Cakes were brill! Thanks. Not sure if it was in the competition, but the bread pudding really was good. Fascinating route again, although doing the 40 mile route meant I missed the series of locks (19!) at Aston which I'd seen in previous years. Just amazing how the canal fits in around the buildings (or is it the other way round?) and so narrow! I don't think I've ever seen so many herons on a walk. Sorry about any confusion from my cousin who had multiple visits to checkpoint 2. The sandwiches there were rather good, but that wasn't the reason she went to it 3 times. (getting lost wasn't either before anyone asks!)

Thanks for a great day out. I think I tried all the cakes / biscuits on offer and my vote goes to the Ginger and lemon. I hope you put the 40 on again next year.

Looks like I needn't have worried, I got round with a mere two and a half hours to spare! A scenic route and a lovely day for it too. Many thanks to Dave and everyone else involved in organising the event - and to the cake competition entrants. All the ones I tried were excellent, but I think I have to go with the raspberry one as the best!

This all sounds good. I'm hoping that I make it as far as checkpoint 4 - really like the sound of bread pudding and trifle! I've also just looked at the weather forecast - sunny!!!!

Ah, you've evidently seen my comments elsewhere about being slow! Judging from the event description (straightforward route-finding and no hills) I reckon I should be able to do it in 14, and as it happens the latest train I can catch from New Street to get home that night is just after 8 anyway so I wouldn't be able to stay out on the course until 10 even if you let me! I've done a couple of other 40s quicker than that this year, but I've been inordinately slow on my last couple of events so I've been starting to wonder whether I'm somehow 'losing it'!

Thanks for entering Michael - no we don't want entrants to bake cakes but to work up an appetite to help judge the competition.

This year we've put on a 40 mile option but you must appreciate because of the length of time -14 hours - it does test the metal of volunteers who may have been there an hour before hand and still be there an hour or so after cleaning up. So much as we'd love to give entrants 15 or 16 hours to complete it just isn't possible. We have organised it so that if you reach checkpoint 3 and are not averaging 2.8 mph you will be diverted onto the shorter 26 mile course. We felt this was more equitable than disqualification - but we can't have people still out there at 10 or later.

We still have some spaces for on the day entry if anyone would like to come and explore the an unexpectedly rural aspect of Britain's second city, and at the same time help to judge a cake baking competition !!

You can put me down for it :- ) I would enter, but unfortunately I'm living out of a suitcase at the moment and don't have my cake tins with me.

Just a quick reminder that we are still looking for more judges for our annual cake baking competition. This will take place at checkpoint 3 on the Birmingham Canal Canter and again at checkpoint 6 for those wishing to do the shorter 18 mile course. Our research shows that to hone the sense of taste and discrimination amongst judges we must allow them to "work up an appetite" and to this end we have organised a walk though
Birmingham's Canals that takes in a surprisingly rural route through the industrial heart of Britain's second city.