THIS is one of those walks which turned out very differently than intended.

The farmland south of Tardebigge was meant to be the destination but the state of the footpaths soon had me retreating to the canal towpath.

This was a weather-related issue, and nothing to do with footpath maintenance. After all these months of rain and snow, my tolerance of knee-deep liquid mud is rapidly diminishing.

It was the last Thursday in March, bitterly cold with miserable grey skies, strong winds and occasional snow flurries, the sort of day when you’d expect anybody who wasn’t at work to be keeping warm by the fire at home, or perhaps heading for the airport to escape.

And yet there were so many walkers out and about that the towpath felt almost crowded in places. This was a surprise, for it’s rare for me to see anyone in the Worcestershire countryside, except on the Malvern Hills, but it underlines the importance of canal towpaths in our footpath network.

For many people, they’re a trouble-free alternative to our often neglected and obstructed public footpaths, which is ironic when you consider that most towpaths aren’t even rights of way. They’re particularly useful when prolonged rain makes even unobstructed public footpaths difficult to use.

They’re also a source of constant fascination due to their historic nature, with an abundance of locks, bridges,mile posts and other structures to discover.They’re relatively rich in wildlife too, with the canals like linear nature reserves threading through urban, suburban and intensively farmed areas.

For decades our canals were the responsibility of British Waterways, but this body was abolished by the coalition government and now a charity, the Canal and River Trust, is in charge. The trust is keen to further improve the value of our canals for wildlife and it will be working with the National Sealife Centre in Birmingham on a project to increase the number of otters using the canals of the West Midlands. The partnership has plans to install artificial holts (otter homes) and ramps to improve the animals’ access to the canals.It also aims to increase the numbers of fish in the canals.

This will be of direct benefit to otters but perhaps the project leaders are hoping it might also help to appease the Angling Trust, which is opposed to any increase in otter numbers. The Canal and River Trust is currently raising funds for the otter project.

If you’d like to help,you can find outmore by visiting the website canalrivertrust.org.uk which also contains lots of usefulinformation about canals in general and various canal-related walks, activities and events in which members of the public can take part.

The most impressive feature of the Worcester and Birmingham Canal is the Tardebigge flight, where 30 locks in about two miles lift the canal from the Worcestershire plain to the Birmingham plateau.It’s the longest flight in the country, and one of the steepest.

You’ll pass alongside the flight on this walk, and will also see many other features of interest, including a tunnel, a reservoir (inhabited by great crested grebes), a wharf, a maintenance yard and some lovely houses, ranging from a scattering of isolated canal-side cottages to terraced roadside cottages at Tug Row. All of these cottages were built for lock keepers, maintenance workers and boatmen.

For instance,in the early 20th century,Tug Row housed the crew of the Worcester, a tunnel tug built in 1912 for the job of hauling horse-drawn boats through theTardebigge and Shortwood tunnels, which had been built without towpaths.

FACTFILE

Start: Bromsgrove Station, Aston Fields, grid ref SO968693.

Length: Six miles/9.5km.

Maps: OS Explorer 204, OS Landranger 139/150.

Terrain: Pasture, canal towpath, quiet lanes, no noticeable hills.

Footpaths: Excellent.

Stiles: Five.

Parking: Bromsgrove Station.

Public transport: London Midland trains to Bromsgrove, daily; or First 144 to either Droitwich or Bromsgrove, then Diamond 141 to Bromsgrove Station, or First 144 to Bromsgrove then Diamond 143 to either Bromsgrove Station or Tardebigge Tunnel (144 daily, 141/143 Mon-Sat only); worcestershire.gov.uk/bustimetables or 01905 765765 or londonmidland.com or National Rail Enquiries 08457 484950.

Refreshments: Pubs, shops, cafés and takeaways at Aston Fields.

DIRECTIONS

1 Walk up New Road to Finstall Road (B4184) and turn right, then right again on St Godwalds Road.

Cross the railway then cross the road and take the Monarch’s Way. Follow it alongside the railway to rejoin Finstall Road, then continue in the same direction towards Finstall until the Monarch’s Way branches right.

Follow it between fields and parkland to Walnut Lane.

2 Turn right, then soon left at Stoke Cross, on Dusthouse Lane.

Keep to the lane at all junctions until the Monarch’s Way takes to the fields again. At a path junction keep left, staying on the Monarch’s Way which heads left across sheep pasture to Alcester Road.Turn right, pass Tardebigge New Wharf and Tug Row, cross the canal and join the towpath above the entrance to Tardebigge Tunnel. Follow the towpath to bridge 48 by the Queen’s Head(currently closed) at Stoke Pound.

3 Cross bridge 48 and walk a little way a long the road until you can turn right towards Stoke Court.

Leave the lane a little further on, at a gate on the left. Make sure that if you have a dog with you it is on a lead. Walk the full length of an arrow pasture then turn left towards the railway in the next field.When you reach the railway turn round so that it’s behind you and go diagonally to a finger post visible across the field.

Go straight on a long a fenced path.

After passing Lower Gambolds Cottage turnl eft through woodland then follow a clear path across playing fields and past a building site to St Godwalds Road.Turn left to the station