Welcome to the Sustrans Pelsall Rangers blog.
Sustrans is a leading UK charity enabling people to travel by foot, bike or public transport for more of the journeys we make. Please click on the following links to see videos of the Sustrans story... In the beginning and Building the network
NATIONAL CYCLE NETWORK:
In 1995 Sustrans were granted money from the Millennium Lottery Fund to create the National Cycle Network.
In 1995 Sustrans were granted money from the Millennium Lottery Fund to create the National Cycle Network.
We are local volunteers trying to make our section of the NCN through the lovely village of Pelsall and surrounding area an even nicer place for people to cycle through. We normally meet up for a workday once a month on a Wednesday, which Wednesday often depends on the weather!
Our section of NCN 5 is between Rushall in the West Midlands and Burntwood in Staffordshire and includes:
- A Greenway between Rushall and Pelsall (McClean Way)
- A canal in Pelsall (Wyrley and Essington)
- A disused railway in Brownhills (Known locally as the Mineral Railway - Norton Branch Line)
- Tracks at Chasewater (A country park)
- Quiet roads
So a bit of everything really.
This is the 6.4 mile Pelsall Rangers section of NCN 5 between Rushall and Burntwood.
The McClean Way is a Greenway which runs between Walsall and Brownhills along what was the South Staffordshire Line (now a disused railway). It currently has two distinct sections along it's length as follows:
The Sustrans NCN 5 section from Walsall to Pelsall (BLUE)
The RPL / Back the Track section from Pelsall to Brownhills. (GREEN)
It is hoped that the Network Rail section of the South Staffordshire Line (which still classed as a live railway) will also become part of the McClean Way from the A5 Brownhills to Lichfield (GREY)
Online Map
If you'd like to help with the Greenway project please contact Sustrans, who have produced this Poster.
BACK THE TRACK
Back The Track consists of Sustrans volunteers, ex Sustrans volunteers and members of the public. The group came about as a result of a bizarre meeting between Sustrans volunteers and Sustrans officials in 2015.
Back The Track consists of Sustrans volunteers, ex Sustrans volunteers and members of the public. The group came about as a result of a bizarre meeting between Sustrans volunteers and Sustrans officials in 2015.
At the meeting the Sustrans volunteers were presented with an award from the Sustrans Ecologist and Sustrans Greener Greenways Project Officer. The award was in recognition of the excellent work the volunteers had done for the Greener Greenways project on the non NCN 5 section of the Greenway between Pelsall and Brownhills.
The meeting was bizarre because at the meeting a certain ex Sustrans Area Manager (that we won't name) insisted the volunteers stop all work on the Pelsall to Brownhills section of the Greenway, He said the volunteers had cleared too much vegetation and caused possible anti-social problems, so this section of the disused railway was no longer part of the Greenway.
All of the Sustrans volunteers were aggrieved by the Sustrans area managers statement and decision, Some volunteers were so angry that they resigned from Sustrans.
The following sequence of events then transpired:
- Back the Track (BTT) was set up as an independent campaign group
- BTT campaigned for the Pelsall to Brownhills disused railway to be reinstated as part of the Greenway
- BTT got the Pelsall to Brownhills disused railway reinstated as part of the Greenway
- BTT obtained permission from RPL to work on the Greenway between Pelsall and Brownhills
- BTT started workdays to clear the track along the Greenway between Pelsall and Brownhills
- The disused railway between Walsall and Brownhills was given a new name i.e. McClean Way.
If you want to read more details about this please go to the 'OVERVIEW' page and scroll down the to the year 2014.
If you'd like to support the Back the Track group please go to the group's website Back the Track