Gas Street Basin, Birmingham (must see)

The squares, the shops, the crowds, the traffic and all the rest of it burns you out. What to do? Don't want to toss it in just yet. Take a tranquil stroll along the canal towpath into Gas Street Basin. When the Basin is reached there are shops and restaurants to visit, away from the hassle and the mobs.

Want to give the canal a try? There are water taxis. Cruise through the heart of the city hidden behind a screen of trees and shrubs. Factoid: Birmingham has more canal boats than Venice. They're less expensive too.

Gas Street Basin is the place where the Main Line meets the Worcester and Birmingham Canal. They meet at Worcester Bar, A barrier seven feet high installed in 1795 to keep the Worcester and Birmingham Canal company from "stealing" water from the Main Line.

The walk follows a circular pattern: Soho Loop, Smethwick Locks, Engine Arm and Spin Lane Locks and then returning to Bromford Junction to those old friends, Main Line and Worcester and Birmingham.