The Urban Escape

The route will head through Handsworth Park past the cricket pitch and head towards Great Barr. It will pass the Hamstead Miners Memorial, before heading in to Sandwell Valley and picking up the NCN 5 route. 

On the NCN route, you will go around Forge Mill lake before crossing the River Tame and riding on to Swan Pool. Leaving Sandwell Valley the route continues on the NCN5 passing the Vine, travelling back under the M5 and then emerging at Galton Bridge for a ride down and onto the canal towpath.

From here the route follows the canal using NCN5 again heading towards Birmingham. You leave the canal at New Bridge Street and follow Watville Road until you go past Brooks Saddles where it turns right into Cornall Street. This leads on nicely to Blackpatch Park, the birth place of Charlie Chaplin. It then heads back onto the canal and  past the rear of Avery Berkel factory home of the famous Soho Foundry before emerging close to the pub by that name.

The route continues it's voyage through time and heads into more recent times as you travel down James Turner Road, famous for a recent TV programme. From here it then heads north east and back in time as you pass the Black Eagle and Soho House, home to Birmingham's founding fathers. It then turns north past King Edward VI Grammar School and winds its way back to the start point.