Lower Hasbury

The Leasowes

Webb's Green · 1.9 miles

A 57-hectare estate set on the edge of Webb’s Green, The Leasowes combines historic house, garden and open parkland within the Halesowen area. The name translates as “rough pasture land”, and the grounds are recorded on English Heritage’s Register of Parks and Gardens at Grade I. Part of the site is occupied by Halesowen Golf Club, while the remainder is maintained as a public park under the care of the local council. The landscape originated between 1743 and 1763 as a ferme ornée created by the poet William Shenstone, whose design aimed for an unadorned, pastoral feel that later attracted commentary from contemporary writers. After Shenstone’s death, Edward Horne acquired the property, replaced the original house with a new building completed around 1776 and added a walled garden and hothouse. Subsequent owners, including Major Francis Halliday, introduced features such as a stone portico and a whimsical hermitage, though later proprietors made little effort to preserve Shenstone’s original layout, leading to a period of decline by the 1820s. The council purchased the estate in 1934, converting it into a publicly accessible park while leasing part to the golf club. A restoration programme carried out from May 2008 to January 2009 reinstated many 18th-century elements and introduced a linear lake within the former Lapal canal, enhancing the historic scenery.

Bumble Hole Nature Reserve Black Country Geosite

Gad's Green · 3.7 miles

Once a hub of coal mining, clay extraction, coke furnaces and boat building, the area now known as Bumble Hole Local Nature Reserve offers a mix of water and land habitats within the Netherton district of Dudley Metropolitan Borough, West Midlands. The reserve lies to the east of Netherton, roughly 1.5 miles south of Dudley and on the border with Sandwell, with the main entry point on St Peter’s Road. It is managed by Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council and the nearest settlement recorded on OpenStreetMap is Gad’s Green. Designated as a local nature reserve in 1996, the site forms a contiguous green space together with the adjoining Warren’s Hall reserve, although no physical boundary separates the two. The landscape is characterised by grassland strips, small wooded copses and a network of waterways. The Dudley No 2 Canal enters the reserve and splits into two short arms – the Bumble Hole Branch and the Bushboil Arm – before reaching Bumble Hole Lake, a former clay pit that now forms the largest pond on the site. A volunteer-run visitor centre beside the canal provides information, refreshments and toilet facilities, and a football pitch is available for local use. Each September the combined reserves host an annual boating festival, drawing canal boats, market stalls, guided trips and a small funfair.

Saltwells National Nature Reserve Black Country Geosite

Pear Tree Lane - Industrial Estate · 3.7 miles

The site offers a rare combination of natural woodland, grassland and industrial archaeology within the West Midlands. Established in 1981, the 247-acre Saltwells Local Nature Reserve lies in the Netherton area, roughly two miles south of Dudley and adjacent to the Pear Tree Lane industrial estate. Its boundaries follow the Cinderbank Road (A459) to the north-east and the A4100 to the south, while the Tipsyford and Mousesweet brooks mark its western edge. Within the reserve lie two Sites of Special Scientific Interest – Doulton’s Claypit and Brewin’s Canal Section – and a scheduled ancient monument that records medieval coal-mining activity. Visitors can walk along Hall Lane, the historic route to the demolished Netherton Hall, and encounter the small Daphne Pool set among gorse-covered slopes of Netherton Hill. The southern portion, Saltwells Wood, is an 18th-century plantation noted for bluebell carpets in spring and contains wooden and metal sculptures created with input from local schools and artists. Remains of opencast and underground coal extraction, as well as the canal cutting dating from the 1858 improvements, are visible along the paths. The Saltwells Inn, an 18th-century public house within the reserve, provides traditional British pub fare and local ales, offering a convenient stop for walkers. No specific admission fee or opening hours are detailed. Access is via Cinderbank Road (A459), the A4100 and the footpaths that run through the reserve.

Warrens Hall Nature Reserve Black Country Geosite

Springfield · 3.7 miles

A mixture of former industrial sites and natural habitats characterises the Warren’s Hall Country Park, a local nature reserve managed by Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council. Situated on the eastern edge of Netherton, roughly 1.5 miles south of Dudley and bordering Dudley Metropolitan Borough, the reserve lies close to the town of Springfield. The area incorporates grassland, ponds, canals and small wooded sections, and marks the entrance to the Netherton Canal Tunnel. Its landscape overlays former farmland and the locations of the Windmill Hill and Warren’s Hall collieries, with visible remnants such as Cobb’s Engine House and the Dudley No. 2 Canal. The reserve was officially designated as a local nature reserve in 1996. Visitors can reach the site by car via Dudley Road, and a visitor centre positioned beside the Dudley No. 2 Canal on the Bumble Hole side supplies information for both Warren’s Hall and the adjoining Bumble Hole Nature Reserve. Two of the small pools permit angling for a fee, subject to specific conditions. The visitor centre also offers guidance on the surrounding features, including the Blow Cold Bank Colliery spoil heap, now covered in grass. No additional admission charges are mentioned for general entry, and the facilities focus on interpreting the reserve’s industrial heritage alongside its current ecological assets.

Rowley Hills

Turner's Portway · 4.3 miles

Rising to 269 metres above sea level, Turner's Hill marks the summit of the Rowley Hills and the highest point within the West Midlands. The ridge runs east-west and separates the drainage basins of the River Severn, which carries western rainfall to the Bristol Channel, from those of the River Trent, directing eastern runoff toward the North Sea. Situated to the east of Dudley, the hills lie within the town of Rowley Regis and straddle the boundary between the metropolitan boroughs of Dudley and Sandwell. From the top, the panorama stretches to the Clee Hills, Clent Hills and Cannock Chase, with extensive sight-lines across Birmingham and the Black Country. Two radio transmission towers dominate the summit, taking advantage of the elevation for broadcasting purposes. The western flank of the range includes Portway Hill, which the Wildlife Trust for Birmingham and the Black Country manages as a nature reserve. The area supports a variety of local flora and fauna and provides public footpaths for walkers. Historically, the hills supplied Rowley Rag, a dolerite stone once quarried for kerbstones. Over the centuries the surrounding village of Rowley hosted four churches, each dedicated to St Giles. The reserve is closest to the Turner's Portway locality, offering easy access for visitors interested in the natural and historical character of the hills.

Warley Woods Park

Warley Salop · 4.3 miles

Covering 100 acres, the public park in the Warley district of Smethwick lies about three miles west of Birmingham city centre, set in a small valley north of the A456 between Birmingham and Halesowen. Originally laid out by landscape designer Humphry Repton in the late 18th century, the grounds retain roughly one-third mature woodland and a nine-hole golf course occupying the western side. Although a stream once crossed the site, it has since been filled in. The park holds a Green Flag Award and has been grade II listed by Historic England since September 1994. The estate’s origins trace back to a possible post-dissolution Warley Hall, while the land was bought by Samuel Galton Jr in the 1790s. He commissioned Repton’s layout and a gothic-style house designed by Robert Lugar, later occupied by his son Hubert and, in the 1880s, by MP H.G. Reid. Birmingham City Council acquired the property in 1902 and opened it as a public park in 1906; the house, locally called “Warley Abbey”, was demolished in 1957. Management now rests with Warley Woods Community Trust, a charitable organisation leasing the park on a 99-year term from Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council, itself a lessee of Birmingham City Council. The Trust operates The Pavilion at the southern end, providing a café, public meeting room, toilets and a golf shop, while a drinking fountain installed in 1907 was restored in 2009. Patrons include actors Julie Walters and Colin Buchanan, presenter Stuart Maconie and historian Carl Chinn.