in the Black Country Introduction There’s never been a better time to get active for your health and wellbeing. You’ve been advised to start being a bit more active and there’s lot of reasons why this is a good idea. We understand that making those first changes to your lifestyle can often be the hardest ones to take. This booklet will help you make decisions on how and where to be active in the surrounding area. PLEASE NOTE: Please be safe when visiting parks and open spaces. If outdoor gym or play equipment is available for use, please use it responsibly and follow Public Health England guidance on hand washing. Please don’t visit these spaces if you’re suffering with symptoms of coronavirus. Please keep your distance if you’re walking or on a bike, staying at least 2 metres away from other people. Benefits to Activity It also reduces your chances of developing a number of preventable health conditions 50% less chance of developing Type 2 Diabetes 50% less chance of developing high blood pressure 40% less chance of developing coronary heart disease 35% less chance of developing cardiovascular disease 30% less chance of having a stroke 25% less chance of developing certain types of cancer (including breast and colon) 25% less chance of developing joint and back pain 21% less chance of having a fall Love Exploring There are lots of ways to enjoy all of the open spaces that the Black Country has to offer. Active Black Country and local partners have teamed up with Love Exploring to bring a new interactive app to some of our parks and green It’s currently available at spaces. the following locations: With the current COVID-19 pandemic, getting • Silver Jubilee Park, Coseley, Dudley outside and being active has never been more • Walsall Arboretum important. The Love Exploring app can give you • Willenhall Memorial Park ideas for family activities or suggestions on • Swannies Field, Walsall exploring on your own if you fancy a bit of ‘me’ • West Park, Wolverhampton time. • Sandwell Valley Country Park Love Exploring puts the power of discovery in • Warrens Hall Nature Reserve, Sandwell your hands by providing a range of discovery (Bumble Hole Local Nature Reserve in Dudley) games and guided tours that are fun to do and • Brunswick Park free to use. • Lightwoods House and Park • Victoria Park - Tipton, Sandwell • Barnford Park, Sandwell West Midlands Cycle Hire PLEASE NOTE: Please be safe when visiting parks and open spaces. If outdoor gym or play equipment is available for use, please First Ride Free use it responsibly and follow Public Health England guidance on hand washing. Please don’t visit these spaces if you’re suffering with symptoms of coronavirus. Please keep your distance if you’re walking or on a bike, staying at least 2 metres away from other people. West Midlands Cycle Hire has recently launched across the region; offering more people the opportunity to enjoy cycling in our local area. The scheme is currently live in Stourbridge, Walsall and Wolverhampton with docking stations at popular canals, parks and town centres. You can view the map of locations at www.wmcyclehire.co.uk To celebrate the scheme launch they are offering all riders their first ride, of up to 30 minutes, completely free. After this, it costs £1 to unlock a bike, and then 5p per minute afterwards. To hire a bike, download and register on the Beryl Bikes cycle hire app via your app store. Docking stations in the Black Country can be seen on the maps in this document wherever you see the WM Cycle Hire logo. You can register for updates and special offers on the website: wmcyclehire.co.uk and follow on social media @wmcyclehire #wmcyclehire Postcode Walking and Cycling in Dudley: DY8 2AD MARY STEVENS PARK Intro Features Travel • Café with disabled access Free car parking within the grounds This famous site is a Healthy Hub park and toilets of the park, including disabled and has toilets, a café, a health pool spaces. The park is a short walk from and free car parking. You can also use • Play park (fenced enclosure with gate) Stourbridge Town Centre and also the signage boards to direct you on a • Walking routes accessible via the 7, 10A, 125 and number of walking routes around the 128 bus routes. There are locations park. • Lake to park and lock bikes. Cyclists can • Bandstand follow National Cycle Route 54 to Stourbridge. Accessibility Considerations Paths - The main paths through the park are tarmacked and are in excellent condition, wide enough at most points for at least three wheelchairs to comfortably pass alongside each other. The walking trails around the periphery of the site are less consistent, with more natural ‘as-dug’ surfaces that narrow considerably at some points to around 1m in width. Gradient - The main paths are relatively flat, however the