Wolverhampton

Walk Details:
Date: 13/11/2004
Total ascent: 22m/ 72ft
Total distance walked: 0.53 miles
Walk difficulty: 1/10
Enjoyment rating: 4/10
Best bits: Great views, nice beacon tower
Worst bits: Spoilt by ugly concrete platform, radio masts and litter
Car Parking: Park in nearby residential roads eg Beacon Lane

Top details:
Name: Sedgley Beacon
County top number: 25 of 207
Grid reference: SO 92322 94407 MAP
Height above sea level: 235m/ 771ft
How nice was it?: 4/10 for the top, 0.5/10 for the ascent
Description/Notes: Highest point in Wolverhampton Unitary Authority

The Walk:

A short drive from Barr Beacon in Walsall and we were at our fifth top of the day, and distinctly in "high speed" bagging mentality. We therefore wanted to park as close as possible to the top. It's not entirely clear from the OS pink map which is the best route to the hilltop, so we parked at what seemed to be the closest point to the clearly visible radio masts at the top of the hill - a small spur off of Monument Lane.

Unfortunately there was no way through to the hilltop from there, and we wandered along Monument Lane until we came to Beacon Lane which - joy of joys - ended at a track running up to the hilltop.

It doesn't look like you're going to be able to get any further, but a path jinks through some iron railings to the left and continues past the radio masts and down the far side of the hill to a grassy open space in the distance. We of course were only interested in the highest point.

The radio (or rather, mobile phone) masts were set behind chain link fences on an ugly concrete platform which also supported a bloke with a large telescope. Next to them was a delightful old orange stone beacon tower, half ruined but still supporting a crenellated top. It provided a startling contrast to the repulsive modern masts next to it.

Next to the beacon, the gate in to the mobile platform had been smashed open, whether by the telescope man or by other vandals was unclear. We wouldn't normally have gone in, but given that the telescope man was already in there and the newly "public" access looked exceptionally well used, we decided it'd be ok.

It was worth it - the views across the Midlands to the southwest were stunning. It has to be said though, Mr Telescope distinctly looked like he was trying to see into peoples' houses…

Job done (with a quick "hurrah!" for having reached our quarter century of county tops), we sprinted back to the car to push on to the next top.

Conclusion:
A scrappy looking top surmounted by phone masts, locals could come here for good views over their neighbourhood; ardent historians might want to look at the beacon tower. Other than that, it's really only for County Top purists like ourselves!