Audio Post 1
River Entrance
The River Severn links with the Barge Canal via a lock at Hawford.
The Barge Canal and the Junction Canal are the two canals which run through Droitwich, linking the River Severn at Hawford with the Worcester & Birmingham Canal near Hanbury.
The original function of the Droitwich Canals was to transport salt. The canals were very successful and saw a lot of commercial traffic during the late 1700s and 1800s. However, the development of the railways provided a cheaper and quicker way of transporting goods, reducing the need for canals. This eventually led to their decline and the two Droitwich Canals were finally abandoned in 1939. They were neglected and fell into disrepair.
Since the 1970s, the canals have been subject to restoration efforts by the Droitwich Canals Trust. In 2000, the final phase of the restoration began with the formation of the Droitwich Canal Partnership. Together the partnership raised £12.5m to deliver major works to bring the 7.5 mile waterway back into navigable use.
Today the canals have been fully restored as a linear park and are a popular haven for many recreational activities.
The Droitwich Canals Audio Trail takes you through the beautiful Worcestershire countryside on a journey to explore the hidden secrets of the two Droitwich Canals. At each audio point, listen to a narrator tell an interesting fact, feature or story about the Droitwich Canals.
The location of each audio point is highlighted on the trail map. When walking the Droitwich Canals the audio points are clearly marked with wooden posts displaying a numbered audio symbol. The number corresponds with the relevant track.
Click here to download the Visitor Trail Leaflet as a printable PDF
Mid Worcestershire Ring
The restored Droitwich Canals have reconnected the Worcester & Birmingham Canal with the upper reaches of the Severn Navigation forming a cruising ring of about 21 miles. The 'Mid-Worcestershire Ring' makes it possible for boaters to discover the cathedral city of Worcester, a river navigation, one broad canal and two narrow canals all in the space of one weekend's cruising.
DOWNLOAD THE AUDIO TRAIL HERE
or click any of the green audio trail icons on the map to download an individual MP3 audio file for that location.
The audio trail can be done in any order as all the MP3 files are downloadable as individual links.
