About the event

Dudley might not be the first place people associate with hiking and outdoor adventure. It is predominantly an urban area best known for its zoo, museum and out-of-town shopping centre, but there is a wilder, rockier side to the borough too. Dudley’s geography is overwhelmingly shaped by a dramatic hill range spanning over 6 miles from Sedgley Beacon in the north to Rowley Regis in the south. Reaching heights of well over 200 meters above sea level, this rocky ridge contains an abundance of nature reserves, parks and other green spaces nestled amongst the commercial, cultural and residential districts. It’s an extremely rich and biodiverse landscape that does indeed lend itself to the type of outdoor adventuring more associated with national parks and mountain ranges.

For this public walk, artists Daniella Turbin and Andy Howlett of the Walkspace collective will be demonstrating creative ways of exploring this landscape. They’ll be drawing on Daniella’s experience as a long-distance walker and rock climber, and they’ll be taking inspiration from the adventures of Dudley-born mountaineer and peace campaigner Bert Bissell, AKA “God’s Mountaineer”. Please note: no mountaineering experience required! Just a good pair of walking boots.

The artists will draw on their creative practices to explore how the remarkable geology of the hills determines so much about the landscape including what sort of plants can grow, how the land is used, what animal species can make their homes here, and even which directions the local rivers flow. They’ll demonstrate the intrigue to be found in the urbanised areas as well as the green spaces and they’ll explore some unexpected connections to other locations such as Ben Nevis, the Humber Bridge and Ancient Rome.

This walk begins at the Wolverhampton Road entrance to Bury Hill Park in Oldbury and finishes at the market place on Dudley High Street. The walk is about 5.5 miles long and the terrain includes roads, pavements, rocky footpaths, grassy areas, stiles and considerable inclines. Please dress accordingly for a winter walk and be prepared for some muddy sections. Bring a packed lunch as we’ll be stopping for a break at Bumble Hole nature reserve. Toilet facilities can be found at KFC near the start of the walk (if you ask nicely), at Bumble Hole visitor centre at the half way point, and in various establishments in Dudley town centre at the end.

Info/Bios

Walkspace is a West Midlands co-operative of artists who use walking in their creative practice. Through their experiments in collective walking they aim to bring people together to experience the world differently.

Andy Howlett is an artist, filmmaker and writer based in Birmingham, UK. He’s interested in the power of collective walking to re-map and re-enchant our neighbourhoods, cities and public spaces. His walks and films have been commissioned by Flatpack Festival, Ikon Gallery, Solihull Council, Creative Black Country and Voce Books/Influx Press. He is co-founder of walking-art collective Walkspace which has exhibited at Artefact gallery and received commissions from The British Council, Creative Black Country, and the Wildlife Trust.