Brirow two

Slow Way not verified yet. Verify Brirow here.

I completed this walk yesterday traveling westwards from Rowley Regis. Overall I did enjoy the walk, of which the highlights are the occasional views from the elevated sections, as well as the sections along the towpaths. The route does lose a couple of stars though, one for the fairly unavoidable pavement and industrial estates which are hard to recommend. The other star is lost for narrow Moor Lane which requires a heightened awareness of traffic.

You leave the industrial Station Road fairly quickly, passing through residential streets to the pleasant Britannia Park (photo 2) and then up the hill via Ross to Moor Lane.

The narrow Moor Lane (photo 3) twists and turns itself down the steep gradient towards the hospital and past the crematorium. You need to keep your senses attuned here for oncoming traffic and pick your moments to take refuge where possible and then make your way forward. It is doable with care but it's not particularly recommended. I will suggest an alternative at the end of the review.

Once past the crematorium and the nearby roundabout, you quickly get to the first towpath section along the Dudley canal (photo 4). The towpath feels very pleasant after leaving the noise of traffic behind (photos 5&6).

You then wind your way through more pavement walking to Stanhope Street (photo 7) where at the end on the left you leave the pavement behind for a very brief section on a feint path through grass (photo 8) to Gill Street and more pavement wlaking.

Before long (photo 9) you reach more really pleasant towpath walking on the Dudley No.2 canal (photos 10-12)) before reaching the Netherton reservoir with a lovely view across to Netherton (photo 13). The descent after the reservoir (photo 14) then takes you into Brierley Hill past the busy Merry Hill shopping centre (photo 15).

On the whole it feels a little harsh to give this route just three stars. I would suggest it as a route, but one which requires care walking down Moor Lane. I would also suggest it could likely be improved.

If I were to walk between these two points again, I would try to improve the route and do away with the section along Moor Lane. Looking at the OS map and Google maps of the area, it does appear that there is a safer route down the hill via leaving Ross at Churchill Drive and then a footpath to Yew Tree Lane, and then another footpath through the southern part of the crematorium to Powke Lane. If I ever find time, I would try to verify that alternative route and create a Brirow three to reflect this, although I suspect someone else will get there before me.

The route starts well from the meeting place at Rowley Regis Station and it's not long before you're wandering the pavements of residential Rowley Regis. After crossing Britannia Park, you climb Ross(?) and enter the pavementless, single lane Moor Lane which then widens but lacks a pavement for most of the rest of its length. Unlike a country lane, the speed limit is 20mph and drivers did seem to take care, but I wonder if there is a better route that avoids this. Saying that, the views across into Worcestershire and Shropshire are spectacular, so I felt there was some reward for the risk. Having passed the hospital and cemetery, you join the Dudley Canal, just north of Old Hill. Despite some of the industrial and post industrial surroundings, it's a really pleasant stretch of canal with some very entertaining art along the way. You leave the canal by the site of the Doulton toilet factory and there is a diner nearby which I did not investigate but is a stopping option. The walk through the industrial units of Mouse Sweet is not very pleasant but is safe, and as you cross over from Sandwell into Dudley you use a combination of pavement and footpath through a residential area. It's not long before you rejoin the Dudley Canal for what is an even nicer stretch, leaving it at Lodge Farm Reservoir. The final section follows the main road through to Brierley Hill and involves a sharp descent and then ascent before joining the pavement by what has become a dual carriageway. Crossing is made simpler by the fact that pedestrian crossings are not dependent on the button being pressed and a green man comes up whenever the traffic flow allows. There is the option of stops and shops at Merry Hill if you don't want to take a chance on Brierley Hill High Street. Overall, it's a well conceived Slow Way. My only reservation is Moor Lane, which was the only place I felt even vaguely unsafe. Four stars.

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