This circular walk starts near to St Bartholomew’s (Tardebigge) Church, which is on the hill above the Worcester and Birmingham Canal. There are records of a Saxon church here in 974 AD. The name Tardebigge means 'tower on the hill'; the tower of a Norman church which replaced it in the 11th Century collapsed in 1775 and the present building, except the chancel, was completed in 1777. The Cookes memorial survives from the Norman church.

Tardebigge's flight of locks is the longest flight of navigable locks in the country, with thirty locks climbing 217 feet (66m). Originally it was planned to use lifts greatly to reduce the number of locks and to save canal water. However, there was some concern over whether the lifts would be robust enough and good water supplies were secured by building reservoirs at Tardebigge and later at Upper Bittal, so locks were built instead.

Tardebigge Reservoir was below the canal summit level, so a steam engine was used to lift the water above the locks. The engine house still stands, now called Tyler's Lock and is used for weddings and special occasions. One lift was built, but it was not reliable and became the top lock at Tardebigge. This accounts for its great depth, fourteen feet, one of the deepest on the canal system.

The walk follows the canal for much of the route, with some beautiful views of the Malverns and Clee Hill. It then crosses fields and countryside before returning to Tardebigge Church.

England - Worcestershire - Countryside

View a road map to the starting point of this walk.