From Stourbridge to Stourport - keep fit with these great canal towpath bike rides See also: Other walks/bike rides

Even Stourbridge locals are often surprised to hear that you can cycle all sixteen miles to Stourport, totally on canal towpaths. Even better, the great thing about the route is that you can select how far you want to go and the time you have available, so if you want to cycle with the kids or build up to the full distance over time then you don't have to do it all in one go, as there are plenty of nice places to stop at along the way. Please be aware that you need to apply for a permit to cycle on canal towpaths, it's free, you just download the permit from here, print it off

and sign it as proof that you have read the British Waterways regulations. Starting from the Bonded Warehouse in Stourbridge, my bike computer recorded the distances shown below, photos at the bottom of the page.

• Wordsley Junction - 1.3 miles
• Stourton Junction - 3.5 miles
• Kinver (Vine Pub) - 5.2 miles
• Wolverley - 9.7 miles
• Kidderminster - 11.5 miles
• Stourport - 16 miles

You could for example have a very nice day cycling down the canal to Kinver, the village centre is about half a mile from the Vine Pub on the canal, where there are plenty of bars and restaurants, and the Vine is very good for pub food too. About a mile away from the village is Kinver Edge, well worth a visit, with spectacular views and historic cave houses cut from the sandstone.

The next good place to stop is Wolverley, right by the canal lock you have the Lock Pub and the Old Smithy tea room, both are excellent.

Another couple of miles down the canal towpath takes you right into the centre of Kidderminster, a thriving town with lots of big name stores, pubs, bars and restaurants.

Heading south along the canal takes you on the final leg down to Stourport. As you leave Kidderminster you are soon back in to open countryside again, after a mile or so you go under the viaduct for the Severn Valley Railway. Cycle as far as you can on the towpath and by now you are very close to the centre of Stourport. Cross the road and you will see the marina straight ahead, a couple of hundred yards away, with the River Severn just beyond. Stourport on Severn is an unusual town because it did not exist before the canal network was built by James Brindley in 1766. Stourport has been described as a "pioneer town of the canal age" and in the 1800s became a tourist destination, with wealthy visitors arriving by passenger boat and staying at the Tontine Hotel (photo 13), England's earliest canal company hotel. To this day it is an elegant building and has recently been renovated and converted into stylish town houses.
Click photos for larger version