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. From the start of 2025 these will be 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.
The Walsall group has recently been asked to take part in a survey promoted by Staffordshire County Council, which is investing £7m to improve visitor facilities at Chasewater. As part of this they have commissioned a survey of users of Chasewater. The survey, titled “Reimagining Chasewater”, focuses on gathering input to help shape future plans for the country park, identifying opportunities to upgrade facilities so Chasewater can be better enjoyed by the whole community for years to come. They want to hear from people who have not yet come to Chasewater as well as existing visitors. Participants’ responses will be completely confidential and used solely for research purposes. The survey closes on Sunday 12 January 2025. The survey link is http://bit.ly/3UnE1VT. It should take five to ten minutes to complete.
Next 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 next year.
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 is planning to start a programme of monthly walks aimed at members with dogs. These will be held midweek, in the daytime for most of the year but possibly in the evenings in summer. 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.
There will be no more Wednesday evening courses this year as there isn't enough daylight. There may possibly be a Saturday course. These courses do not overlap with the e-learning mandated by Central Office, which doesn't cover map reading at all.
The Walsall group currently requires leaders for the following date(s) in the next two months:
Saturday 01 February
Saturday 08 February
Sunday 09 February
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.”.
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.
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 and 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 Enquiry was held which started on 5th November 2024 in the Council Chamber at Walsall Council House.
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.
