Rowley RegisOldbury (Sandwell)

Rowold two
Verified route

Verified Slow Way

Verified by 100.00% of reviewers

By David Sanderson on 11 Jul 2021


Distance

4km/2mi

Ascent

27m

Descent

42m

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Description

Rowley Regis Railway Station to Oldbury town centre via Oldbury Road, then across playing fields and green spaces to Halesowen Street

Rowley Regis Railway Station to Oldbury town centre via Oldbury Road, then across playing fields and green spaces to Halesowen Street

Status

This route has been reviewed by 5 people.

There are no issues flagged.

Photos for Rowold two

Photos of this route will appear when they are added to a review. You can review this route here.


Information

Verified route

Route status - Live

Reviews - 5

Average rating -

Is this route good enough? -  Yes (5)

There are currently no problems reported with this route.

Downloads - 5

Surveys

What is this route like?

Surveys are submitted by fellow users of this website and show what you might expect from this Slow Ways route. Scroll down the page to read more detailed surveys.

Grade 0U based on 1 surveys Sign up or log in to survey this route.
Description Note
Grade 3: Route includes rough surfaces that may include small boulders, potholes, shallow ruts, loose gravel, short muddy sections.
Access grade U: Currently ungraded.
Grading is based on average scores by surveyors. This slow way has 1 surveys.
Full grading description

Only people who have completed our training can become Slow Ways surveyors and submit a survey. We do not vet contributors, so we cannot guarantee the quality or completeness of the surveys they complete. If you are dependent on the information being correct we recommend reading and comparing surveys before setting off.

Survey Photos

Facilities

Facilities in the middle third of this route.

Not present at time of survey Public toilet (1)
Not present at time of survey Wheelchair accessible toilet (1)
Present at time of survey Supermarket (1)
Present at time of survey Restaurant (1)
Maybe present Vegan restaurant (1)
Not present at time of survey Accommodation (1)
Not present at time of survey Accommodation < £50 (1)
Not present at time of survey Campsite (1)
Not present at time of survey Bothy (1)
Maybe present Free wifi (1)
Maybe present Public phone (1)
Present at time of survey Mobile phone coverage (1)
Not present at time of survey Train station (1)
Not present at time of survey Bench (1)
Not present at time of survey Picnic table (1)
Present at time of survey Bus stop (1)
Not present at time of survey Ferry (1)

Challenges

Potential challenges reported on this route. Some challenges are seasonal.

Not present at time of survey Scrambling (1)
Not present at time of survey Wading (1)
Not present at time of survey Swimming (1)
Not present at time of survey Climbing (1)
Not present at time of survey Stepping stones (1)
Maybe present Very slippery (1)
Present at time of survey Very muddy (1)
Maybe present Very icy (1)
Maybe present Likely to flood (1)
Not present at time of survey Long grass sections (1)
Not present at time of survey Crops encroaching on path (1)
Maybe present Diverted path (1)

Obstacles

Obstacles on this route.

Not present at time of survey Stiles (1)
Present at time of survey Step and kerbs (1)
Maybe present Possible to avoid steps, if applicable (1)
Not present at time of survey Flights of steps (1)
Present at time of survey Gates (1)
Not present at time of survey Kissing gates (1)
Not present at time of survey Locked gates (1)
Not present at time of survey Disables access gates (1)
Present at time of survey Cycle barriers (1)
Not present at time of survey Ladders (1)
Not present at time of survey Cattle grids (1)
Not present at time of survey Fords (1)
Not present at time of survey Narrow bridges (1)
Not present at time of survey Ferry required (1)
Present at time of survey Acceptable road walking (1)
Not present at time of survey Unacceptable road walking (1)
Maybe present Dangerous road crossings (1)
Present at time of survey Walking on paths beside roads (1)
Not present at time of survey Walking on verges beside roads (1)
Not present at time of survey Railway crossings (1)
Not present at time of survey River crossings (1)
Not present at time of survey Cattle possible (1)
Not present at time of survey Horses possible (1)
Not present at time of survey Tidal area (1)
Not present at time of survey Potential falls (1)
Present at time of survey Exposed to elements (1)
Not present at time of survey Remote area (1)
Not present at time of survey Mountainous area (1)
Not present at time of survey Military training area (1)
Present at time of survey No visible path (1)
Not present at time of survey Seasonal nesting birds (1)
Not present at time of survey Other hazards (1)

Accessibility

Is this route step and stile free?

Maybe present Free of stiles (1)
Maybe present Free of single steps/kerbs (1)
Present at time of survey Free of flights of steps (1)
Not present at time of survey Free of other obstacles (1)

Measurements

Surveyors were asked to measure the narrowest and steepest parts of paths.

