If you are new to the BCN, as a boat owner or as a hirer, try the Titford Canal!
The Titford Canal – the Oldbury Flight of six locks, looking down from No. 3 lock towards Oldbury Junction with the BCN Mail Line, hidden under the motorway. On the right a side pond to save water.
It’s a short canal that has everything BCN:
- Some old industrial areas
- Factory bridges leading to old canal arms
- Six easy locks in pretty surroundings
- Lots of nature
- Pubs and shopping opportunities
- Titford Pump House, you might meat us!
- Titford Pools at the end
You will have reached the highest point on the BCN, 511 feet above sea level, and you might be rewarded with this plaque for navigating the Titford Pools!
Plaque rewarded for cruising the BCN’s Titford Pools
The Titford Canal is easy to reach from the BCN Main Line, the “fast track” between Birmingham and Wolverhampton, and you will discover perhaps unexpectedly pretty areas of the BCN, like the Smethwick locks area, and the Brades staircase. How long will it take to get there, and back to continue your journey? CanalPlanAC has all the answers!
The Titford canal – Lock No. 5 seen from the bottom lock. The six locks have side ponds (gate on the left side) so save water.
If you are interested in the history of this canal, you might enjoy a video about the lost arms and branches of this canal.
Once you have made it to Titford Pools, you can apply for the free plaque shown above, using the form below!
Titford Pools plaque application form
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I first went into the first pool, via the Causeway Green branch in my mates 45 footer NB.Lockhart after we had participated in the 2017 24hr marathon challenge. Gingerly we crept across the pool to wind and return the same day to the pump house.
The week immediately before the first COVID 19 lockdown, we did a trip from Alvechurch which resulted in a trip around both pools just after they were dredged: Nb. Leeds Castle, 66ft. Phil Barlow was spot on re the shallow bits on the way to the pools, sound advice!
The third time we went into the pools was 24 th Sept ‘21. This time aboard Nb.Rowington, 57 ft we enjoyed both pools. A young father and his young daughter who were perched by the M5 on the offside as we made our way (with much shafting!) from the Portway branch and the second pool into the first, warned us that it was shallow and we shouldn’t go there. We assured him that it had been dredged and as both father and child stared in amazement we raced across the pool to the Causeway Green arm and back the way we came. We ended up in Tipton and thank you to all for welcoming us to a chance meeting…Bradley Locks Cruise.
We did it this month, first time for us since it had been dredged, didn’t go round the pools as there were fishermen and why upset their sport just go round the edge. We did go to the very end. We also moored outside the pumphouse overnight on “Charlie’s” mooring as he was away and one of the residents suggested that would be better than outside the rubbish boat overnight.
We went up to the pools today as we exited the last lock one of your members had a chat and advised us on a route around pools his advice was bang on we took the left fork and turned right into main pool we circled the pool easy then came out the same way as entering as 70 foot couldn’t do exit at bottom we then did little pool and went around the little island caution needed here as tight but our friend did it easy in a 57 foot we would highly recommend going up there it’s beautiful and well worth the 6locks to get there I know there’s 6 locks on way back as well but that’s on your way to another adventure nb.Navicular 70’ 28” draught
We were lucky enough to do the canal and pools a couple of years ago , it was fun then and would go back up again given the chance
Alan and Hilary nb Sybil Evette