Lovely Winter canal walk - Wolverhampton to Brewood

Finally - some sunshine! I hurried out to do this walk. I've wanted to do it for ages, but it's a shame to do such a lovely walk in poor weather: I wanted to savour it.

I started at the canal bridge on Oxley Moor Road, Wolverhampton. (WV10 6TX)

After about 200 metres, there's a left turn onto the Shropshire Union Canal. 

The sign says Chester, though the canal actually finishes at Ellesmere Port, on the River Mersey.

The first lock has a fall of only 6 inches: it's really a stop lock, preventing the free flow of water into the adjoining Staff and Worcs Canal

The winter trees had interesting colours of their own.

Traditional mileposts.

Wolverhampton Boat Club.

Looking back into the sunlight.

Pretty soon, the canal is in open countryside: I assume there must have been a bridge here once.

Ahead, the M54 bridge, and its thundering traffic.

  
But it's quickly back again to peaceful countryside.

The Shropshire Union Canal was built by Thomas Telford. In contrast to earlier canals, his were very direct, making use of embankments and cuttings rather than following the contours of the land. (See my walk at Wormleighton for the exact opposite in a canal).

Very straight!

Here's one of the many cuttings.

By the time I got to Chillington Bridge, the weather was getting duller. I climbed up to see the top of the bridge...

...actually not that interesting! I'd hoped to get a view of Chillington Hall

 Another cutting. 

At Bridge 12, I left the canal

There's an easy (but occasionally muddy) path across the fields to Brewood (or you can stay on the canal till the next bridge)

The path emerges into the centre of Brewood. The footpath sign says that this is part of the Staffordshire Way.

In the centre of the village is The-Mess Bistro (white building on the right) ...

...where I had home made fish finger sandwich and chips (also home made). Extremely nice. 

A wider view. There's a sign which says they made all their own cakes. They looked wonderful, but I had no room for them! 

Brewood is full of old buildings. 

And I love this distinctive one. (It's now luxury flats, I believe) 

Well , there we are. A really lovely walk - with a great tearoom at the end. Why not try it?

Today's walk: It's about 5.7 miles to Brewood from Oxley along the Shropshire Union Canal. On weekdays, there's a bus back to Oxley at about 4pm. However, I walked back as well. It took me two hours in each direction. I really recommend this walk - lovely scenery, open country, easy route-finding and good underfoot (just a couple of patches of mud)