Welcome to the Walsall Ramblers group. We seek to bring the pleasures of walking to as many people as possible in the Walsall Metropolitan Area. We feel that being in a predominantly urban environment is no reason not to be involved in walking with the group. We have excellent motorway and road links from the town and hence we can be in many completely different areas of the West Midlands region within an hour of setting off.
Our primary Walks Programme provides two different types of walking experiences. We have a weekly Saturday Walks Programme throughout the year with walks up to 6 miles for those who either are new to walking or have perhaps not walked for a while. These are designed to gently encourage potential new members to try us out in a safe and friendly atmosphere. These walks are generally held within about 10 miles of Walsall itself, occasionally up to 20 miles. These distances are straight-line distances. Walkers will usually have to make their own way to the start of the walk. The Saturday walks are intended for people who are new to walking or are out of practice.
We also have Sunday Walks which are generally in the region of 7.5 to 10 miles. These are run on a joint programme with Sandwell and Wolverhampton groups. Sandwell supplies leaders on the first and third Sundays of the month, Walsall supplies a leader on the second Sunday and Wolverhampton supplies a leader on the fourth Sunday. The arrangement for the fifth Sunday has not yet been settled. These last from early morning to mid-afternoon and walkers will need a packed lunch. The Group operates a car-sharing scheme for travel to these walks.
The terrain can be anything from the flatness of the Trent Valley to the hills of South Shropshire and the Peak District. However, there are few major hills within the Saturday walks area. Walks average about 2 mph including a mid-morning refreshment break on all walks and a lunch break on the Sunday walks. New walkers are always welcome and can contact the walk leader for details of each individual walk.
Joining the Walsall group gives you the opportunity to make new friends, improve your fitness, and explore the countryside of Walsall and the wider West Midlands, though some walks do keep to the built-up areas.
Alongside the walks, the Group has a programme of occasional social activities.
Most Saturday walks are accessible by public transport though there may be a walk from the bus or tram stop or rail station to the start of the walk. Details appear on the walk tab. Sunday walks often are not. Walks meeting at Daw End Lane can be reached by bus 997 if the leaving time is 9:00am or later. Walks meeting at Oak Park can be reached by bus 10 from Brownhills (not from Walsall) if the leaving time is 9:15am or later.
This year's Walsall Ramblers holiday will be to
Neuadd Arms Hotel
Llanwrtyd Wells
Powys
LD5 4RB
From Sunday 15th June to Friday 20th June 2025 (5 nights).
This will be on a full board basis.
Single rooms £350
Twin/Double for single occupancy £400
Twin/Double for two £630 (£315 each)
Please book directly with the hotel:
Lindsay & Catherine Ketteringham
Tel 01591 610236
Mention you are part of the Walsall Ramblers group booking. They will ask you for a £25 Deposit and balance by end of May.
If you could let Peter know when you have booked so he can keep a list of who is going, when you see him or by email to pturner185@gmail.com, and closer to the date we can think about car sharing.
Let's hope we have as good a holiday as we have had in the past, and the weather is kind to us.
The Walsall group has a programme of walks aimed at members with dogs. They will be reasonably local to Walsall. Dogs other than assistance dogs will continue not to be permitted on weekend walks. The Stourbridge, East Staffordshire and Telford groups also hold occasional walks on which dogs are permitted by prior arrangement with the leader.
The Walsall group currently requires leaders for the following date(s) in the next two months:
Saturday 07 June
Saturday 14 June
Saturday 21 June
Any group member interested in leading please contact Peter (for Sunday walks) or Tracey (for Saturday walks). Anyone who has not led before should give plenty of notice as Central Office has laid down mandatory training for new leaders. This entails reading a 16-page online booklet and watching two videos which together last about 2.5 hours.
Walsall Council is proposing a major reduction of the Great Barr Conservation Area to cover approximately only Merrions Wood and the area south of Chapel Lane / Pinfold Lane. A map of the affected area can be seen at https://go.walsall.gov.uk/sites/default/files/2024-09/Great_Barr_CAAMP_Poster_2024.pdf. A link to a substantial document supporting the proposals, can be seen at https://go.walsall.gov.uk/planning-and-building-control/planning-policy/consultation-great-barr-conservation-area-appraisal. We would like to thank the BBC for bringing this proposal to public attention.
This message is intended to keep members of Walsall Group of the Ramblers and their friends aware of the renewed Planning Application by Anesco, (https://anesco.com), to create a battery storage facility off Chapel Lane, Great Barr, immediately adjacent to the Duckery and on what is currently Green Belt land.
The application is described as follows:
“Construction of a temporary 49.35MW battery storage facility to include 28 energy storage container units, associated controls, PCS inverters, cooling, and fire safety system, 14 Transformer feeder pillars, two substations and compound, each with an open-air transformer, dedicated access track, security fencing enclosing the site, 15 low voltage cabins each with an open-air transformer and high voltage switchgear. Intended lifespan of 40 years.”.
