Dog friendly moorings in/around Birmingham

[RichLech]

We are currently planning to travel through Birmingham in about three weeks time, coming in on the Stratford on Avon and Worcester & Birmingham canals to Old Turn/Deep Cuttings junction. From there we will be heading past Cambrian Wharf onto the Birmingham & Fazeley up to Fazeley Junction.

 

This is our first cruise through so much built up area so I would really appreciate recommendations for mooring between the Stratford on Avon/Worcester & Birmingham junction at Kings Norton, right through to, say, Minworth on the Birmingham & Fazeley.

 

Our priorities are safety and somewhere we can exercise our two Labradors.

 

Anything we need to be aware of or look out for?

 

Many thanks.

 

 

[junior]

I have a dog on board all the time and can't say I've found anywhere that i wouldn't consider dog friendly.

 

What do you/your dogs require in a mooring?

[Troyboy]

My Labrador /Golden Retriever cross would reply that she likes a selection of left over take aways and maybe some horse or sheep poo at a mooring plus somewhere to run around off the lead . Out in the sticks maybe some fox poo or urine to roll in or failing that a dead fish left on the bank by anglers .

 

I understand the rolling in smelly stuff is a female thing something to do with masking her natural scent.

[Proper Charlie]

When we did that route, with our lab, we stopped at Lapworth, then near Old Turn, then close to Fazeley. All three moorings were safe and we had no worries about the dog. Lapworth is good, with a decent towpath. Central Birmingham is a bit less dog friendly, I suppose, but I walked her a few hundred yards towards Wolverhampton where she could do her business. When we're on the move, one of us takes the tiller and the other walks the dog for a few miles. It's not so easy to exercise her in the middle of town, so we walk her around the shops instead. It's good training for her to be in a different sort of environment. There are mixed reviews on here about stopping between Old Turn and Curdworth. So on leaving Birmingham, we had a very long day and went almost to Fazeley, stopping alongside the nature reserve a mile or so before Drayton Manor theme park. Very rural and lots of walks.

[RichLech]

Thanks for replies so far

 

Junior, to clarify, the dogs like to run around off lead for a while if possible (chasing a ball or retrieving training dummy) and would rather be on grass than concrete or tarmac.

[Stilllearning]

My Labrador /Golden Retriever cross would reply that she likes a selection of left over take aways and maybe some horse or sheep poo at a mooring plus somewhere to run around off the lead . Out in the sticks maybe some fox poo or urine to roll in or failing that a dead fish left on the bank by anglers .

 

I understand the rolling in smelly stuff is a female thing something to do with masking her natural scent.

 

Our Husky throws himself at anything smelly in an attempt either to disguise how he smells, so that sheep etc don't know there's an almost wolf trying to sneak up on them, or because he thinks it makes him smell irresistible to us. Neither ploy works as he is always on a lead near sheep and cows or chickens, and for us, it just makes him smell even worse than usual. And no we don't wash him after a rolling incident, have you ever tried to dry a truly wet Husky? Mrs Stilllearning did try wet wipes on him this week after a roll in a dead hedgehog, but that was just a waste of a wet wipe IMO.

[pophops]

There are long quiet stretches of towpath between Lapworth and Shirley drawbridge. Just be mindful that, in places, there can be a road or lane just the other side of the towpath hedge. One place that comes to mind is at the junction between the Stratford and the W&B. Behind the W&B toll house there is a path that leads to a large area of parkland. Dogs are permitted, (provided you clean up, obviously). There is also a small grassed area near the winding hole at the Vale, Edgbaston but be careful of heavy cycle traffic around there. I can't comment on the Birmingham & Fazeley section, it's somewhere I haven't been yet.

[Chewbacka]

We stopped overnight in Gas Street Basin, I took the dog for a walk about midnight off the main routes and stopped by a building column. The was yelp (not my dog) and a bit of startled barking (my dog) as a frightened young lady appeared from behind the building column with her dress around her waist. Looks like she and the dog both thought the building column ideal for a late night wee. Not sure who was most spooked, me, her or the dog, though her friend who appeared behind me found it very funny.

