Canal at Huddlesford, the branch was abandoned in the mid 1950s but is gradually being brought back into existence thanks to the sterling efforts of the LHCRT. It is thus with eager anticipation that I make my way to Lichfield City station, a personal favourite railway location which feels enticingly traditional with solid booking hall benches and weatherboarded platform architecture.

- Saxon Penny, Darwin Park -

From the station I head for the fringes of the city, passing through part of the Darwin Park development along the way. This new estate has grown steadily over the last few years and building work is still ongoing; local amenities include Darwin Hall Community Centre, a Waitrose supermarket and the Saxon Penny pub (one of those identikit modern Marston's retail park efforts). An attractive avenue view makes the most of a distant cathedral horizon while Sainte Foy Avenue boasts a compact little park with children's play area.

- Canal Construction at Fosseway Heaths -

After a brief encounter with the Lichfield Southern Bypass I can pick up the trail at Fosseway Heaths where a stretch of canal is being restored as part of a nature reserve. Being the morning of Good Friday, it's relatively quiet on site but I can still see the digging and mixing equipment alongside the earthen channel that will in time form the resurrected waterway. A boardwalk structure is in the process of being fabricated to serve a planned wetland area while work continues on crafting the canal wall.

- Fosseway Lane Crossing -

It requires long-term dedication to restore a lost canal, and the fact LHCRT have been active for a number of years is demonstrated at Lock 18 which was repaired back in 1995. The lock precedes my emergence onto Fosseway Lane where I'm pleased to discover an abandoned signal box and level crossing formerly served by the South Staffordshire Line - it's all rather ramshackle these days but nonetheless constitutes an interesting remnant of a railway I've previously traced at Pelsall and Brownhills.

- Darwin Walk -

A gentle stroll back along Fosseway Lane connects me once more with the Lichfield Southern Bypass - the plan is that the restored canal will flank this road for a short distance because the original course (which weaved through by the Duke of Wellington pub) has largely been built over. My next target therefore becomes Darwin Walk off Shortbutts Lane where a grassy corridor marks the resumption of the historic route; the open space must be popular with dog-walkers judging by several polite notices instructing folk to clean up after their pets.

- St John's Bridge -

The trail is already proving fascinating and added excitement comes in the form of St John's Bridge where the old canal meets London Road - apparently there used to be adjacent wharves and a basin here while the bridge itself was rebuilt in the 1930s. Tamworth Road then keeps me company as the towpath track crosses open ground among springtime daffodils to reach Cricket Lane, one of the access points for Borrowcop Locks Canal Park.

- Borrowcop Locks -

Borrowcop Locks is the centrepiece of LHCRT's restoration activities and it's great to see what has been achieved, most notably the work on Locks 25 and 26. A stretch of the canal here has been rewatered (hurrah!) complete with resident ducks, making for a lovely spot to pause and contemplate life. Beyond the pound, the channel sweeps left ('Bobbie's Bend') to meet Tamworth Road which is as far as I'm going on this occasion. It is possible to walk right through to Huddlesford via Darnford Park, Darnford Lift Bridge and Cappers Lane - plenty there to tempt me back in future I should think!

- Dr Johnson -

An excellent walk deserves to be rewarded with a pint or two so as I make my way into Lichfield City Centre I seek out the Wellington on Birmingham Road for a quenching pint of Fuller's London Pride. Previously known as the Duke of Wellington, the pub is firmly part of Lichfield Canal heritage with an infilled bridge on the edge of the car park. A recent makeover means the place isn't perhaps quite as traditional as I'm expecting but I still enjoy my visit, reading L.A.S.T. Orders and keeping abreast of the Oxford v Scunthorpe football action. Lichfield's historic centre is always a delight to explore and as ever I make sure to say hello to Dr Johnson's statue, the renowned lexicographer having been born in the city in 1709.

- A Bitter-Suite Finish -

The afternoon is fast disappearing but I have time for one final treat before my train, and my chosen establishment is very handy for Lichfield City Station. The Bitter-Suite micropub only opened at the tail end of last year but already seems to have attracted quite a following; situated on Upper St John's Street in the shadow of the landmark railway bridge, I'm intrigued to find it is positioned directly opposite the former Lichfield Brewery building. I partake of the house ale from Burton Bridge Brewery, the name 'Bridge Strike Bitter' referencing the number of incidents that the adjacent bridge has been involved in with unwary lorries! Table service is part of the offer here so I persuade myself to stay for a Dark Drake stout (Dancing Duck) which also proves very drinkable. Home I must then go but it has been a superb day of Easter exploring, and I wish the Lichfield and Hatherton Canals Restoration Trust all the best with their ongoing projects.