 | | Gervaoise Drive |
Historians look for clues in the landscape to find out about an area's history. Look at the shape of the road - there's a dip in it. It's hiding a river, which is culverted under the road. Enter the footpath on the right-hand side of the road, opposite the turning into Woodland Avenue. Optional: take the steep steps down to a dug out trench to look for lime pyes.  | | Lime pye - no ice cream |
Nothing to do with tasty puddings, lime pyes were an old method of making quicklime. You'll spot them in cutting in the rock - the limestone here is a yellow colour - lime pyes are more orange, pink or red (see photo, right). To make them, you dig a hole in the ground, add charcoal to the limestone, light it and leave for week. Hey presto, turns into quicklime. When lime kilns were invented, this became the preferred way of making quicklime (more about that on page 10).  What is a lime pye? Listen to John Hemingway »
(If that's left you feeling peckish, visit BBC Food to find out how to make Key Lime Pie...) Go back to the path, turn right and continue.  | | Entrance to Castle Woods from Gervaoise Drive |
As you enter the wooded area, look out for Japanese knotweed on the right, a tall plant with thick bright green stems. This plant is a major pain - it grows very tall extremely quickly and kills off other plants because it blocks their light. If you cut it down, it just grows straight back. If you spray it with chemicals, it needs to be resprayed regularly for years until it stops growing. Even if you cover the ground with matting, it just grows through it. It's so strong, it can even grow up through paving slabs and concrete! On the left of the path, you'll see butterbur. This plant is a herb with big flat umbrella-like leaves and thick green stems - it looks like rhubarb (it's sometimes called 'bog rhubarb'). Butterbur grows in wet conditions so it shows this area is boggy, perhaps the site of an old stream or pond. In the past, people used to wrap butter in the big leaves, hence the name 'butterbur' and it's been used as a medicine since the Middle Ages, to cure headaches and fever. Find out more about Japanese knotweed and butterbur. Listen to Ali Glaisher » Continue on the path through woods. Mind your head on the low branches and take care: this path can get muddy. On your right is a disused quarry. The trees in it started to grow when it stopped being used. Lady Dudley planted trees to hide the "ugly" mines and quarries. Find out more about who planted the trees. Listen to John Hemingway »  | | Path out of Castle Woods |
On the left of the path is a collapsed mine. The steep edges of the hollow indicated that the ground has fallen in on itself. The whole of Dudley sits on top of mining 'galleries' which go deep underground. When the mines stopped being used, miners took some of the pillars. That, plus natural processes led to the mines collapsing. The biggest craters are called crown holes. Why have bits of Dudley collapsed? Listen to John Hemingway »
How did the mine closures affect Dudley people? Listen to John Hemingway »
Why are the old mines dangerous? Listen to John Hemingway » In one of the big craters on the right of the path, you can see a modern problem: fly tipping. If people can be bothered to bring rubbish here to dump it, why not drive to the local tip?!
Find out about woodland trees. Listen to Ali Glaisher »
Find out about woodland flowers. Listen to Ali Glaisher »
Find out about woodland birds. Listen to Ali Glaisher » Come out of the wood and turn right. View map of this stage Optional route:
If you need to avoid the woodland, make your way back along Priory Road. Turn left onto the Birmingham New Road and then turn right into the canal basin. You rejoin the walk at page 10. Route for this stage avoiding woodland | 
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