Fish in the canal at The Dump Bridge WE Canal
Along the old mineral railway! Towards Blackhalve Lane.
This Morning Monday the 7th September…Mary & I tried our own trail! Mary and I did this walk…starting at 7.50 am today from the True Briton it took us 1 hour and 35 minutes to do the whole ‘Trail.
We had a great time in the sun! Though I got nettled at the bottom of path W3. We spotted a Peregrine Falcon hunting on the cornfields alongside Kitchen Lane and Linthouse Lane! It was a great 4 and a half mile walk, word of warning – wear pants not shorts like me…the nettle stings are still tingling now.
Walking has becoming fashionable. Especially as a health incentive, so try our t combined a historic walk with an amble down the Wyrley and Essington canal in Wednesfield?
Here is a little walk that does just that, I have still to ‘fine tune’ it. But it kind of mixes local knowledge with a bit of the famous Monarchs Way.
The Monarch’s Way is itself a 610 mile hike, and I am not talking about making that sort of trek!
But we have this celebrated walk way in our neck of the woods, and I have used that. It was where King Charles the Second took off chased by Oliver Cromwell back in 1651! So we can combine a bit of our national history, with local history and the local points of interest, like the canal itself. The Wyrley & Essington canal was constructed in the 1790’s, the waterway’s a heritage site in its own right!
Currently the Wyrley & Essington canal is subject to ‘a bid’ to become a Local Nature Reserve, so if it is successful a LNR will run from the Wolverhampton City Centre through to Brownhills in Walsall. The canal towpath is already a fabulous wildlife walk. Providing a very different habitat to the nature that is on view on the Monarch’s Way, and the Mineral railway. Discover the difference yourself.
I have always known that here in Wednesfield we have an interesting neighbourhood! But sitting down and working out a nice circular route has been exciting in itself.
Now I think this is a very nice walk…what do you think??
In fact I will let you into a secret…I have been inspired by my friend Bryn Whitehouse of Essington and his booklet ” Essington Parish- Rights of Way- Including the Wulfrun Way.”
Walking is the thing to do as a health incentive, ( They do a walk for health every Tuesday from the Hub at Ashmore Park) well how about combining a historic walk with an amble down the canal.
Here is my little local walk that does just that, I have to still fine tune it. But it kind of mixes local knowledge with a bit of that famous Monarchs Way.
Monarch’s Way public footpath as it reaches the stile at Linthouse Lane, from its start at the ‘Old Mineral Railway’.
The Monarch’s Way is a very famous walk and would take days to cover In full, and we aren’t talking about making that sort of trek!
But it is nice to use part of this ‘Way’ in our neck of the woods, where we can.
So my suggested walk combines local & national history.
As the walk returns up Griffith Drive a stop off at the Ashmore Park historic Moat with its ‘information boards’ explaining the history of the site is a must.
So what do you have in this nice little circular walk – Well great nature, interesting water features like the canal itself built in 1790 to serve the local coalfields. The canal itself has a rich heritage.
The walk will also bring you into contact with great wildlife as you walk along the ‘Old mineral railway- Look out for Buzzards,Hares and the interesting wild flowers. Remember while you are walking our neighbourhood boasts a great working class history around Coal Mines as well as being well a very Nice Walk…what do you think??
Start at The True Briton Snape Road Ashmore Park; Cross the Open Space at Kitchen Lane; Link onto The Old Mineral Railway head towards Hilton Main, Turn left onto Footpath W3 ( Monarchs Way) Cross Linthouse Lane down Ridge Lane, turn left into Moathouse Lane and pick up the WE Canal at the Dump Bridge, Head towards Short Heath down the canal towpath, leave the canal at Linthouse Lane Bridge, follow Griffith Drive to the Ashmore Park Shopping Centre, view the historic Ashmore Park Moat and Information boards, continue up Griffith Drive towards Snape Road and the start/now the finish of the walk at The True Briton.
So what do you think?! let me know your views…..
