🥾 Walking route
Murray Gray Trail (Saltwells LNR)
West Midlands
- 📏 4.2 km · 2.6 mi
- ⛰ +133 m
- ⏱ 1 hr 15 min
- 🐕 On lead
Walk stats
- Distance4.2 km · 2.6 mi
- Elevation+133 m
- Duration1 hr 15 min
- DifficultyEasy
- Route typeCircular
- TerrainWoodland paths, canal towpath and reservoir tracks; a few gentle climbs, generally well-surfaced.
- Best seasonSpring for bluebells in Lady Wood, or autumn for woodland colour.
- DogsDog-friendly; keep on lead near the reservoir and grazing areas.
About this walk
Starting and finishing in Quarry Bank, this easy 4.2 km circuit loops through Saltwells Local Nature Reserve, one of the largest urban nature reserves in the country. From the edge of town the path drops quickly into a green, wooded landscape shaped by centuries of coal mining and clay extraction, following the course of Tipsyford Brook into the mature oaks of Lady Wood, an area of Ancient Woodland.
Beyond the wood the trail joins a quiet stretch of the Dudley No.2 Canal before climbing over Netherton Hill, where views open out across the Black Country. The route then drops down alongside Black Brook to skirt Lodge Farm Reservoir, a broad sheet of open water popular with waterbirds.
The final section passes Doulton's Claypit SSSI, a former clay pit protected for its geology and now reclaimed by trees and wildflowers, before returning to Quarry Bank. With modest ascent of around 133 m spread across the loop, it makes a satisfying introduction to the surprising wildness tucked between the towns of the West Midlands.
Route map
Route line drawn from OpenStreetMap footpath data. Numbered markers are waypoints on the route; amber star markers are points of interest a short detour away.
Waypoints along the route
8 waypoints along the way
- 1
Quarry Bank (start and finish)
- Start / finish
Start and finish of this circular route.
- 2
Tipsyford Brook
- 3
Lady Wood (Ancient Woodland)
- 4
Dudley No.2 Canal
- 5
Netherton Hill
- 6
Black Brook
- 7
Lodge Farm Reservoir
- 8
Doulton's Claypit SSSI
Worth a short detour
Points of interest just off the route, look for the amber markers on the map.
Two Locks Line
~182 m off the route
Snake Pool
~239 m off the route
Dudley No.1 Canal
~471 m off the route
Table Top
~240 m off the route
Cinder Bank
~328 m off the route
Route & waypoint data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).