Walsall

Walk Details:
Date: 13/11/2004
Total ascent: 17m/ 56ft
Total distance walked: 1.01 miles
Walk difficulty: 0.5/10
Enjoyment rating: 3.5/10
Best bits:
Worst bits:
Car Parking: Plenty on the hill - use either the Monument car park at the southern end or the North car park at - you guessed it - the northern end

Top details: Walsall
Name: Barr Beacon
County top number: 24 of 207
Grid reference: SP 06070 97380 MAP
Height above sea level: 227m/ 745ft
How nice was it?: 4/10 for the top, 2.5/10 for the ascent
Description/Notes: Highest point in Walsall Unitary Authority

The Walk:

It had seemed a long drive here from the previous top (Meigh's Wood in Solihull). We'd seen signs suggesting there were roadworks on the M6 and in our desire to avoid them had got stuck in a 45 minute jam in Sutton Coldfield. We nearly missed the car parks for Barr Beacon too. We saw the Monument car park entrance after we'd passed it, but at least this made us take care to look out for the north car park!

The official car parks are actually near the top of the hill (not that it's exactly a huge hill). In the normal course of things we'd have parked at the bottom of the hill and walked up, but (i) we didn't see any likely looking places at the bottom of the hill and (b) we were in a bagging frenzy and wanted to fit in as many tops as we could before dusk!

The north car park at least had the grace to be a short walk away from the actual hill top, but we paused a while before we started walking - the view from the top was stunning - far better than anything I'd imagined we'd see in the "industrial" West Midlands. It seemed that this side of the Midlands was a flattish plain with occasional solitary hills rising out of it - a little different and more interesting than the gently rolling landscapes we were used to in the South East, and all the more stunning for being unexpected.

To the south-west we felt some of these hills might be the tops we were going to visit next - Sedgley Beacon, or maybe even Turner's Hill. To the west was a distinctive lurking shape which I recognised from previous trips to the region - yet another county top, The Wrekin.

Barr Beacon was one of these hills, but as we started up a gently sloping southwards path to reach the highest point we realised it had be ruined - the hilltop was obliterated by a huge covered reservoir surmounted by radio masts, which quite damped my enthusiasm as the path cowered along beneath it. Views now opened on the opposite side of the hill over Sutton Coldfield (I could almost see the traffic) and Birmingham itself - an impressive urban landscape.

We reached the far end of the reservoir and immediately our spirits were revived - the path opened out into a grassy space centred around a wonderful little building, which we coundn'r agree if it was a rotunda, a pagoda or a gazebo. At any rate, it was circular, open with a small green domed roof supported by a circle of pillars. Unfortunately there was nothing describing what it was. Maybe it was a bandstand!

We combed the area for some time for the trig point before finding it hidden behind an oil drum atop the south-west corner of the reservoir. As this was clearly an artificial structure, we declared the official top to be the building (a rozebo? a gagunda?!) and mindful of the time jogged back to the car for lunch.

Conclusion:

This won't appeal to serious hill walkers, but offers fantastic views for anyone in the area! You don't expect this so close to a major conurbation.