Bentley Canal
Now lost almost without trace, the Bentley Canal was one of the last waterways to disappear before the 20th century revival swung into action.
The Bentley Canal was an arrow-straight link from the Wyrley & Essington Canal to the Walsall Canal, passing through the heart of the industrialised Black Country.
It fell into dereliction during the 1960s, and though brave boaters would occasionally struggle through the first few collapsed locks - "because it's there" - the canal is now closed throughout and very little traces remain. The connections at each end are still visible: the junction with the Wyrley & Essington Canal is now a small mooring by a pub and retail park.
For the truly dedicated explorer, The Other Sixty Miles, by Richard Chester-Browne, is the ideal companion to this and other derelict parts of the BCN.
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