walking trails are much steeper. Steps - There are steps to reach the bandstand platform. Benches - There are benches throughout the park at regular intervals. This is just a selection of potential locations to walk or cycle. For more information on these sites and others in Dudley, go to https://www.dudley.gov.uk/things-to-do/parks-and-open-spaces/ Postcode Walking and Cycling in Dudley: WV14 9SZ SILVER JUBILEE PARK Intro Features Travel This Healthy Hub park has suitably • Outdoor gym There is free parking, with one positioned benches as part of a Blue • Play park (fenced enclosure with gate) disabled space at the entrance off Badge disabled route, areas of flat Mason Street. The park is accessible managed grass, shaded areas that are • Walking routes via the 8 and 82 bus routes. There ideal for picnics and managed tarmac • Activity Centre are locations to park and lock bikes. pathways. Helpful signage boards Cyclists can use National Cycle display walking routes around the park Route 81. – a Love Exploring site. Accessibility Considerations Paths - The main paths through the park are tarmacked and are in excellent condition, however they are relatively narrow and often would not have space for two wheelchairs to be side-by-side. Gradient - The paths are windy and allow users to enjoy a pleasant route around the park, however there are occasional bumps in the path with some quite steep sections to navigate. Steps - There are three sets of 6-10 steps near to where the park borders the A4123 - they have no handrail and the approximate dimensions are 180cm x 70cm with a depth of 15cm. Benches - There are benches at approximately 80-100m intervals throughout the park, however they are less prevalent on the narrower paths, furthest from the car park. This is just a selection of potential locations to walk or cycle. For more information on these sites and others in Dudley, go to https://www.dudley.gov.uk/things-to-do/parks-and-open-spaces/ Other places to Walk and Cycle in Dudley UNESCO Geosites As of July 2020, the Black Country became a UNESCO Global Geopark. The Geopark sites are shown on the map, for more information on each go to https://blackcountrygeopark.dudley.gov.uk/sites-to-see/ BUMBLE HOLE NETHERTON PARK AND WARRENS HALL LOCAL NATURE RESERVE Postcode: DY2 9EX Postcode: DY2 9HS Canals One of Dudley’s Healthy Hub parks These are great areas for leisurely with large areas of flat managed DUDLEY NO. 1 CANAL walks and picnics with open areas grass, smaller areas of shaded and of grass and bustling wildlife living unshaded areas of grass, managed Starting at the Bottom Lock on the and unmanaged pathways and Delph Road, Brierley Hill, this canal along the quiet canal pathways. Accessible via the 7 bus route - a wildlife areas. Accessible via the travels north-east through the borough 7 bus route. taking in The Waterfront at Merry Hill, Love Exploring site. Priory Park and eventually the popular Dudley Tunnel attraction. HUNTINGTREE PARK BUFFERY PARK DUDLEY NO. 2 CANAL This suburban canal is 5.5 miles in Postcode: B63 4EX Postcode: DY2 8SH length, travelling north from Hawne Basin in Halesowen (near B&Q) A Healthy Hub park with signage Covering 6-hectares, this site is a through the south-east of Sandwell boards that show walking routes popular recreation point with shaded and back into the Dudley borough around the site. Accessible via the and unshaded points and managed at Warrens Hall Nature Reserve 4H bus route. pathways that are ideal for enjoyable and travelling through Netherton to walks. Accessible via the 7, 11, 11a and eventually merge with the No. 1 canal 19 bus routes. near the Dudley Southern Bypass at STEVENS PARK Peartree Lane. HIMLEY HALL AND PARK STOURBRIDGE CANAL Postcode: DY5 2JU A popular waterway that starts at the This 7-hectare site offers fantastic Postcode: DY3 4DF Bonded Warehouse in Stourbridge views, particularly around sunset and travels through Hawbush and and is undergoing a significant 180 acres of landscaped parkland Withymoor taking in Buckpool Local restoration to improve the walking including a café, lake and car park. Nature Reserve and merging with the routes. Accessible via the 7 bus The site is adjacent to Baggeridge No. 1 Canal at the Delph. Additionally route. Country Park, providing even are two WM Cycle Hire docking more walking and cycling options. stations close to the Stourbridge Accessible via the 15 bus route. Canal towpath entrance near the WREN’S NEST NATIONAL High Street, Stourbridge. NATURE RESERVE BUCKPOOL, FENS POOL Postcode: DY1 3SB AND BARROW HILL SALTWELLS LOCAL NATURE RESERVE NATURE RESERVE A site of exceptional importance, this is one of the most notable geological Postcode: DY5 4NE Postcode: DY2 0BY locations in Great Britain and studied by geologists from all over the world.