Mappa Sparki

Here is a map of our proposed route.
It was drawn by my colleague Sparkmaster, who doubles as Mission Cartographer.

I'll be starting in the centre of Birmingham, just to the east of the National Indoor Arena, on the Birmingham & Fazeley Canal. Then I'll walk along the whole length of the Birmingham Canal Navigation - all fifteen and five-eighths miles of it - which will take me just past Wolverhampton.

Where the route turns north, I'll be on the Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal, which I'll take as far as Penkridge.

Sparkmaster will start on the Trent & Mersey Canal, somewhere in Stoke-on-Trent - we aren't sure exactly where yet. He'll follow that canal to Great Haywood, then turn onto the Staffs & Worcs.

So, with the Birmingham & Fazeley,
Birmingham Canal Navigation, Staffs & Worcs and Trent & Mersey, the number of canals we will walk along comes to four.

Which is where we got the title, "Fourcanal."

If you think that's a witty and memorable, if slightly risqué, title, then the idea was mine. If, on the other hand, you think it's needlessly vulgar, then you should hold Sparky responsible.

One small step for a Muntz

A blog can be about just about anything.

Most of this one - until the summer, anyway - will be about a charity event I'll be involved in this summer. I'll start from Birmingham; Sparkmaster - the other main protagonist - will start from Stoke-on-Trent - and we'll meet at Penkridge, which is near enough half way between the two - though Sparky's portion of the walk is a bit longer than mine.

We both spend some of our leisure time walking along canal towpaths an when we discovered that this was a shared interest this was what we decided to do. I'm not sure which one of us had the idea first.

While doing the walk will be useful for both of us, it seemed sensible to get some sponsorship for it, and raise money for a worthwhile cause.

Earlier this year the brother of a mutual friend of ours died in his early 60s having contracted Alzheimer's Disease a few years ago. It's a horrible, horrible disease. So we'll be doing the walk in aid of the Alzheimer's Research Trust, which funds research into the causes of the disease, and treatment for it.

Over the coming days and weeks I'll add to this blog - but there will be other stuff on it, too. Possibly about English Non-league football. Possibly about - well, about anything. Stay tuned.