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Dunhampstead or Droitwich?


Whale

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We're about to do the Avon ring - the only section we haven't done before is the Worcester & Birmingham Canal. We're not sure whether to go via Dunhampstead (original section) or go along the restored Droitwich section. Any advice appreciated. Thanks

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The barge canal is a bit rural once you're clear of Droitwich and the locks are double and a bit on the hard work side.  There's not much in the way of stopping places til you reach the Severn either so, if you're going that way, it probably works best if you've overnighted in Droitwich so you aren't left looking for moorings. Everything you need to top up with is in Droitwich, so it's not a bad stop.

If you're heading down the Dunhampstead route, there's no good mooring places between Tibberton and Worcester. I don't rate the pubs at Tibberton, but the moorings are fine, as are those at Dunhampstead where there is the First Tree, a slightly upscale pub restaurant.

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59 minutes ago, Sea Dog said:

The barge canal is a bit rural once you're clear of Droitwich and the locks are double and a bit on the hard work side.  There's not much in the way of stopping places til you reach the Severn either so, if you're going that way, it probably works best if you've overnighted in Droitwich so you aren't left looking for moorings. Everything you need to top up with is in Droitwich, so it's not a bad stop.

If you're heading down the Dunhampstead route, there's no good mooring places between Tibberton and Worcester. I don't rate the pubs at Tibberton, but the moorings are fine, as are those at Dunhampstead where there is the First Tree, a slightly upscale pub restaurant.

We've stopped overnight at Bilford top lock on a couple of occasions though only because we ran out of time but it's a decent enough spot.  We're not interested in pubs though...

The Droitwich we found very disappointing, to go to all that trouble of restoring the canal and provide so few mooring sites ... no intention of revisiting it.  

 

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13 hours ago, Whale said:

We're about to do the Avon ring - the only section we haven't done before is the Worcester & Birmingham Canal. We're not sure whether to go via Dunhampstead (original section) or go along the restored Droitwich section. Any advice appreciated. Thanks

If you haven't done the Worcester & Birmingham before I would definitely go that way. I would choose to go from Droitwich to Worcester via Hanbury rather than Hawford even though it takes longer.

There are OK places to moor between Worcester and Tibberton.

JP

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I'm clearly in the minority but I love the Droitwich canal between the town and the river.  So quiet, so rural, lots of wildlife.  The moorings above the lock at Hawford are good and there are a few other places where you can squeeze in among the reeds with only moorhens and the occasional kingfisher for company.  Bliss.

The new cut to the east is less appealing to me.  Its newness doesn't feel right and the low bridge is a PITA with a well loaded roof.

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The last couple of occasions going up and down the Worcester Birmingham we've chosen to use the Droitwich rather than the bottom end of the WB. The first time on the Droitwich was just after it had been restored and I said I wouldn't go back but I've been through four more times since then and it is growing on me. However, if you stop in Droitwich go to the Gardeners Arms if you want a pint rather than the Railway.

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Many thanks for all your replies -- there doesn't seem to be a consensus -- think we might try the Droitwich. Quiet and rural sounds good. If we had time we'd do both! Anyway - thanks to you all. 

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  • 5 weeks later...

Having just gone from Birmingham to the Severn via Droitwich and having done similar but via Worcester two years ago, I'd say the Droitwich route is prettier and more interesting. I agree with above that the barge canal is prettier than the junction, with the latter having a very new and artificial feel to it, but the junction locks are interesting with working side ponds for the top 3 and a staircase further down. The barge canal locks are pretty and interesting and this compensates for the heavy gates and stiff paddles; the last mile or so before Hawford is one of the prettiest stretches I've come across. Droitwich Spa itself is a very mellow place, with an excellent pub (The Gardeners Arms). The M5 culvert was VERY tight and headroom varies depending on the height of the river (which shares the canal route at that point). I found the swing bridges in the town a pain because of the rather fiddly padlocks. Aside from the last two points, this route gets the thumbs up from me.

For what it's worth I found the stretch into Worcester reasonably pleasant, but still fairly uninteresting and lacking any real charm and character once beyond Offerton locks, although it's pretty between Hanbury and Tibberton and I guess Diglis basin has an element of interest, though not to the same extent as Stourport. I also found that the way the locks are spread beyond the Offerton flight makes progress feel slow.

Edited by Philip
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