Clent Hills Regional Park in the WM National Park is vital because of ...

Since the announcement by the W Mids Combined Authority of a W Midlands National Park, I've been supporting Prof Kathryn Moore of Birmingham City University over that initiative by herself.  I've been arguing for a Clent Hills Regional Park, like the Pentland Hills RP, south of Edinburgh.  I feel this is necessary to protect it from built development; to encourage more farming to feed the Black Country and Brum; and, for recreation.

POINTS IN ITS FAVOUR and how it could benefit:

• The importance of our two 1,000 feet hills and the beauty of their foothills, woods and valleys to the east that, include the Abbey, Infirmary and the site of fish ponds.
• This valuable open space for farming and recreation is a 32 sq Km Golden Green Triangle, bounded by the two main roads west of M5, Jct 3 to Jct 4.
• The sad state of hedgerows with many gaps as they mature and never seem to benefit from hedge-laying to rejuvenate them.
• The extensive network of public rights of way but, the shabby, dilapidated stiles and poor signs.
• The Halesowen Railway line that now has permission from the landowner, to walk his section from Dowery Dell to Frankley and on to Longbridge on better public paths;
• It has one SSSI, the Clent Hills Country Park and another next to it but outside the triangle.

Walk the Dowery Dell Trail in our Golden Green Triangle!

 USE OUR NEW W MIDLANDS NATIONAL PARK OR, LOSE IT TO CONCRETE, BRICK AND TARMAC

My route for the Dowery Dell unofficial Trail (for the adventurously spirited young at heart) through Doctor’s Coppice, is this.  It is the least well defined/obvious section from Hunnington to Longbridge:

HIGHLIGHTS to tick off as you walk through Doctor’s Coppice - 

• 50-year-old wood with dry streams but one ditch with, surprisingly, a little water;

• a triangular tree formed ‘door’ to go through;

• an enormous, ancient, coppiced oak tree and,

• a great concrete block leftover from the M5 construction.;

THE ROUTE

From the narrow, twisting trail in Round Saw Croft (owned by Gary Colin Mabley who has given permission for walking), you come to Newtown Lane where there is a culverted (dry) stream bed under Newtown Lane near its junction with Yew Tree Lane and the road called Frankley Green (but Oxwood Lane on the OS Standard online map).

At the edge of the tarmac, up the road to your right is the start of a Roadside Verge Nature Reserve marked by a red and white wooden post. On the SE side of the old bridge, drop immediately down into the biggest of three ditches to come before the public footpath through the M5 subway.  Step over two strands of low, loose barbed wire. Climb up the narrow, short but steep ridge-bank that broadens out between two (dry) stream valleys that can be seen either side of you.  Keep to this higher ground, gently uphill and head towards the conifer plantation that you must keep in sight to your right as you walk on.  Cross over a log, then down and up the second ditch followed by walking through a triangle ‘door’ formed by a fallen silver birch tree leaning on a hazel.  One at a time.  Keep in the broadleaf woodland but near to the conifer wood on your right; over the third ditch and immediately walk on top of a low bank, with ditch on right, to take you to the edge of the woodland alongside an open field.  Keep this field in sight to your right but stay in the open wood.  Find a large oak that may have been coppiced over 100 years ago.  Keep straight on.  Then lookout for an isolated short section of old post and rail fencing.  Go to the right of it.  Then head for an enormous block of concrete with, perhaps, a blue engineering brick I placed on it this morning.

You will then see a gap in the old broken fence and the subway straight in front and below you.  Success!  There follows 3.5 Kms of easy walking to Longbridge High Street with its attractive R Rea landscaping where the Austin motor works once stood.  Return home by bus via Selly Oak Triangle for the no 11.  The walk is 8 to 10 Kms from Halesowen town centre to Longbridge shopping centre, depending on how you get to Blue Bird Park to pick up the trail.

WALKING IT FROM HUNNINGTON CRICKET GROUND - park in their car park with permission at the bar in the clubhouse.  There is also a bus service - 147 between Halesowen and Bromsgrove.  Please don’t park in Station Drive.

One route to the Halesowen Railway and our 1883 opened single track railway line is through (permission granted) Hunnington cricket ground opposite the Blue Bird sweet factory in Bromsgrove Road.  KEEP OFF STATION DRIVE.

