Waterways of Droitwich and Worcester
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The restoration of the Droitwich Canal was completed in the summer of 2011 at a cost of £20 million and incorporates the Droitwich Barge Canal, the River Salwarpe and Droitwich Junction Canal. It is a very pretty stretch of canal, between the Worcester and Birmingham Canal and the River Severn. This walk takes place on the Droitwich Barge Canal and the River Severn. Coney Meadow Reedbed was created to provide a home for wildlife displaced by the dredging of the canals. Otter holts, bat boxes and kestrel boxes have been added and trees and wildflowers planted. Ponds have been created as a habitat for the protected great crested newt. Reed warblers, reed buntings, grasshopper warblers and kingfishers are encouraged to flourish. The River Salwarpe, at times very close to the canal, is known for its abundant wildlife.
The canal feeds into the River Severn, where you walk in grassy meadows and cultivated fields alongside the river, past the weir and Bevere Island, to come up to a public footpath which takes you through the upper part of Gheluvelt Park, the name derived from the Battle of Gheluvelt in October 1914, in which the 2nd Battalion Worcester Regiment had lost 190 men. Here is the Pump House Environmental Centre, which has an eco-cafe and public toilets. From there you head on toward the river, walking through Pitchcroft Racecourse, where you can make a small detour to visit the new Hive Library and History Centre. This golden building, which cost £60 million, was opened in 2012 and is Europe's first fully integrated and jointly run university and local authority library. Then, it is just a short walk to the train station on Foregate Street, where there are around three trains an hour that run from Worcester to Droitwich. There is a cafe at both stations.
England - Central England - Worcestershire - Countryside
Features
Birds, Butterflies, Cafe, Church, Flowers, Gift Shop, Mostly Flat, National Trust, Nature Trail, Public Transport, River, Tea Shop, Toilets, Wildlife
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