Sheepwalks Lane, Enville

I went for a quick walk between the showers. Starting here, on Sheepwalks Lane, near Enville.

I came down this path on my return, but first I walked along the road

A timeless scene of calves and cows  

 The verges were packed with flowers

The road is narrow and very little used: I didn't see a car at all.

The Sheepwalks tower above the lane

Very hilly country (The picture looks slanted, but it's upright - look at the fenceposts)

Oilseed rape field. On the horizon are the Cotswolds, with the long hump of Bredon Hill on the right.

It's a fairly modern crop, but oilseed rape seems to have become a part of the English countryside in late Spring

Such a beautiful lane - could be a hundred years ago

Tomorrow, I venture onto the Sheepwalks themselves.
Mobile users, click here for more walks

Today's walk: Parking halfway along Sheepwalks Lane, I walked along the road until the junction, then turned back on the path leading along the Sheepwalks - I explored the paths up there, and then returned to the car along the path in the second picture here. About 2.5 miles, depending on where you walk.

Canal walking in May: Walk 2, part 2 Tividale and Dudley Port

Leaving Netherton Tunnel behind, I climbed up to the Old Main Line Canal which "flew over" the Dudley No 2 Canal.

This is top of the aqueduct seen on my previous blog.

Looking back to the earlier route

There are only a few industrial buildings left now.

The Dudley Road Bridge - specially for Dudley residents who mostly drive over it unaware of what is beneath

Greenery amid the warehouses

And a lovely clump of naturalised bluebells

Water lily pads

Then I turned left onto this canal, the Brades Hall Branch (sometimes called the Gower Branch - according to which map you look at)

This lock is by Tile Plus...

...on the Tipton Road

The Brades Hall locks are a staircase, running straight into the next lock with no stretch of water in between. (Pity about the graffiti, though)

And on to the next locks, taking the canal down to the new Main Line

Hecla was on its way to a canal rally.

Abundant cow parsley on the canal bank

A family of mallards

Back on the Wolverhampton Birmingham Canal, Main Line.

I passed a huge "hole in the ground", now beautifully over-run with wild flowers. I assumed it was a quarry.

There was a very steep hill at the side, which I climbed - because it was there

A strange tree on the top.  It was clear that this was actually an old open cast coal mine - there were glittering black lumps of coal all over it.

Back on the canal, the heron plays chicken with a cyclist.

Another cast iron bridge

A cycleway map  - I have just walked round the square (by the red arrow - "you are here")

And here I am back at the aqueduct that started it all off.

This was an extraordinary walk: looking at how many canals are crammed together in such a small space makes me think this must have been the absolute heart of the Industrial revolution. It gave me a new respect for the Black Country and its history. And now it has grown back into a green space in the middle of a busy urban area.

If you want to see the first half of this walk, click here
For mobile users, to see other walks, click here

Today's walk: Park in the streets by Dudley Port Station, and joining the canal by the aqueduct. Turn right, and walk to the first canal junction. From here, you will walk a square shape. So, turn right, but keep on the left hand side of the canal. Walk as far as Netherton Tunnel, and then retrace your steps to the first bridge. Ascend this to another canal, and turn left (again keeping to the towpath on the left hand side.) Turn left at the next canal junction, and then left again at the next, which takes you back onto to the first canal. Walk back to your starting point. About 4 miles of surprisingly green and pleasant walking deep in one of the most urban areas of the Black Country.

Canal walking in May. Walk 2: Dudley Port

Determined to prove that there is good walking to be had in urban areas, I went to Dudley Port Station to see if this was true.
The bridge is a railway bridge with an aqueduct behind.

Here's the aqueduct from above

Dudley Port station is behind the far railings

But look at the canal a few metres away: green and pleasant!

Although trains do pass by regularly

Canal junction with attractive bridges

This heron is so used to life here that he doesn't move when trains pass by. 

This part of the walk follows the Wolverhampton - Birmingham Canal. Built later and straighter than the earlier canals.

I turned onto the Netherton Tunnel Canal, soon passing under Groveland Bridge.

This bridge is actually an aqueduct: the canal it carries is called the Birmingham Canal, Wolverhampton Level, according to my map.

Looking back at the aqueduct

Netherton Tunnel

Re-opened in 1984, much to the delight of canal enthusiasts all over the country.

Looking into the Tunnel. I visited the other end last year- just a dot on this picture. (Click here to see my visit there)

Looking out from the Tunnel.

Returning, I noticed one of the traditional canal cottages was for sale. Bargain price of £120,000 for a tranquil location in an urban area.

Next, I went to investigate the aqueduct, and the Wolverhampton Level of the Birmingham Canal. I'll show you that tomorrow. Click here to see it

Today's walk: Park in the streets by Dudley Port Station, and joining the canal by the aqueduct. Turn right, and walk to the first canal junction. From here, you will walk a square shape. So, turn right, but keep on the left hand side of the canal. Walk as far as Netherton Tunnel, and then retrace your steps to the first bridge. Ascend this to another canal, and turn left (again keeping to the towpath on the left hand side.) Turn left at the next canal junction, and then left again at the next, which takes you back onto to the first canal. Walk back to your starting point. About 4 miles of surprisingly green and pleasant walking deep in one of the most urban areas of the Black Country.