Easy Family Towpath Walk on the Shropshire Union Canal (Bridges 58–61)

Saturday 2nd November 2024. Can you believe we are in November already?! Initial shock of how fast this year’s gone over, we decided to head down to our local canal for today’s walk. Our plan was just a simple there-and-back walk: 1 hour out and 1 hour back. Normally I’m not a fan of linear walks, but I was really keen to get back on the towpath that heads away from Market Drayton and towards Wolverhampton. I was intrigued to see how far we could get in an hour now!

We last walked this stretch successfully, from Tyrley Locks to The Wharf, in 2019. The children were tiny, and spent most of the walk on our shoulders. On the return journey, a rather inebriated lady on a narrow boat, who was rather enamoured with my then-magenta hair, invited us aboard, offering to take us back to Tyrley locks. (I hasten to add she had a very sober gentleman escorting her and taking charge of the “boating” side of things!) This trip, a first for all of us on a narrow boat, stays in all of our memories -even the boys, who were considerably younger!

Unfortunately, every attempt to walk that section since has been quashed by landslips, excessive mud and overgrown brambles. Last summer I tried to run it, and about a mile in I had to admit defeat: it was completely overgrown with nettles and brambles.

There was no obvious way to check whether it would be passable now, but we were in the mood for an adventure, so we thought we’d give it a try…

Not All Who Wander Are Lost… But Sometimes We Have to Reroute!

The first thing we did when we arrived at Tyrley Locks, was to find the new Geocache I’d noticed on the map! It turned out to be quite a nice and relatively easy find, which I was really pleased about for the boys, who haven’t had much luck recently – they’ve either been too well hidden, or just nothing to be found on our walks. My husband had to deal with a lost parcel issue on the phone, so it was the perfect opportunity to go hunting.

Parcels and Geocaches found, we then headed up the towpath, trekking poles at the ready – we passed this section on the walk my eldest created only a few weeks back, and knew it would be incredibly slippy! Even before the access issues, we always found this section of the tow path to be quiet, which is another reason I enjoy it. The tall sides really help keep other noises out too, so it’s extremely quiet. Until my boys get to a bridge, that is 🙈 (they love making echoes – anyone elses children do this?)!

Sadly, just 0.6 of a mile into the towpath, we were hit with a double whammy – two tree heavy landslides were blocking the way! I was so disappointed. Actually, we all were. Even though we knew it was likely, we had all still hoped that we would get down here this time. Time for plan B.

Plan B involved walking the more commonly used route toward Market Drayton, which I’m less keen on personally. Now, it’s not that there’s anything wrong with this section, it’s incredibly beautiful – but it’s always so busy. Conveniently leading onto many circular walks, and into the town, it’s particularly popular with dog walkers and local ramblers, so if you’re looking for peaceful contemplation, this is not the route for you! I’ve walked and run down here on many different days and times, and I’ve never not seen someone on the towpath. Even the canal is always busy, with boats waiting to take their turns in the locks and getting on their journeys.

As though to prove me wrong, we actually saw no one! No one! That’s unheard of. Even my eldest commented that he’d seen no boats, and there’s never been a walk where we’ve not seen at least one!

It was truly magical to see it so quiet. We got to be, seemingly, the first people to trudge through some of these beautiful autumnal scenes. It was amazing to get these kinds of photos without other people in them.

Everything was quiet, serene and peaceful. And for the first time ever along this towpath, we could seek an un-found Geocache without having to stop for muggles every 30 seconds 😂 This geocache was beyond a pathway of thick mud, and previously we’ve been unable to get near it, but the layers of leaves made it passable and we got another smiley face added to our map!

When we arrived at Market Drayton, we asked the boys if they wanted to head back along the towpath, or go down the steps and walk through Peatswood, following a reverse of the walk we did last week. It was a unanimous yes to going through Peatswood!

It’s always nice walking back the other way on a walk, and seeing things you miss. The roof on this house was no exception – I took a photo of this property and shared it in one of our other walk posts, but I was looking more at the overall scene and less at the intricate details. This time, coming from a direction that wasn’t so picturesque meant I was actually looking at the house, and we noticed the beautiful roof details. These were extremely similar to the style of Blackadder Lodge we saw on the Blackadder Circular walk in the Scottish Borders this summer!

The rest of the walk was wholly uneventful, which was disappointing as I’d remembered to bring my camera! Our walk didn’t quite turn out how we’d expected, but we got out into the fresh air for a few hours all the same, and that’s whats most important.

Family Feedback on this week’s walk

It’s important to consider “back up” plans for any walk. Whether it’s “get out early” routes, or alternative routes when you find out your planned route is blocked – and this is why I like having a good old paper map to hand. Fortunately we knew the area here so it wasn’t so bad. I was initially disappointed at having to turn back, it’s a route we haven’t done for so long, and our local walks all seem to be the same direction with this towpath in constant disrepair, but we had a lovely walk nonetheless. The lack of people really made it special because the autumn leaves remained untouched, and I have some truly beautiful photos and videos of the scenery and leaves dropping. Walking through dropping leaves comes second only to walking through thick clumps of falling snow! I asked the boys their thoughts on the walk and, like me, they were left disappointed at not being able to go South, but, they were also really pleased they were able to cross off a couple more geocaches and trudge through all the leaves! So not all was lost today!

TOTAL MILES: 6.73 | TOTAL TIME: 3h01 (2h31 Moving Time)

Good to Know

Car Parking: At Four Alls or Tyrley Locks.

Toilets: None on the walk, toilets at the pub if you stop for a drink.

Accessibility: Not suitable for pushchairs.

Café/Picnic Spots: A handful of picnic benches and benches along the towpath between Tyrley Locks and Market Drayton.

Terrain: Mostly flat with a few short hills.

Family-Friendly Tips: The towpath is a great walk for children. There is a lot to see along the Market Drayton to Tyrley stretch, with many boaters happy to “show the ropes” or even allow the children to help them with the lock gates!

Points of Interest: A heron and kingfisher hide along the canal, along with plenty of ducks and swans.

Safety Information: Some parts of the towpath are narrow and slippery. Wellies or sturdy walking boots are advised.