The narrowest part of the path is 90.0cm (1)

The steepest uphill gradient walking East 32.0% (1)

The steepest uphill gradient walking West 27.0% (1)

The steepest camber: no data

How clear is the waymarking on the route: Unclear in places (1)

Successfully completed

We asked route surveyors "Have you successfully completed this route with any of the following? If so, would you recommend it to someone with the same requirements?". Here is how they replied.

Small Pug-sized dog (0)
Small Labrador-sized dog (0)
Large St. Bernard-sized dog (0)
Standard pram (0)
Off-road rugged pram (0)
Standard wheelchair (0)
Off-road rugged wheelchair (0)
Standard mobility scooter (0)
Off-road rugged mobility scooter (0)

Recommended by an expert

We asked route surveyors "Are you a trained access professional, officer or expert? If so, is this route suitable for someone travelling with any of the following?" Here is how they replied.

Small Pug-sized dog (0)
Small Labrador-sized dog (0)
Large St. Bernard-sized dog (0)
Standard pram (0)
Off-road rugged pram (0)
Standard wheelchair (0)
Off-road rugged wheelchair (0)
Standard mobility scooter (0)
Off-road rugged mobility scooter (0)

Terrain

We asked route surveyors to estimate how much of the route goes through different kinds of terrain.

There is no data on how much of this route is on roads

There is no data on how much of this route is lit at night

Thereis no data on amount of route paved

There is no data on muddiness

There is no data on rough ground

There is no data on long grass

Report a problem with this data

1 surveys

Information from verified surveys.

3X January 2024 by Mary Oz
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Geography information system (GIS) data

Total length

Maximum elevation

Minimum elevation

Start and end points

Rowley Regis
Grid Ref SO9796486571
Lat / Lon 52.47708° / -2.03140°
Easting / Northing 397,964E / 286,571N
What3Words trucks.bunks.keys
Oldbury (Sandwell)
Grid Ref SO9896489503
Lat / Lon 52.50344° / -2.01669°
Easting / Northing 398,964E / 289,503N
What3Words funded.eagles.exams

Sorry Land Cover data is not currently available for this route. Please check back later.

reviews


Mary Oz

14 Jan 2024 Winter

Walking from Rowley Regis I found the busy main road section rather tedious, although there were shops here, including food opportunities. The route through the football fields and beyond was a bit wet and muddy, but easy to follow – just follow the pylons.
There was a busy road crossing, but there were gaps in the traffic and an island between carriageways.
The second half of the pathway around the embankment next to the electricity substation was closed, and I had to make an obvious small diversion to follow the road just to the north of it. It appears that a battery storage facility is being developed here, so I think this may be a longer-term closure.
The route works well, but it's not particularly enjoyable, although there were occasionally good views.


Steve Litchfield

19 Mar 2023 Winter

Walked this route southwards from Oldbury today as the 2nd part of a four-route circular walk starting and ending in West Brom, and taking in Smethwick on the return. This 2.4 mile route was easy enough, and had a section of off road walking to break up the suburban feel.

After leaving Oldbury, you may marvel for a short while at the 'Oldbury Ring' made by Doug Cocker and commissioned by McDonalds in 1993. After tearing yourself away from this first highlight, your challenge is to then safely cross the Oldbury Ringway by playing chicken to get to the other side via a welcome refuge in the middle reservation.

Half way down Portway Road, your next highlight appears as you leave the pavement via a bicycle calming barrier to climb a small embankment by a sub station. The embankment does offer a good vantage point to take in the local landscape and provide some orientation.

After leaving the embankment and crossing the A4123 Wolverhampton Rd, you quickly leave the road behind and reach the next highlight of a pylon. It seems a shame to leave it behind, but once you do, you quickly reach some playing fields which, if you're lucky, may have a game of football on you can watch.

After leaving the playing fields, you then reach the intriguingly named 'The Chilterns', which eventually leads you to the rather busy and dull Oldbury Road. There is a vintage retro Sandwell council bin on the corner of Mincing Lane, which adds an architectural wonder to the walk, even if it does look a bit worse for wear.

Sadly, you eventually have to leave Oldbury Road by turning left onto Boundary Avenue. Here you may encounter another wonderful phenomenon of consecutively numbered properties along the street as opposed to the usual odds on one side and evens on the other side (why do they do that?). Anyway, the route will then take a right turn down a pathway between nos. 26 + 27, through to the visually stunning Blackheath Park, and eventually to the end of the route at Rowley Regis station.