 

Back to the topic - Gas street Basin on a Friday night is not 'dog friendly' as the noise goes on until late (quite early) and too busy for late night dog walking

[alan_fincher]

I have a dog on board all the time and can't say I've found anywhere that i wouldn't consider dog friendly.

 

What do you/your dogs require in a mooring?

 

Ours, (or at least the one of ours we have had longest), is fairly fastidious about only "doing his business" on at least some grass, or something that might just about pass as "grass-like".

 

If you moor in the most popular central parts of Birmingham, it can be surprisingly hard to find even a 2 foot square of weedy ground, let alone actual grass. If you can find anything you will often find that those who have previously found it before have not cleared up after their dogs.

 

Standing trying to coax my dog into (say) a raised flower bed to do his necessaries can get a bit tedious!

 

He would not be fooled by Astroturf or other "fake grass", before anybody suggests it!

[nicknorman]

In the city centre, if you moor on the mainline near the NIA, walk to St Vincent St bridge (end of the visitor moorings) then head southwest for 1/4 mile or so, there is then plenty of grass parkland for pooping, and probably enough for a bit of a run-around.

Edited May 31, 2016 by nicknorman

[haggis]

At Curdworth, if you walk though the tunnel (assuming you have moored on the town side) you can go up some steps and there is a big field which I found ideal for exercising the dogs. You can rejoin the towpath and walk back that way making a circular route.

 

haggis

[john6767]

In the city centre, if you moor on the mainline near the NIA, walk to St Vincent St bridge (end of the visitor moorings) then head southwest for 1/4 mile or so, there is then plenty of grass parkland for pooping, and probably enough for a bit of a run-around.

That worked for our dog last week. If you use the left hand towpath, as you go out of the centre, then that is the less developed and used one, the right hand one is a cycle speedway.

 

On the Stratford if you want to let the dogs off, it would suggest your last stop before Birmingham be Warings Green, just past the Blue Bell pub, or just before you get to Dickens Heath.

 

Not sure when you are doing the trip, but check that Aston locks have reopened, otherwise you would go Ashtead and Garrison.

[RichardN]

The BCN Society publish a list of safe moorings: https://bcnsociety.com/bcn-safe-moorings-guide/index-to-safe-moorings-on-the-bcn/

 

Sue keeps a list of where we have moored and what she thought of them: https://indigodream.wordpress.com/indigo-dreams-rough-guide-to-moorings/ Not quite up to date as we struggled with an update to wordpress and live writer which we need to be brave and overcome.

[Machpoint005]

Is there a business opportunity here for somebody who develops the canine version of a cat litter tray? It could be kept on the boat...

(I'm working on the principle here that the main objective of "exercising" a dog is to empty it.)

[pophops]

Is there a business opportunity here for somebody who develops the canine version of a cat litter tray? It could be kept on the boat...

(I'm working on the principle here that the main objective of "exercising" a dog is to empty it.)

 

Perhaps a couple of square yards of turf, (available from most garden centres) placed on the roof and kept well watered

[Chewbacka]

 

Perhaps a couple of square yards of turf, (available from most garden centres) placed on the roof and kept well watered

Nice idea, but strength of the watering will soon burn the grass until it is dead.

[haggis]

Is there a business opportunity here for somebody who develops the canine version of a cat litter tray? It could be kept on the boat...

(I'm working on the principle here that the main objective of "exercising" a dog is to empty it.)

Nope, the main objective of exercising a dog is to give it exercise to keep it fit. The "emptying" is a secondary consideration, in my opinion. My dogs get several hours exercise a day which is a mix of roadwork and free running and I try to keep up the exercise regime while boating. Not always easy but as we always holiday with our dogs, it is something we have to work out. !

