Edgbaston Reservoir walk: the loop, the clubs and where to eat
A flat loop of about 1.75 miles round Telford's 1827 reservoir in Ladywood, with sailing, rowing and a no-nonsense café just outside the gates.
By Only Birmingham Editorial
Start at the end of Reservoir Road, B16, and allow about 35 minutes. The path round Edgbaston Reservoir is 2.8km (1.75 miles) by the council's figure, flat and easy. Other sources round it down to 1.6 miles, so treat the distance as approximate. Despite the name, the council puts the address in Ladywood: 115 Reservoir Road, B16 9EE.
What you are walking round
Thomas Telford built the reservoir in 1827 as a top-up for the Birmingham canal system, and Birmingham City Council says it still does that job. It is a 70-acre open-water site, a designated Local Nature Reserve and a site of historic importance. It began as a small pool called Roach Pool, which Telford enlarged, and early on it was known as Rotton Park Reservoir.
The gatehouse on Reservoir Road is the Grade II listed Lodge to Rotton Park Reservoir, dating from about 1830 and probably by Telford, with an extension of about 1880. It is a handy place to start, and it is in the octagonal style of the Birmingham Canal Navigations.
The route
The Industrial Tour route starts at the lodge and runs along the northern bank past Midland Sailing Club. It then crosses a bridge over the feeder from Titford Pool. The best views of the city skyline come further round, and GPS Routes points to the dam as the spot for them. It describes a well-surfaced trail with woodland and grassland, and some birdlife on the way.
The Ramblers list it as a circular, easy walk that passes the Rowing Club, the Sailing Club and a Buddhist temple before returning along the dam. The surface is a mix of gravel and tarmac, and one walker's 2020 note mentions new tarmac all the way round.
Ways in
- The main entrance is at the end of Reservoir Road.
- Pedestrian entrances are on Rotton Park Road, Icknield Port Road, Mariner Way and Gillot Road. The Gillot Road entrance has steps.
- Parking for Midland Sailing Club is via the Icknield Port Road entrance. GPS Routes also mentions a car park at the south-eastern end, which the council does not confirm.
Avoid Saturday at 9am
Edgbaston Reservoir parkrun is a free, volunteer-run 5k every Saturday at 9:00am, starting from the same address. One event report mentions 360 runners, so if you want a quiet stroll, pick another slot.
Sailing and rowing
Midland Sailing Club, on Icknield Port Road, B16 0AA, was founded in 1894. It is an RYA training centre and a Sailability centre, which means sailing for people with disabilities. Its public programme, Sail Birmingham, runs taster sessions and RYA courses from Level 1 Start Sailing upwards. I have no prices for these, so check sailbirmingham.com. Racing and social sailing run through spring and summer, so do not expect much on the water in November.
Birmingham Rowing Club dates to 1873 and its home water is the reservoir. It takes men, women, juniors and veterans, and runs Learn to Row courses with B-Row Youth Rowing in Birmingham. Wikipedia lists the University of Birmingham Boat Club and Birmingham City University Rowing Club as users too, along with Birmingham (Vernon) Sea Cadets, which the council lists among the facilities. Birmingham Canoe Club shares the water from June to September.
Angling is allowed, and Industrial Tour calls it the main angling site in Birmingham. Fishing stops from 15 March to 15 June each year for spawning, so it is open now.
The café
Reservoir Café, 1 Leslie Road, B16 9DX, is just outside the gates rather than inside the grounds. Its Facebook page describes a friendly café doing a classic English or vegetarian all-day breakfast, plus sandwiches, lunches and drinks. Order the breakfast. Yelp puts it in the £ price band, and a TripAdvisor review calls it no-nonsense, with no children's menu.
Opening hours are not settled. One directory lists Monday to Saturday, 8:30am to 1pm, and closed on Sunday, which would make today a miss. Check before you go, or phone 0121 454 6928.
Make it longer
- The Harborne Walkway starts in neighbouring Summerfield Park.
- The Worcester and Birmingham Canal is a short way north. Head east along it and it leads to the city centre, past locks and the Post Office Tower.
- The council publishes an Edgbaston Reservoir and Summerfield Park 5-kilometre walking route.
- The Icknield Port Loop, the original canal line, sits beside the reservoir.
Do not walk on the water if it freezes. It has frozen hard enough to walk on, in 2009 and 2010, and walking on it is strongly discouraged.
