Best foot forward for Birmingham walkers
It was best foot forward for Birmingham walkers as they stepped out on a tranquil summer’s morning to go back in time for a guided tour of the city’s Heartlands Ring.
A group of 10 curious sight-seers from the local not-for-profit training organisation Enta had the opportunity to discover the heritage and surprising beauty of the Heartlands Ring area of the city, thanks to the first in a series of guided canal walks led by local historian Richard Trengrouse.
The inaugural weekend tour started with a hearty cooked breakfast at Enta’s new city centre Canalside Café, adjacent to Aston Lock. The café, which is run by students studying for catering qualifications as part of the organisation’s entry to employment (e2e) training programme for 16-18 year olds, also rounded the morning off with some very welcome refreshment at the end of the three-hour trek.
The circular, 4.5 mile route took in the Ashtead and Digbeth Tunnels, plus a variety of landmarks and sites of historical and contemporary interest, ranging from the never used Duddeston Viaduct to The Bond Warehouse at Warwick Bar, from Selfridges in the Bull Ring to some Grade II listed urinals in Digbeth.
“It really was a great event… First Class and we all really enjoyed what turned into a memorable morning,” was the verdict of one of the walkers, John Powell, who joined the Enta wanderers from the 14-19 Team at Birmingham City Council.
Following the success of the first tour, the walks will now take place quarterly, giving more members of the public the chance to get know this richly interesting yet under-explored area of the city.
Kevin Hayes, chief executive at Enta, said: “We decided to organise the walks as many people are unaware of the variety of interesting buildings and historical interest that exists in this area of the city.
“I’m delighted to say that the development of Enta’s new café has played a key part in regenerating that part of the canalside and we look forward to many more walkers stopping by for refreshment in the future.”
The next canal walk is due to take place in October. Anyone interested in taking part can contact Enta on 0121 380 4800.
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