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Droitwich Canals

Boats on the canal in Droitwich

2011 has been a momentous year for the Droitwich Canals. 240 years after they first opened and 72 years after they were officially abandoned they have been fully restored and opened to navigation.

The Droitwich Canals, comprising the Barge Canal and Junction Canal, are the only canals to have been fully restored over the past decade. They now provide a link between the Worcester & Birmingham Canal and the upper reaches of the Severn Navigation, forming a cruising ring of around 22 miles.

The newly created Mid-Worcestershire Ring enables 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.

Guide to boating, walking and cycling on the Mid-Worcestershire Ring.

Wildlife

The local wildlife has been highly influential on the canals’ restoration plans. Making sure that wealth of flora and fauna in the area could continue to thrive has been a significant part of the project.

Coney Meadow Reedbed has been created to house the wildlife displaced by the dredging of the canal. The meadow is now home to reed buntings and reed warblers. In addition, otter holts have been installed, bat boxes mounted on trees and even a kestrel box has been added to the site. Trees and wild flowers have also been planted with volunteers responsible for much of the hard work.

While the variety of wildlife in the area is something to celebrate, the jewel in the crown of Droitwich wildlife has got to be the great crested newt. Growing up to 16 cm long and living for up to 20 years, the great crested newt is a protected species with numbers dwindling year on year. However, great numbers of them had made their homes in the derelict canals. To accommodate them once the canal opened to navigation, five small ponds were created and furbished with everything needed to make the newts feel at home.