Depending how you look at them, motorways are either hideous grey eyesores or fascinating feats of structural engineering. If you hold the latter view, boy do we have exciting news for you.
Birmingham’s Spaghetti Junction could be considered the Godfather of British motorways. The huge labyrinthine interchange along the M6 is one of the largest in the whole of Europe and, thanks to its winding roads and 559 concrete columns, it holds a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records as ‘the most complex interchange on the British road system’.
And now, to mark Birmingham Heritage Week, Explore Birmingham has launched guided tours of the landmark. The tour doesn’t involve risking life and limb walking along the motorway itself. That would be silly. It actually takes you along two miles of scenery beneath the structure.
Explore Birmingham said: ‘It may not be conventionally pretty, but this gritty, urban underworld has a unique atmosphere which you have to experience to appreciate.
‘The tour explores the legacy of this extraordinary monument, now over 50 years old, the story of its construction, how it shattered communities and inspired others.’
For £10, the tour will take tourists by canals, rivers, lakes, towpaths, wildlife and street art and lasts around an hour and 45 minutes. You can book your slot here.
Exploring Birmingham with Time Out
There’s plenty more that Brum has to offer. Check out Time Out’s picks of the city’s best things to do, coolest art galleries, finest places to eat and most fascinating museums.
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