Following a public inquiry the development was approved on 15 January 2025. See https://www.expressandstar.com/news/property/2025/01/16/battery-storage-system-approved-on-great-barr-green-belt-despite-string-of-safety-concerns or https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn0yxz5x5nlo for more details.
This is not the first application by Anesco to create this facility at this location:
Initial Application (21/1720) launched in June 2022.
Application Refused by Walsall MBC in December 2022
Appeal process launched March, 2023.
Appeal withdrawn July 2023
New Application, (23/1286), started October 2023
Planning consultation, (when objections can be received) closed December 2023.
Decision by Planning Committee expected early 2024 but not made.
Public Enquiry into non-determination of application started 5th November 2024 at Walsall Council House.
Public Enquiry report recommending approval published 15th January 2025.
Walsall Council serve challenge to the decision 25th March 2025.
Although the proposed installation does not impact directly on any Public Rights of Way, (PROWs), it will have a detrimental effect on the walking environment in that area. More significantly perhaps, it will place what is essentially a commercial factory-type premises in the already scarce Green Belt around Walsall Borough. This is a site close to historic landmarks, open country, an area of scientific interest, and the proposed implementation will reduce spatial and visual openness and appears to be the least suitable type of installation that might be considered for use in the Great Barr Conservation Area. The Duckery is proposed to remain part of the Conservation Area under the reduction scheme.
Over 300 comments (from around 200 properties) raising objections to the proposals were received during the consultation period for the first application including those from local ward Councillors, MPs at the time Valerie Vaz (Walsall South) and Nicola Richards (West Bromwich East), and local groups including Beacon Action Group. Since the recent General Election the site has been in Aldridge-Brownhills constituency.
Anesco urged for approval of the initial Planning Application in 2022 on the basis that the site would allow for the storage of over-produced electricity from the Grid, until it was required at a time of higher demand when it could be delivered back on to the Grid as required. Hence much of their argument is based on the national need for greener energy and the savings this scheme could generate towards that goal. These factors are cited as part of the very special circumstances which would allow such a development on Green Belt land which Walsall MBC have rejected.
However, this is a relatively small version of the type of facility compared to the 900 units planned for a site in Buckinghamshire, but it will not only occupy and deface local Green Belt, but will continue to do so for a ‘temporary’ lease period of 40 years as requested on the application.
The new application predominantly contains further arguments for utilising the Duckery site, but does not in any way alter the size, capacity or character of the equipment involved. There is more included about the unavailability of any other site in the Black Country where this can be done – which may beg the question - is this a suitable solution to greener energy in this area at all?
The latest application underwent scrutiny by the Council’s Planning Officers who examined the extensive documentation associated with the request, and eventually it went to the Council’s Planning Committee for a decision. No decision was made and the applicants appealed to the Planning Inspectorate on the grounds of non-determination. A Public Inquiry was held which started on 5th November 2024. On 15th January 2025 the Inspectorate ruled in favour of the development and the application was approved by the Planning Inspectorate on 14th February 2025, immediately after Government policy on greenbelt development changed. The council believes the planning inspector did not properly consider other possible sites for the development and did not apply evidence regarding noise impacts, and feels the inspector made some fundamental errors in coming to their conclusion. On 25th March 2025 the Council lodged a formal challenge to the decision. Councillor Adrian Andrew said "I do not believe that the decision to develop a battery storage facility on Chapel Lane is the right decision for our borough. We have taken the opportunity to challenge the decision on behalf of local residents. Residents have consistently opposed this development, which is, in my opinion, an inappropriate development of greenbelt land. We will do what we can as a council to protect it." If Walsall Council is successful in this challenge, the court would then overturn the decision and the planning inspectorate would assign a different inspector to consider the matter afresh.
Walsall Group of the Ramblers have never been against greener energy and a cleaner environment, but part of our organisation’s aim is to preserve and improve the countryside wherever possible for future generations to walk in and enjoy and the introduction of this installation in an area with so many historic and natural contradictions seem to suggest that, if approved, a precedent would be set for further similarly-argued schemes anywhere in the borough.
It will be important for Ramblers, and others within the Walsall Community, to attend the enquiry to show the strength of feeling that exists at the potential further loss of our Green Belt environment.
This is a brief summary of what has happened, but if you wish to see the Planning Applications in detail then they are available at:
https://planning.walsall.gov.uk/swift/apas/run/wphappcriteria.display by entering the application number in the planning reference box.
This page will be updated as the situation develops – please keep a look out for this.
Dick Turton.
Walking Environment Officer, Walsall Group of the Ramblers.
What we do
Search 50,000 Ramblers group walks, guided by a walk leader. Enter a location or postcode to find nearby Ramblers group walks.
Walking is a simple pleasure that should be open to everyone, so we campaign to remove barriers to walking and we protect the places we love to wander.
