Distance: 4 miles
Difficulty of the terrain: medium
Get the route via: Ordnance Survey Maps or download the GPX. file from Dropbox
Walk from West Bromwich to Hamstead across the strikingly bucolic Sandwell Valley Country Park via the site of the Jubilee Colliery, one of the final deep pits to operate in the Black Country.
The Story
The Walk
Getting Back
In the Shadow of the Mine
Sandwell Valley Country Park is amongst the undoubted treasures of West Midlands county. A true green lung and corridor it runs from just north of West Bromwich town centre, through the River Tame flood plains, out via a thin corridor across Barr Beacon into the Staffordshire countryside.
Unsurprisingly, given its situation in the heart of the second largest urban area in the country, Sandwell Valley is bisected by numerous spectacular pieces of infrastructure including the M5 motorway and the major electricity transmission lines.
It was also, less than seventy years ago, the site of the Jubilee and Sandwell Park Collieries. These closed in 1960 making them amongst the final coal mines to operate in the Black Country.
First dug in the mid-Nineteenth Century when mining engineering technology had become advanced enough to reach the deeper parts of the Black Country coal seam, and mining began to become concentrated into larger pots employing hundreds of miners year round like those elsewhere in the country, the Sandwell Park and Jubilee mines were worked for the best part of one hundred years.
Situated in Jubilee Woods just north of where the Swan Pool used by Sandwell Valley Sailing Club now lies, there are now few obvious remnants of the Jubilee Colliery. Though the yellow brick workshop type building where the sailing club has its base of operations was the colliery’s pithead baths where miners would store their clothes and wash after shifts. This is the sole surviving mining structure on the site. Jubilee Woods is now, like Sandwell Valley Country Park as whole, very much a site of nature conservation.
There are however, remnants of a tramway, and later conveyor belt, which ran from the Jubilee Colliery, south via the Sandwell Park Colliery which was situated closer to urban West Bromwich, all the way to the Birmingham Canal Navigation Main Line where until they were demolished in the 2000s the old colliery hoppers which used to feed coal into waiting barges remained.
In this way the coal dug from beneath what is now Sandwell Valley Country Park was delivered to the predominantly industrial consumers who used to burn it.
The Walk
Get the route: via Ordnance Survey Maps or download the GPX. file from Dropbox
I create the Walk Midlands routes via Ordnance Survey Maps Explorer enabling me to take them on my phone. Subscribe yourself via the banner above.
This walk from West Bromwich to Hamstead across the Sandwell Valley Country Park past the now reclaimed site of the Jubilee Colliery, begins from West Bromwich Central Metro stop.
The Metro stop is situated just down from the bus station, away from the town centre.
At West Bromwich Central Metro stop, turn right and walk along West Bromwich Ringway in the direction of Sandwell College.
Just after the college turn left, crossing a series of roads and walking along the edge of West Bromwich town centre.
Continue up along West Bromwich’s Bull Street passing the Indian Smokehouse Bar and Grill and coming level with the big TESCO to the north of the town centre.
Here there is Reform Street running off to the right across a bridge over the busy A41 dual carriageway.
On the far side of the bridge continue along Reform Street which runs to the left past the impressive late Victorian gates of Dartmouth Park.
Soon you approach a place where the road forks. Here the Crown and Cushion pub stands right on the junction. Turn right here and begin walking along the residential Lloyd Street.
Continue along Lloyd Street until you reach Salter’s Lane, a narrow, quiet looking road amongst residential houses just beyond the far wall of Dartmouth Park off to your right.
Turn right and begin walking along Salter’s Lane. Soon you come to a sign welcoming you to Sandwell Valley Country Park. Here continue straight ahead down Salter’s Lane past a couple of newly built gated housing estates.
Soon you come to a gateline designed to stop cars and other vehicles entering the country park. Pass this gate and walk straight ahead downhill along a holloway type track.
Presently you come out amidst open fields (some even had sheep in when I walked the route) and scrubby woodlands.
Continue walking straight ahead along the path. You hear the sound of the M5 motorway grow steadily louder as you approach.
Carry on straight ahead along the path up and over a bridge across the M5.
On the far side of the bridge carry on downwards nearing the side of Swan Pool.
Here there is a junction. Turn left here and walk along a tarmac path beside Swan Pool.
At the top of the Swan Pool on the edge of Jubilee Woods where the Jubilee Colliery once stood the path runs sharply to the right.
Continue walking along the path nearing the far side of Swan Pool.
Presently just after a hedge there is a wide track off on the left leading to a car park. Turn left here and walk straight down the short distance into the car park. Off to the right you see the Sandwell Valley Sailing Club which is situated inside the former Jubilee Colliery pithead baths. The sole surviving building from the mine.
Upon entering the car park turn right, walking through a metal gate part way across the car park.
On the far side of the car park you reach the surprisingly busy Park Lane. Here to the right on the far side of the road there is a gateway leading onto a tarmac path on the far side of the road.
Cross Park Lane at this point. Once on the track turn left.
Continue walking along the path through the trees.
Presently it curves around to the left.
A little further on and the path comes out beside the banks of the River Tame, hurrying in a north easterly direction towards its confluence with the Trent at Tamworth. Just beyond the Tame lies the large Forge Mill Lake. This is an RSPB nature reserve and was dug in 1981 as a flood defence for north Birmingham. Flooding in the 1990s and 2000s has caused it to since be extended and further work done to defend the northern West Midlands from the Tame.
Out beside the Tame you come to a wide footpath. Turn right here and follow the path alongside the river.
Continue alongside the Tame for quite some distance.
Presently the path turns from tarmac to a kind of sand, leaving the side of the Tame, to run up and along a plateau of sorts, which has the feel of being a major flood defence work.
Continue along the sandy path for some distance approaching the Birmingham to Walsall Railway Line just north of Hamstead Railway Station where this walk ends.
Approaching the River Tame once more look out on your right for a wooden gateway on top of a bank beside the river. Upon seeing it, next to a CCTV post, turn right and head down the bank, then up another bank, and through the gate.
Follow the path, which is quite narrow and runs through thick undergrowth, but which is always clear and well trodden, alongside the River Tame.
Continue along the Tame side path for some distance.
Eventually off on your right you clamber up a short slope onto the side of a cul-de-sac.
Walk straight ahead approaching the road and then turn left.
Soon inside some woodland off to the left there is a caged walkway. Enter the caged walkway and follow the path through the trees.
Carry on along the walkway, high above the Tame, through woodland for some distance.
Presently the path ends on a residential road. Upon reaching this road turn left.
Walk along it all the way to the end of the road.
Here on the right just to the side of the final house there is a cut through leading out onto a footpath beside a playing field.
Once on the footpath beside the playing field turn left. Walk along the path crossing over a bridge above the River Tame.
On the other side of the bridge you come out on a main road opposite Hamstead Railway Station.
This is where the walk ends.
Getting Back
Hamstead Railway Station is (at the time of writing in June 2024) served by regular trains between Birmingham New Street and Walsall, via the majority of the intermediate train stations. There is also a regular bus service along the Old Walsall Road provided by the Sixteen and Fifty Four buses. The Sixteen runs south towards Birmingham city centre terminating outside the Bullring shopping centre. The Sixteen A (which in June 2024 was operated by Diamond Buses) ran half hourly back towards West Bromwich Bus Station for the Metro and bus services to elsewhere in the Black Country.