Old Main Line

Birmingham Canal's historic Old Main Line was partly replaced by Thomas Telford’s arrow-straight New Main Line, leaving peaceful looping backwaters, like manmade oxbow lakes.

This heavy-locked stretch of canal is 13.6 miles long and sits in our West Midlands region. It takes you from Birmingham to Wolverhampton, through Black Country scenery that is rich in industrial history. The Black Country Living Museum is a great family day out – a recreation of a 19th-century industrial town, including canal docks and boat trips.

Tipton Junction to the Tipton Green Bridge, Old Main Line

Boating the Old Main Line

All you need to know about boating the Old Main Line

Places to visit near the Old Main Line

On a trip along the Old Main Line, you can spot the New Main Line in the cutting below, as well as the Titford Canal, Engine Arm and Netherton Tunnel Branch.

With the number of walking, canoeing and cycle routes increasing, you'll find plenty of places to take time out or rejuvinate your senses along our waterways.