 

haggis

[Chewbacka]

Nope, the main objective of exercising a dog is to give it exercise to keep it fit. The "emptying" is a secondary consideration, in my opinion. My dogs get several hours exercise a day which is a mix of roadwork and free running and I try to keep up the exercise regime while boating. Not always easy but as we always holiday with our dogs, it is something we have to work out. !

 

haggis

The main reason I exercise our dog is to keep me fit. Blood pressure and weight are both down since I stopped working and started walking the dog.

Took the dog up Kinder Scout from Edale last week, he slept well that evening

[Sea Dog]

I think you're making the 'dog on a boat in a city' thing too much like hard work, although I realise I could be wrong. So I asked my 4 year old Labrador, who is a regular visitor to Birmingham by Narrowboat, and she thinks you're making too much of it too. She reckons Birmingham is one of her favourite snoozing spots where she can catch up on a few zzzs whilst guarding the boat after some busy cruising days with lots of lock work. She doesn't mind walks on a lead, emptying in one of the (always somewhere close enough) convenient foliage patches (being cleaned up after, of course) and forgoing her favourite pastimes of swimming and retrieving things for a day or two. But then what does she know? She's a dog and just gets on with life.

[Doug_]

Not sure when you are doing the trip, but check that Aston locks have reopened, otherwise you would go Ashtead and Garrison.

Aston locks are closed until 17 June, and as of yesterday the locks at Saltley Cut are also closed due to the state of the building by the first lock. So from the city centre to Salford Junction you will have to go main line, Ryder's Green locks, Tame Valley and then down Perry Barr locks. That's 13 miles further round but 3 less locks to do. Once through the Minworth locks a good overnight stop is the Boat PH, or any where beyond that point. Plenty of opportunities to exercise the dog etc.

 

Edited for fat fingers typo.

Edited June 4, 2016 by Doug_

[Loafer]

I'm amazed that there hasn't been a torrent of abuse about dogs off-lead on the towpath! Mine never has a lead on, but I can't help but feel nervous when cyclists approach. If any sort of confusion exists between my dog and the cyclist, and the cyclist ends up in the canal, you could have a large court case on your hands.

 

I am not criticising dogs running free on the towpath if they're well-disciplined, because I let ours do it - but be aware of some potentially life-changing results.

 

Just my tuppence-worth!

[cuthound]

I'm amazed that there hasn't been a torrent of abuse about dogs off-lead on the towpath! Mine never has a lead on, but I can't help but feel nervous when cyclists approach. If any sort of confusion exists between my dog and the cyclist, and the cyclist ends up in the canal, you could have a large court case on your hands.

 

I am not criticising dogs running free on the towpath if they're well-disciplined, because I let ours do it - but be aware of some potentially life-changing results.

 

Just my tuppence-worth!

I dream of the day I can walk my reactive GSD rescue dog, Zeus, on the towpath on the lead let alone off it!

 

It is proving very difficult for him to overcome his fear (and hence lunging towards) any dog that approaches, and within the confines of the average towpath he just don't do it.

 

This restricts our mooring options, as we have to moor close enough to a bridge with fields nearby to minimise the length of time he is on the towpath.

 

Strangely, in his training classes, he is fine with other dogs, and also when we walk him with other dogs, as long as they are in front, alongside or behind him, but he cannot really cope with dogs coming towards him, unless there is enough space to go around them.

 

Still he is slowly improving, and a million miles away from when we first got him and had to put frosted film on the windows to stop him seeing out in case he saw another dog and went through them!

 

We can now have him loose in the garden, and he only reacts to dogs on boats (to close for comfort) or those on the towpath that either run past or stare at him.

[Loafer]

I don't envy your task of re-habilitating him. Best of luck and I hope it works out!

[Dave_P]

If you want a grassy running space coming in from Kings Norton, stop at the Vale in Edgbaston. It's like mooring in a little park and only a mile or so from Gas Street.

[cuthound]

I don't envy your task of re-habilitating him. Best of luck and I hope it works out!

Thanks Loafer.

 

Although he is our 3rd rescue dog, if we had known about his issues and how long they can take to resolve, we might have picked another one