There's a corner shop and a chippy along Oldbury Road if you need some refreshments, although do look out for brick walls falling over. Thankfully someone had put some miniature road cones around a fallen wall we found (see photo). As well as assuring passers-by that the relevant authority had already been made aware, the cones also surely protected us from certain peril. Apart from that minor hazard, the walk was pretty safe and I can recommend.


Hugh Hudson

19 Nov 2022 (edited 20 Nov 2022) Autumn

Walked from Oldbury to Rowley Regis. A good easy direct route, that does its best to find what greener spaces are available in such a suburban area.

Leaving Oldbury, we go south along Halesowen Street past two roundabouts and a canal bridge and turn right along Portway Road. Beyond the industrial space a path leads to a high embankment - there are steps up to the top at the south end of this corner and it is worth climbing for the views. A path develops and we follow it round, descending to the A4123 through a gap in the industrial buildings. There is no assisted crossing here, but there are central refuges either side of the direct line across to the path opposite, so it is not unsafe. We follow this unsurfaced path and bear left into playing fields, taking a diagonal line across it avoiding the football pitches if games are in progress. We emerge in the south corner and follow The Chilterns, a residential street. Where it ends we take a paved path between houses straight on and turn left down Blakedown Way to reach the busy Birchfield Lane, where we turn right and cross at the next junction using pelican crossings. We continue along the south side for a while, passing shops and more traffic lights on Penncricket Lane, turning left onto Boundary Avenue, and following a paved alleyway through to Rowley Regis station and the meeting point.


Ken

31 Oct 2022 Autumn

I had linked five Slows Ways to walk Walsall to Halesowen filling a gap in my waylist. All routes already had a good review so I concur that they are good or adequate plots. There is a serious lack of signs at the end of twitchells (urban cut throughs). The surface is generally roadside pavement and crossings of major roads are mostly good. This is urban walking no stiles or cattle but some steps. Plenty of shops along the way but no loos noted however the routes are short if used individually. The review guidance asks "would you walk it again", my answer has to be, not by choice only necessity but I did enjoy the one off exploring and found plenty of interest along the wa.

I walked Oldbury to Rowley Regis along Rowold-2. Rowold-1 looks an interesting tour but that's not the purpose of Slow Ways. This route is a mix of pavements and some almost countryside paths, grass and potentially some mud so suitable footwear is advised. I spot Haleswoen Road, must be heading in the correct direction.

Leaving Oldbury I found it safer to use the zebra crossing before the ring road then head left a short way to a light controlled crossing and another controlled crossing before turning right off the main road. All a bit counterintuitive but safe.

The approach to the footpath is unsigned but clear along a raised bank around an impressive electricity distribution complex. Keep an eye on the plot to drop down to a gate and the road. There is no controlled crossing here and the direct route has a gap in the narrow central reservation which perhaps explains the kink in the plot.

The way ahead is another unsigned footpath but then it's follow the overhead power lines across the sports field, no games in progress on this Saturday morning, to a surfaced path, also unrecorded, to an estate road.

A section of main road then into Boundary Avenue, which appears to be only a name as the change to Dudley is some way off. A footpath, hidden between houses offers a strip of green which leads to the meeting point at Rowley Regis rail station. Here I sat on a platform bench for lunch and was surprised by the high frequency of trains which would have been even better had there not been cancellations due to staff shortages.


David Sanderson

06 Nov 2021 Autumn

A very functional 50min might be a good way to summarise this walk. I started from Oldbury, the route crosses the A457 via a pedestrian island and some care is needed. The pavement beside the busy A4034 is wide but you don't follow it for long as you turn right and then go offroad along a footpath adjacent to a massive electricity substation. The path is on a slope at times and it might suit some walkers and wheelers to follow the pavement of the main road instead. The exit to this electric greenspace leads to a crossing point of A4123, another road requiring care to cross. On the other side is the entrance to a set of football fields, this is probably the most enjoyable section of the walk. There is a short section of residential side streets beyond, before you join the pavement of the A4034. This next section has a pub and some shops but is next to a very busy road. After some distance you cross into a side street and then take a series of quiet, rather pleasant paths through to Rowley Regis Railway Station, where the meeting place is. Having designed this route myself, four months ago, as part of the exercise to make routes more direct, I'm fairly definite there was no greener alternative that did not involve a major detour. Saying that, there might be a nicer route out there. Direct, safe, some variety, easy to follow, just a bit difficult to love.


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Other Routes for Rowley Regis—Oldbury (Sandwell) See all Slow Ways

Rowley Regis—Oldbury (Sandwell)

Rowold one

Distance

6km/4mi

Ascent

161 m

Descent

140 m

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