Route 1
On the Trent & Mersey canal towards Stoke-on-Trent you will pass:
Fradley
Armitage
Rugeley
Great Heywood & Shugborough Hall (Lord Lichfield's House)
Stone (Old Market Town)
Stoke-on-Trent, which is home to the pottery centre, which makes Wedgewood & Royal Doulton
Route 1 - Trent and Mersey Canal towards Stoke-on-Trent
Fradley
Fradley Junction is the meeting place for the Trent & Mersey and Coventry Canals. Anglers gather here as do canal side strollers who value this scenic stretch of water. Here you can watch the boaters moor or work the locks. The Swan is a canal side inn at Fradley Junction and is a lively venue to enjoy hearty food and drink whilst watching the narrow boats go by.
Armitage
Armitage is a village situated along side of the River Trent, on the south side of the Trent and Mersey Canal, five miles NNW of Lichfield and two and a half miles ESE of Rugeley. The parish includes the hamlet of Handsacre, and contains over a 1000 inhabitants and 1821 acres of land. Armitage forms three-fifths of the parish and was formerly called Hermitage.
Great Heywood & Shugborough
Haywood Junction: This is where the Staffordshire & Worcestershire and the Trent & Mersey canals meet. The Trent & Mersey was completed in 1777 where as the Staffs & Worcester was completed five years earlier in 1772. This junction is the start of the Staffs & Worcestershires 46 mile journey down to the river Severn at Stourport.
On the edge of Cannock Chase you will find Shugborough Hall the home of the Royal Photographer Patrick Lichfield. From the Trent and Mersey canal at Great Haywood access can be gained to this estate via the old zig -zag bridge crossing the River Trent. Shugborough features both the 18th century Mansion itself and a collection of fine neo-classical monuments distributed throughout the magnificent grounds. The domestic quarters have been restored in detail to give an intriguing insight into the life below stairs during the Victorian and Edwardian eras. There is also a Georgian farmstead, with a fine selection of rare breeds of domestic animals.
Rugeley - Cannock Chase
Cannock Chase lies on the southern border of Staffordshire and is surrounded by Cannock, Hednesford, Brereton, Heath Hayes and Norton Canes. These towns were mining towns providing coal to the bigger towns and cities such as Birmingham, Wolverhampton Walsall & West Bromwich. It is only in recent years we have seen the closure of the last two big collieries in the area. These towns are now thriving communities in their own right. Cannock - a cosmopolitan town with a new Shopping Center - is flourishing.
Rugeley, dates back to the Middle Ages and lies at the northern tip of the chase and was once famous for its international Horse Fair as well as the famous serial killer Dr William Palmer born in Rugeley on 6th August 1824, hanged at Stafford 14th June 1856. He was locally christened the "The Rugeley Poisoner"
Throughout the year there are events and activities, including regular balloon trips over Staffordshire.
Stoke-on-Trent
The Wedgwood Visit Centre is a new 4.5 million pound visitor centre and is like no other factory visit. Not only will you find rare and valuable exhibits tracing the rich history of the company but you will experience the whole production process from raw clay to throwing. For the first time every visitor has the chance to tour the factory enjoying the experience at their own pace.
There are hands on activities in the demonstration area, shopping at the Wedgwood best and second shops and refreshments in the Ivy House Restaurant or Josiah's Bistro.
Royal Doulton Visitor Centre holds one of the worlds largest public collection of Royal Doulton figures, demonstrations, factory shop and tea room. Factory tours also available (weekdays only, booking advised). Named Heart of England and England for Excellence visitor attraction of the year (under 50000 visitors) in 1998. The centre contains extensive displays of past and present. Live demonstrations of the skills involved in production and decoration of figures. The unique tea room combines as a showroom and the shop sells a wide range of products.
Route 2
Heading towards Nottingham & Derby passing through Burton-on-Trent there are breweries where tours are available.Burton-on-Trent
Formerly the Bass Museum, the Coors Visitor Centre houses the UK's premier museum dedicated to brewing “The Museum of Brewing”, offering a unique blend of living heritage. Located in Burton on Trent, Britain's brewing capital, the Coors Visitor Centre brings together a unique collection of artefacts and memorabilia tracing the fascinating history of the brewing industry. Visit the Shire Horse Stables, explore the Museum Micro Brewery, authentic Cooperage, vintage vehicle collection and working stationary steam engine plus lots more. And there's plenty for children to enjoy too, including Virtual Burton, a unique interactive touch-screen exhibit which introduces a cast of virtual characters from the town census year of 1881.
End the day by sampling a range of specialist beers and homecooked food in the Visitor Centre's bar and restaurant which are open daily, together with the beer gift shop.
Marston's Brewery - Visit the working co-operage, see the impressive Burton Unions (a system where beer is fermented in oak casks and is unique to marston's) and enjoy a pint of famouse pedigree Bitter.
Address: The brewery, Shobnall Road, Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, DE14 2BW
Telephone: 01283 507391
Branston Water Park - A 40 acre lake including woodland, wetland and wildflower meadow. The lake is popular for model boating and angling clubs, walks, birdwatching and picnicking. There is a children's play area and visitor centre.
