Black Country Navigations Loop (BCN)
Featured Routes

Gailey Wharf sits in a peaceful spot on the Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal, surrounded by historic 18th and 19th century canal buildings including a Grade II listed Round House and quayside crane. Casting off and heading south, you’ll cruise through mostly rural countryside all the way to Autherley Junction where the Shropshire Union Canal branches off to the right. 

Keep straight on, soon passing another junction (Aldersley) where the Main Line of the Birmingham Canal Navigations is on the left.

Up till now your route has been lock-free, giving you plenty of time to get used to handling your trusty boat. Your first lock is Compton Lock which is the very first lock that James Brindley built on this canal in the 1760’s. There’s a couple of handy pubs just after the lock, including the curiously titled Oddfellows Hall.

Wightwick Manor

Pass through another 2 locks and you might like to moor up just after Bridge 56 and visit Wightwick Manor, a stunning black and white Arts and Crafts movement country house which is now open to the public and houses an impressive Pre-Raphaelite art collection together with classic William Morris decoration. There are gardens and a tea-room to explore.

A section of mostly rural farmland now accompanies you to Stourton Junction, but there are plenty of canalside pubs for refreshments dotted around, and you can moor up and go shopping in Wombourne if you need a grocery top-up. Take a moment to admire the Victorian tollhouse at the top of The Bratch lock staircase, just before Wombourne.

Just after you descend Hinksford lock, the handsome red brick Victorian building of Hinksford Pumping Station can be seen on the left.

Arriving at Stourton Junction, there’s a handy white fingerpost telling you to turn left to join the Stourbridge Canal towards Stourbridge and Birmingham. After the 4 Stourton Locks, there’s wooded countryside all the way to Wordsley Junction.  Stourbridge Town Arm is away to your right but keep straight on and tackle the 16-lock climb through the Stourbridge locks.  If you find yourself in need of a break, the Samson & Lion pub is at Lock 7 offering refreshments aplenty.  

Turn right after the top lock - you are now entering the historic ‘Black Country’, comprising the boroughs of Dudley, Sandwell, Walsall and Wolverhampton. Famous for producing iron, steel, glass and coal in the 19th century, it gained its name due to the black smoke and soot coming from the mines, foundries and factories. You are now winding your way through the canals of Brierley Hill and Dudley, perhaps pausing for a while to visit the Merry Hill Shopping Centre, a vast complex of shops, places to eat and drink and a cinema.

At Park Head Junction, take a sharp right-hand turn onto Dudley No.2 Canal, which soon brings you to the entrance of Netherton Tunnel.  Opened in 1858, the tunnel is a whopping 2.4 miles long, so it’ll take you about 45 minutes to complete. It’s nice and wide though with towpaths on either side, so put all your lights on and go on in!

Emerging into the daylight, the Wolverhampton Level Canal passes over your head as you go straight on and turn left at Dudley Port Junction.  It’s less than 2 hours of cruising now to the Black Country Museum, so follow the canal as far as Tipton Factory Junction, turn left again and you soon arrive at the Visitor Moorings for the museum.

The Black Country Museum

You’ll almost certainly want to dedicate several hours – if not a whole day – to exploring the Black Country Living Museum. Set across 26 acres, it’s an immersive recreation of life in the industrial West Midlands, complete with costumed characters, reconstructed shops and houses, live demonstrations, vintage transport, and the chance to try traditional Black Country food (the famous faggots & peas are a must!). The museum also sits close to Dudley Zoo and Castle if you have an extended holiday and are looking for additional adventures.

When you’re ready to move on, cast off and continue once more to Factory Junction, where the Old and New Main Lines meet.  The surroundings begin with traditional Black Country housing and remnants of industrial architecture, gradually opening into quieter, more suburban scenery. Before long you approach the southern portal of Coseley Tunnel, a straight, towpath‑lined tunnel built to shorten the original winding line of the canal. At 360 yards (approx. 330m) it is short, airy, and easy to navigate.

Emerging from the tunnel, the canal curves gently through mixed woodland and residential edges before reaching Deepfields Junction, once the southern end of the Wednesbury Oak Loop. The route continues straight on, and the scenery now becomes increasingly green as the urban landscape recedes behind you.

A gentle run brings you to Horseley Fields Junction, where you turn right onto the Wolverhampton 21 – a long, straight flight of 21 narrow locks that will lower you back to the Wolverhampton Level. This is one of the most iconic lock flights on the entire canal network. Although it’s a substantial descent, the locks come quickly one after another, meaning a steady crew can make excellent progress.

At the bottom of the flight you rejoin more peaceful cruising for the short stretch to Aldersley Junction, where you turn right onto the familiar Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal. The contrast is instant: wooded banks, birdsong and a calmer, broader waterway greet you as you leave the city behind.

From here it’s an easy and relaxing return through the handful of locks you worked on your outward journey, passing again by Compton with its convenient shops and pubs. The final stretch back to Gailey Wharf is lock-free, allowing you to wind down, enjoy the scenery and reflect on the mix of countryside tranquillity and industrial heritage that makes this route so rewarding.

Soon the distinctive Round House comes back into view and you return to your starting point at Gailey Wharf, completing a fascinating and varied week’s cruise.