Walk round the cricket ground boundary, through the attractive open woodland to the public right of way parallel to the caravan storage park that is in the railway cutting, to as far as the Cherry memorial bench. There is no permission to the viaduct on the track bed.  However, we have permission on Gary Mabley’s land from the former Dowery Dell viaduct to the M5 subway.  It is steep and rough at the long since removed viaduct to climb onto Gary’s railway line.  Continue walking to the M5 subway.  You will be maintaining a 137-year-old tradition of walking the railway.  And until the 1960s, risking the 40 shillings fine for trespassing on the railway and being rudely interrupted in your stroll by yelling train drivers to “Get off the bloody line!”

Tim Weller   23 May 2020

Walking and working in our Golden Green Triangle

Thanks, Stuart for your last email.  All very helpful.  This is copied to Roy Burgess who is mentioned here and who also needs to know what is going on.  He founded the Halesowen Abbey Trust in 1986 and has been active in public service ever since.  Now, more in Leasowes Walled Garden, in Leasowes Park, that is as good as any NT garden.  It is included in the annual competition, 'Halesowen in Bloom'.

To keep you in the picture, I have on Monday submitted a request to WCC via their official online website form, for the rough 'path' from Bromsgrove Road to Illey Brook/Illey Mill to be made a right of way.  Reference no 717548.  More immediately, I would like their staff to cut a path through the long grass of the roadside verge at the Bromsgrove Road end.  My very rough path starts at the brambles where I have cut a narrow path through.  I will continue to keep the brambles, thistles and nettles back at that short section on the verge below (south) where the long grass is.  I have done it for my own use, primarily but I also think that the more walkers can keep off that very busy country lane the better.  It is also an extension to our wonderful network of public paths that 'end' at Illey Mill.  Roy also has his many walk leaflets that also use Illey Lane for access from Halesowen.  Walkers may discover, in due course, that there is an alternative to walking on tarmac and risking an accident.

Last Saturday, I had a wonderful walk from home to the new Longbridge High Street on mostly public paths.  The only exception was when I tried the railway line and found, from Dowery Dell, south to the M5 and beyond, that it was still possible, mud free and gave some great views to either side.  It actually became the Princess Diana Way SE of the M5 in Frankley but you must know that!  Many, including children, have illegally walked the railway line ever since it was first opened, I understand.  In the 20th century, trespassers were risking a 40 shillings fine.  I walked parts of it in the 1970s, even before I moved to Halesowen in 1976.  Some were shouted at by train drivers, Roy told me.  Now, the fine for trespassing on the railways is £1,000!

While I was in Dowery Dell below the dismantled viaduct, I cleared two or three branches that completely blocked the public right of way above the wooden steps on the Frankley, south side, of the brook.  It was Roy and friends who built the steps, he told me, very many years ago.  Was it in the 1980s, Roy?  It was done with the knowledge and help of WCC.  My Saturday walk took four hours but I came back by three buses after an evening meal in the High Street 'Beefeater'.

Stuart, if I get the permission of Bernard Williams, would you want to use your strimmer to cut my grass slashed path even shorter, please?  I know, it is not strictly necessary, so don't worry.  The right of way is much more important.  I'll use my slasher, again in a week or twos time.  My contact with Bernard is via Mark at the cricket ground on 07799 332544.  Mark was OK about my slashing a path through the open woodland and speaks with Bernard Williams.  You are always welcome to ring Mark yourself, of course, for confirmation.

There is one badly leaning concrete post on the cul de sac path that I want to dig out and reposition vertically.  I am using my mountain bike to get to the path from home.  The concrete posts are so important in showing the old cart track and how very wide it was, originally.  All part of our very important heritage in caring for the past to benefit the future.  If the posts get removed, any future landowner/farmer may well encroach onto the ancient farm track to get a bigger field.  My preference is one half of the cart track for walkers and the other half of impenetrable brambles to ensure Jenny's caravans are less obvious.  We must keep Jenny pleased with what we are doing and walking the path herself!  I want Mark and Bernard to take a look, too sometime.  Mark said he would.

All the best