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Birmingham, a landlocked city with zero coastline and questionable British weather, has long drawn comparisons with iconic European holiday hotspots in fairer climes. Its many miles of canal – 35 to be precise – that were cut in the 18th and 19th century, primarily to transport heavy goods such as coal and iron around the region, once lauded it the nickname “The Venice of the North” – alluding to the fact that the city has more miles of canal than Venice.
