Moorings on the North Stratford Canal

The North Stratford Canal is the 20-kilometre northern half of the Stratford-upon-Avon Canal, running from King's Norton Junction on the Worcester & Birmingham Canal south-east through Shirley, Hockley Heath and Earlswood to Kingswood Junction at Lapworth, where it meets the Grand Union Canal and the southern half begins.

It is a lock-free canal for most of its length — the Lapworth flight sits at its southern end — which makes it unusually easy cruising for a Midlands narrow canal. The character is suburban rather than industrial: it skirts the edge of Solihull, crosses the Earlswood Lakes reservoirs, and passes through farmland and commuter villages. The barrel-roofed lock cottages and split cast-iron bridges are distinctive Stratford Canal features.

For long-stay mooring the North Stratford is popular with Birmingham-based boat owners who want a rural berth within easy reach of the city. Marinas and long-stay moorings cluster around Earlswood, Lyons Boatyard at Warings Green, and Kingswood Junction, where the Grand Union connection makes it a genuine crossroads. Prices are moderate for the Midlands, the M42 is close for road access, and Whitlocks End, Wythall and Lapworth stations give direct trains to Birmingham Moor Street.