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Mountain biking trails

Tardebigge Top Lock – Tardebigge Reservoir loop from Redditch

Routes

Mountain biking trails

Tardebigge Top Lock – Tardebigge Reservoir loop from Redditch

Easy

4.5

(2)

riders

Tardebigge Top Lock – Tardebigge Reservoir loop from Redditch

01:46

27.9km

280m

Mountain biking

Easy mountain bike ride. Great for any fitness level. Suitable for all skill levels. The starting point of the route is accessible with public transport.

Last updated: June 19, 2026

Tips

Includes a segment in which cycling is not permitted

After 2.55 km for 254 m

Waypoints

Start point

Train Station

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6.93 km

View of Tardebigge Canal

Highlight • Viewpoint

Great spot to capture a sunset

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7.24 km

National Transport Trust Red Wheel at Tardebigge Top Lock

Highlight • Monument

The National Transport Trust Red Wheel at Tardebigge Top Lock (Worcestershire) commemorates the site of Britain's longest lock flight. Located on the Worcester & Birmingham Canal, the top lock is an engineering landmark that replaced an 1815 experimental vertical boat lift, making it unusually deep.

History & Significance
The Vertical Boat Lift: Before the traditional lock was built, inventor John Woodhouse installed an experimental vertical boat lift at his own expense. A 64-ton wooden chamber lifted boats an impressive 11 feet using a windlass. The Shift to Locks: While the lift successfully raised 110 boats in 12 hours, it proved too fragile for permanent use. In 1815, it was replaced by the deep conventional lock we see today.

The Red Wheel Plaque: Awarded by the National Transport Trust, the Red Wheel acts as the transport equivalent of a blue plaque, recognizing sites of profound historical and engineering importance.

The Tardebigge Flight
The Longest in the UK: The Tardebigge Flight consists of 30 narrow locks spread across 2.25 miles, raising or lowering boats by 67 metres (220 feet). Navigation: Transiting the whole flight typically takes narrowboat enthusiasts about 4 to 5.5 hours.

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7.27 km

Tardebigge Top Lock

Highlight • Viewpoint

Tardebigge Top Lock is the summit of the 30-lock Tardebigge flight - the longest in the UK. From 1810-1814 it was the site of an experiemental man-powered boat lift.

If you arrive at the Tardebigge marina from the Alcester Road, the canal is downhill all the way to Hanbury, then flat to Worcester. Easier tackled in that direction!

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7.77 km

Ordnance Survey benchmark 466

Highlight • Monument

An Ordnance Survey (OS) benchmark is a physical reference mark cut into a wall, bridge, or building to indicate a precise vertical elevation above mean sea level (Ordnance Datum Newlyn). The number "466" refers to its recorded height (466 feet or roughly 142.04 metres) above the sea level datum. The classic benchmark design is a visible "Broad Arrow" (a downward- pointing triangle) with a horizontal line etched across the middle. This horizontal line represents the exact measured height for surveyors to rest their levelling staves on. The OS carved over 500,000 of these markers across Great Britain, with historic benchmarks dating back to the 1830s. While they are nostalgic reminders of the country's mapping history, most are no longer in active use today due to the advent of GPS and GNSS technology. Because the number simply identifies the specific marker's altitude in the OS system, thousands of different OS benchmarks bear the "466" designation across the UK.

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7.95 km