Starting from the car park:
Go out through the gate at the bottom, along the path and through the kissing gate. Walk straight ahead on the path between Engine Pool and Terry's Pool, crossing the path running beside the pools.
Turn left into the road, over the canal feeder and turn right at the cross roads. Passing the Red Lion Inn on your left, walk along Lady Lane to the Stratford-upon-Avon Canal. Join the Canal towpath via BRIDGE 16.



Turn right on the far side of the Pools and follow this path until you come to the Engine House, a tall, red brick building on the northern corner of Engine Pool.
You can still see the remains of the sluice gates and ditches, once used to control the water levels of the 82 acres of water. Today electric pumps are used to lift water to the canal feeder. These replaced the original beam engine, installed in the Engine House in 1821, which ran for 110 years.

Turn left into the road, over the canal feeder and turn right at the crossroads. Passing the Red Lion inn on your left, walk along Lady lane to the Stratford- upon-Avon canal. Join the Canal towpath via Bridge 16.




A view from the past


Turn right under BRIDGE 16 along the towpath to BRIDGE 15, Bragg's Farm.
Bragg's Farm sits above the Canal at Bridge 15. It was once owned, with several farms in the area, by the Burman family, who were active in the local community. At the end of the l9th century, Tertius Burman was a founding member of the Earlswood Cricket Club and chairman of several other local groups.




Short cut
Go up the access steps off the towpath, turn right immediately and over the stile. Cross the field to Lady Lane Farm.
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At Bridge 15 continue along the towpath for about half a mile.


Take the public footpath to the right, into a lightly wooded area: this can be boggy in wet weather. Continue over a wooden bridge to the far side of the mound. Follow the footpath through the gate and down to Lady Lane. Here turn right and walk along the road.



Take the footpath to the left immediately next to Lady Lane Farm. Cross two fields. In the second, a small footbridge takes you over the River Blythe: this can be boggy i n wet weather.
The River Blythe is a Site of Special Scientific Interest along its length, starting at Spring Brook below the lakes and flowing into the River Tame near Coleshill in north W arwickshire.


Go through another field and turn right into Salter Street.


Go past St Patrick's Church and school. Cross the Canal. Continue along the road, keeping to the right where it forks, and into Earlswood village.
The Stratford-upon-Avon Canal Company bought the land for Terry's Pool from the Earl of Plymouth. He donated funds to the Parish Council to build St Patrick's Church, an imposing building standing beside the school, it was rebuilt in 1899. The original school building has been extended and is still the local primary school.



Turn right at the crossroads by the Reservoir Pub and walk along the top of the embankment with Windmill Pool on your left. Follow the road round to the left along the embankment between Windmill Pool and Engine Pool. Turn right along the path beside Engine Pool, back through the kissing gate to the car park.
In the early twentieth century the Lakes became a popular leisure destination for Birmingham residents, taking boat trips and walks, and often arriving by train.

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