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£12.00 – £15.00 (inc. VAT)
Love it or hate it, it’s part of Birmingham. Spaghetti Junction is 50 years old this year. At over 200,000 cars per day, we reckon that’s 3,650,000,000 over its lifetime (give or take a few million).
Join our summer cycling tour celebrating Spaghetti Junction’s 50th birthday. Enjoy a guided cycle-ride along Birmingham’s industrial canal to the great concrete jungle, whilst your guide highlights the city and it’s cycling history.
Suitable for those 16+ and over 5 foot tall.
Disclaimer and consent:
In order to take part everyone will need to complete our disclaimer and consent form. (Opens in new window)
You will be asked to complete the consent form once you have received your booking confirmation. To save time on the day please complete the form before arrival and please ensure all members of your group do so too.
Once you select ‘Book ticket’, your tickets will appear in your shopping cart, located at the top right of the screen. Continue shopping, or click this to go to checkout.
Love it or hate it, it’s part of Birmingham. Spaghetti Junction is 50 years old this year. At over 200,000 cars per day, we reckon that’s 3,650,000,000 over its lifetime (give or take a few million).
Join our summer cycling tour celebrating Spaghetti Junction’s 50th birthday. Enjoy a guided cycle-ride along Birmingham’s industrial canal to the great concrete jungle, whilst your guide highlights the city and it’s cycling history.
Take in the ever-changing scenes of the city, discover the story of the Junction’s creation, and the public reaction – as well as the uncovering the Spaghetti Junction’s acting career. All whilst seeing the Junction from a totally different point of view.
For many people who use the Junction in a car, it’s almost invisible, lost in the fog of stress! This tour will show you the hidden side of Spaghetti Junction; its green and blue surrounds that are rarely seen or noticed.
Starting at the Roundhouse, we will head along the canal through Birmingham’s industrial centre. The tour will discover Birmingham’s cycling manufacturing history, exploring the impact of bicycles on the city of Birmingham and the importance of the industry in the UK. Upon reaching Spaghetti Junction, we will spend some time admiring the concrete curves before heading back along the canal to the Roundhouse.
#SeeTheCityDifferently
Great for: those looking for a canal cycle ride; seekers of lesser-known parts of the city; something memorable to do with visiting family and friends; concrete-lovers.
Dates: Wednesday's and Saturday's between May-August
Time-slots: 1.30pm - 4pm
Meeting Point: Check in at the Roundhouse Visitor Centre on arrival, 15 minutes before your tour starts.
Finishing Point: Back in the Roundhouse!
Directions: View our "Getting here" page for detailed directions.
Duration: From introductions through to a chat at the end, you should budget around two hours for this guided experience.
Suitable For: 16+, all under 18’s need to be accompanied by an adult. Our bikes can accommodate those over 5 foot tall.
Number of Steps? Not many steps on a cycling tour (!), but a basic level of fitness and cycling ability is required. We’ll be cycling approximately 7.5 miles.
Arrival
Please make sure to arrive 15 minutes before your tour start time in order to check in at our Visitor Centre. Most of our tours will have a short introduction at the starting location, so if you’re running a few minutes late there may be the chance to catch up. Unfortunately, if you miss the boat (pun intended) and the tour has already begun, it will be difficult to unite you with the group. There is no opportunity to be added to the group if you arrive over 10 minutes after the starting time. No refunds will be issued if you are late.
If you wish to bring your own bike, please allow some extra time for us to inspect it’s condition before the tour. We may, at our discretion, insist that our bikes are used.
Equipment
All bikes and helmets will be provided. Please bring a drink and perhaps a snack. We would also recommend that gloves are worn.
Eligibility
This tour is suitable for over 16's. Due to bike size restrictions, we are only able to accommodate people over 5 feet tall.
We expect our tour participants to be able to ride a bike for the distance required. If you can not ride a bike please seek tuition before attempting this tour, we will not provide tuition.
What to bring
We’ll be in the great outdoors. This means that you’ll need to be prepared for our British weather, this could mean waterproofs and sun cream. Please check the forecast ahead of time. Our guided tours and walks will go ahead whatever the weather so plan accordingly.
You’ll need comfortable shoes/boots/trainers as well as clothing suitable for cycling in the outdoors.
We recommend you bring a drink and/or snack to keep your energy levels up.
Venue: The Roundhouse
Directions: 1 Sheepcote St, Birmingham B16 8AE
There will always be the odd splash and dribble that will get you damp and, because of the nature of the kayaks that we use, you will get a wet bottom!! We can provide waterproof jackets and trousers to keep you drier though.
And, of course, we recommend bringing a change of clothes should you capsize.
Kayaking is easy to pick up, we cater for all abilities on our tours and our guides are trained in being able to assist you should you require further advice.
Yes, we always assume that no-one can swim. If someone should capsize our guides will be there to assist you; normally, because the canals are only 4-6 feet deep, you could stand up.
All participants regardless of ability will be required to wear a buoyancy aid provided by us.
Sports clothing is light, dries easily and doesn’t make you freeze, simply stay away from denim, leather and wool and you will be fine. We can provide waterproof jackets and trousers to keep you drier too!
You need to wear something on your feet during the tour; old trainers, crocs, sandals all work well.
Both of our kayaking tours involve approximately 90 minutes on the water
8 years old and upwards (because of the size of our equipment)
Many people may think that kayaks are easy to flip over but they are a lot more stable than they might look, we have chosen the kayaks specifically for their stability.
We have lockers suitable for bags and personal items available for all tour participants free of charge.
We don’t recommend taking any valuables on the water, we are not responsible for any damage and loss.
We have lockers available free of charge for tour participants.
It’s better to book all our tours in advance. You may be lucky if you show up on the day and one of our guides will be available but we recommend always pre-booking.
Please visit Visitor Reception to book in, your guide will meet you there.
A canoe is paddled with a single-bladed paddle, and you will have seen these paddled generally by two people. A kayak is paddled from a sitting position with a two-bladed paddle.
We use sit-on-top kayaks, which mean should you fall off you’ll simply slide into the water.
We paddle on the canals so if you are not participating you can walk alongside but there is a lot of places that can’t be accessed by pedestrians.
Due to equipment limitations the maximum weight we can currently cater for is 18 stones.
Our buoyancy aids have a maximum chest size of 50 inches.
Please get in touch with us to organise a group booking.
Registered Charity No. 1169232
The Roundhouse, 1 Sheepcote St, Birmingham B16 8AE
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