Address: Lichfield Road, Branston, Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, DE13 7AB
Telephone: 01283 508573
Trent Washlands - This is a large area of the River Trent floodplain in Burton upon Trent. A wide variety of habitats provide homes for a range of species of wildlife. Take a leisurely stroll around the site and look out for herons, dragonflies and damselflies as well as a large number of wild flowers. Angling, canoeing and rowing take place on the river through membership of a local club.
Address: Town Centre, Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire
Telephone: 01283 508730
Long Eaton
A large town by the side of the River Trent, between the cities of Derby and Nottingham, with a history dates back to before the 7th century. The town began to prosper from the 19th century onwards with the onset of the Industrial Revolution.
Up until the late 19th century, Long Eaton was just a small agricultural village. Its new prosperity and industries included lace making and quarrying, plus the fact that it was situated close to both a canal and large rail network. Population of the town rose swiftly around this time thanks largely to the factories and manufacturers that began to arrive in numbers. Today, the town has all the modern amenities and facilities you would expect, and it also has its own Public School. Close by is Trent Lock, a busy boating and sailing centre just a short distance from the centre of town.
NottinghamNottinghamshire once thrived on coal mining. The city of Nottingham, is famous for it's lace and, of course, the legend of Robin Hood. Sherwood Forest itself was once a royal hunting ground and the River Trent, which runs right through Nottingham, has given the county a strategic importance over the centuries.
Nottingham originally bore the rather less flattering name of Snotingham before the Danes renamed it. It began as the small village of Snotta, or Snot, from the Old English for 'a place with caverns' - prehistoric people left many cave dwellings beneath the town.
The city of Nottingham, nicknamed the "Queen of the Midlands", and the county of Nottinghamshire have much to offer the tourist and although there is little left of Sherwood Forest nowadays, the Tales of Robin Hood tourist attraction is a pleasant day out for all the family. Nottinghamshire's other tourist attractions include the Caves of Nottingham, Nottingham Castle Museum and Art gallery, and the Tudor mansion Wollaton Hall.
For more information about places to visit - click here >
Route 3
By travelling down the Coventry and Birmingham & Fazeley Canal, you will find Drayton Manor Park and Zoo.
Fradley
See above for information.
Lichfield
From whichever direction you approach Lichfield, its skyline is dominated by the spires of St Michaels, St Marys and most predominantly the three spires of the Cathedral. It is the only Cathedral in the country with three spires and being on high ground to the North of the city centre, rises above all the rest.
Market days in Lichfield are Friday and Saturday when all is bustle and hurley burley, with a Farmers' market on a Thursday once a month.
Take a virtual tour of Lichfield - click here
Lichfield Cathedral has a long and fascinating religious history. The first Cathedral was built in AD 700, probably on an existing religious site. The present Gothic Cathedral, completed in 1330, succeeded a Norman building. It was more severely damaged in the Civil War than any other in England. Faithfully restored, especially in the 19th century, it bears the record of 1300 years of Christian history and is run today by a community of Christians, who seek to maintain its witness and work to the glory of God.
Tamworth
Tamworth Castle is of Norman motte & bailey design with a shell keep similar to Restormal and Launceston Castles in Cornwall. The present stone structure replaced the first timber tower surrounded by a palisade which was built shortly after the Norman Conquest in 1066. The land of the former Saxon burgh was given to Robert 'Dispensator' by William, and it subsequently passed through marriage into the Marmion family. Numerous additions and alterations have been made to the castle by succeeding generations of owners. Until in the late 1890's, Marquis Townshend decided to sell the Castle by auction. Tamworth Corporation purchased it to mark Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee in 1897. The purchase price of £3000 was later raised by public subscription and the Castle was formally opened and dedicated to the public two years later
Drayton Manor Family Theme Park is one of the oldest parks in the country where families can enjoy a day of excitement and adventure. Originally billed fifty years ago, in 1949, by George Bryan as an 'Inland Pleasure Resort', the park is still to this day 'Family Run for Family Fun'.
Birmingham
Gas Street Basin: The basin is the meeting point of the Worcester and Birmingham canal and the Birmingham Main Line. They were separated by a 7 foot wide concrete bar known as the Worcester Bar. Bitter rivalry and companies competing for trade did not always ensure that canals were linked up by the shortest route. All the cargo had to be man handled over this bar from one boat to another to continue its journey north of Birmingham and beyond. The Worcester bar still exists today seen above with its colourful selection of historic boats moored against it. When the two separate canal companies merged it was agreed to insert a cut in the Worcester bar and provide a stop lock to prevent water wastage. This lock has long since disappeared but the cut is still present today. There is now a new cast iron bridge linking the bar and was the first cast bridge to be manufactured for over a 100 years. It was made in 1988 at a cost of £18000.
Gas Street Basin near Brindleyplace, provides a turning point for narrowboats using the Grand Union, Stratford-upon-Avon and Worcester and Birmingham Canals.
There are many different options for enjoying the 200 miles of canal in the region, including a leisurely cycle ride or walk along the towpaths, taking time out at one of the picturesque canalside cafes or Brindleyplace's floating cafe.
From here you are within walking distance to the National Sealife Centre, The National Indoor Arena, International Convention Centre and Symphony Hall, The museum and art gallery, the Bull Ring Shopping Centre and if you want to enjoy some nightlife, take a stroll along Birmingham's famous Broad Street lined with restaurants, cafes and bars.