What saved it for me to lift it to four stars are the patches of green and the final section along the canal. The first being a short section over Hurst Green recreation ground, quickly followed by a nice section through the former Brandhall Golf Course....

Steve Litchfield

Splitting it into four sections, the first section (photos 1 - 3) is fairly unremarkable and takes you from the bus station through the shopping centre, across the main A459, and through the suburbs. The second section provides some interest as it follows a section of the abandoned Dudley no.2 canal, a.k.a....

Steve Litchfield

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. I would suggest it as a route, but one which requires care walking down Moor Lane. 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....

Steve Litchfield

Walking from Rowley Regis I found the busy main road section rather tedious, although there were shops here, including food opportunities....

Mary Oz

This was a surprisingly nice route, with lots of off-road sections, including a disused canal, and with safe road crossings....

Mary Oz

I tried cycling this route and I’ve succeeded, but boy, was I in for a ride. There are multiple flights of stairs, so using a wheelchair on this route is completely out of the question....

Urzum

Just finished riding my bike on this route. It is pretty straightforward, mostly flat and has a very short stretch within a park which is not paved. Fairly enjoyable and accessible otherwise....

Urzum

Fine walk between two urban locations that manages to find the greenery available to walk....

Mappiman

The direct route along Hawes Lane would be infinitely easier, and i'd love to hear opinions as to whether the reviewers think the 'diversion' is worthwhile....

Steve Litchfield

The route then takes you diagonally over the M5, down the wonderfully named Penncricket Lane, then over the A4123 Wolverhampton Road and eventually into Barnford Hill Park. The route through the park takes you past a high point which is worth the slight detour and allows you to survey the Black Country landscape. Upon leaving the park, the route re-joins the roads and takes you through Queen's Head and Londonderry. As we surveyed the scene, we traced the route that the car took to end up in such an unlikely position by looking at the trail of destruction, and deduced if we had been crossing that spot just a few minutes before, we would likely have been in the path of the speeding vehicle. Do look out for the collection of Lions heads on Londonderry Lane, and the sight of the Blue Gates Hotel (now just a pub) in Smethwick....

Steve Litchfield

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....

Steve Litchfield

Onwards and through Warley Woods, and some street walking kicks in to Rowley Regis station....

Mappiman

From the meeting point at Rowley Regis station, we cross Station Road and turn left, then right down Nimmings Road and follow it to a mini-roundabout among shops. We cross Long Lane, go a short distance right and turn left along Maltmill Lane. At the next left turn (Olive Hill Road), we take the surfaced alleyway that goes diagonally half left between fences to a small park, where we continue on the tarmac path along the right edge to Olive Lane, where we turn right until we reach another alleyway on the right, where we turn right....

Hugh Hudson

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. 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....

Hugh Hudson

My favourite bits were walking down the canal, the old railway that's now a cycle/foot path and Warley Woods Park....

danravenellison

I had linked five Slow 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. 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 way. From leaving Walsall the whole walk was new territory for me, it had been a great exploration but at the end of the now invisible canal I met Hallon which I had walked from Longbridge some time back....

Ken

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. 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 footpath, hidden between houses offers a strip of green which leads to the meeting point at Rowley Regis rail station....

Ken

Obviously this will be shut sometimes, but the route around it isn't that pleasant, so the shopping centre, and the pedestrianised precinct beyond, is the better option. This is where the walk gets good, it's a popular and friendly offroad option with occasional view across to the centre of Halesowen. On leaving the park both towpaths lead to ramps up to the pavement of Mucklow Hill....

David Sanderson

The first inkling I had that this was not going to be plain sailing was the strange decision I had made to go the long way round Honeybourne Road....

David Sanderson

Starting from Rowley Regis, I found the climb towards Rowley Regis (the meeting point isn't really in Rowley Regis itself and I think needs moving) reasonably direct but gentle, along the pavements of the main road. However, the rise and fall of the footpath section in Tippity Green, enjoyable as it was, felt like unnecessary exercise in what was always going to be quite a hilly route....

David Sanderson

2 SO 9611 8791 - Footpath behind fences is completely overgrown and can not be accessed 3 SO 9513 8863 - Footpath has animal enclosure built across it and is marked as "Private Property" (reported via Ramblers App)...

David Sanderson

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....

David Sanderson

2 The footpath between SO 9580 8754 and SO 9562 8755 across the road from there has been fenced off and is overgrown (reported via Ramblers App)....

David Sanderson

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. 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. It's not long before you rejoin the Dudley Canal for what is an even nicer stretch, leaving it at Lodge Farm Reservoir....

David Sanderson

Just over half way through, you cross Barnford Hill Park which was a particular highlight for me. The route is across the park is not -the- most direct, but it gave me more opportunity to enjoy it and it was very easy to follow. Saying that, technically one of the next roads, the M5 was the busiest to cross, but to do that all I had to do was follow pavement of the B4169 Oakemoor Road which passes high over it....

David Sanderson

This is a varied and interesting route, taking in quiet streets, green open space and woodland walks, as well as a number of pathways between and around housing. There are some great views, quite a few hills, and a couple of flights of steps (one around 15 steps). It was enjoyable both for adults and a 12 year old who helped review it....

Lorna Prescott

It was fun to go off the beaten track and explore new ways of getting places. Unfortunately this route is needs some adjustments....

Mieke

The route went through a lot of green spaces which many would seen as an upside (for good reason), although I am not the type of person to usually enjoy green spaces. The urban section was very fun and I am very happy to endorse this route....

Theobeyeroflife

The review by David Sanderson sums this up nicely....

Theobeyeroflife

The main section of the walk provides a very varied range of environments - canal, parkland, Warley woods - through an otherwise suburban landscape....

Dave4

Leaving the canal you soon join a footpath which follows the route of the old railway which went as far as Harborne. You leave at Hagley Road and walk along the pavement of this busy main road for a while. Beyond here is a short bit of pavement pounding through residential streets before a short climb (if you look back you can see downtown Birmingham) which brings you to Warley Woods, which with its parakeets and wide open spaces, is a highlight of the walk....

David Sanderson

This is an amended version of Rowbir 1 which addresses the access issues....

Dave4

Rather than passing under via Navigation Street you are directed up Brunel Street to what is a slip road on to the A38 south. 4 Added to this, the plotting is inaccurate in places (it veers across the canal in Birmingham leaving you unsure at what point you are supposed to cross it and then if you have, why you crossed it)...

David Sanderson

Great route to walk from Rowley Regis into the center of Birmingham - mostly roads towards the Rowley Regis end but includes a walkway, parks and canals to walk along. Also suitable for bikes, although can be quite narrow on canals in Birmingham (maybe worth crossing to the other side of the canal as the path is a little wider). Would definitely recommend this route....

sidneysmithtaylor