magazine winter 2012 magazine winter 2012 Central England Central England 13/11/2012 12:47 Route 07 Lichfi eld, Staffordshire Route 08 Tenbury Wells, Worcestershire master G Distance 10km/6 miles G Time 3½hrs G Type Town and country master G Distance 10km/6 miles G Time 3½hrs G Type Countryside NAVIGATION LEVEL FITNESS LEVEL NAVIGATION LEVEL FITNESS LEVEL

Plan your walk Plan your walk SEE

feature p60 G STAFFORDSHIRE Telford WORCESTERSHIRE G Birmingham LICHFIELD G Brownhills G TENBURY

Tamworth G WELLS Worcester G Walsall G G Hereford Sutton Cheltenham

Coldfi eld G G

G West Bromich Gloucester

WHERE: Linear walk WHERE: Circular walk in the following the Two Saints Teme Valley outside Tenbury Way from Castle Ring hill fort Wells, Worcestershire. PHOTOGRAPHY: ALAMY PHOTOGRAPHY: to St Chad’s Church, Lichfi eld. START/END: Tenbury Wells NEIL COATES PHOTOGRAPHY: START: Castle Ring hill fort, The picturesque fi nal section Holly Hill Road. Beaudesert Park, (SO595684). The River Teme laps through a Pass Bog Lane on your L and Cannock Wood (SK044128). of the Two Saints Way builds home to the Refl ections Gardens, TERRAIN: Lanes, tracks and peaceful countryside of orchards rise for 120m to a house called END: St Chad’s Church, to a crescendo, following in the is on the L at the end of Holly paths (some muddy), with and hop yards, among which The Bednalls, on the R. Use the Lichfi eld (SK122103). footsteps of St Chad to where Hill Road, but the trail continues a few awkward stiles. sits the picturesque town of iron kissing gate to an enclosed TERRAIN: Well-waymarked he founded his Christian church between the railings, with a MAPS: OS Explorer 203; Tenbury Wells. Yet it’s not apples path, bending L behind extensive footpaths throughout, and baptised his followers in the reservoir to your R and woodland Landranger 138. or pears for which Tenbury is gardens, before emerging into a with one boggy section. 7th century. The walk – through on your L. At a tarmac lane, turn GETTING THERE: There famous, but mistletoe. Every hay meadow, followed by a long MAPS: OS Explorer 244; woodland, pasture and along R, looking L for distant views of are buses to Tenbury from year for over a century, mistletoe orchard of venerable pear and Landranger 128. bucolic country lanes – offers the famous three spires of Worcester (service 758) and markets have been held here in apple trees. At the far corner GETTING THERE: From plenty of time for latter-day Lichfi eld Cathedral. Kidderminster (service 291) early December. In fact, much stile, take the path above the Lichfi eld bus station, Arriva pilgrims to exercise their minds (✆ 0871 200 2233, www. of the ancient druids’ favourite woods before dropping steeply Midlands bus 62 towards as well as bodies. Along the 2. Continue on the trail (following worcestershire.gov.uk). berry now sold in Britain comes through them to fi nd a gate into Cannock takes you to Ivy way are several sites of religious the Heart of England Way), out Tenbury is 14½km/9 miles from this area. The town took a pasture. Now skim the edge of Lane in Cannock Wood – a signifi cance and locations closely of Cannock Wood, passing southeast of Ludlow, off brief bathe in the limelight as a woods on your L, eventually fi ve-minute walk from Castle associated with the early pilgrims. Gentleshaw Primary School on the A456. medicinal spa in Victorian times, joining a woodland track to Ring (✆ 0871 200 2233, www. It all leads towards a dramatic your L, to reach Gentleshaw EATING & DRINKING: and the eye-catching pagoda-style reach a lane. travelinemidlands.co.uk). denouement at Lichfi eld’s Common on your R. There are Pembroke House, Tenbury pump-room tower still stands EATING & DRINKING: The cathedral. Allow time to explore several paths on offer, so take the Wells (✆ 01584 706473, behind The Crow Inn. This easy 2. Turn R over the bridge; then Park Gate Inn, Cannock the building fully and soak your middle one for about 50m, until www.thepembrokehouse. walk explores the old orchards, R over the nearby waymarked Wood (✆ 01543 682223, feet at St Chad’s Well, as pilgrims you come out of the woods, with co.uk). tranquil lanes and commonland stile. Drift L across the fl ank of www.theparkgateinn.co. of yore would have done. views southwest to Burntwood. SLEEPING: The Fountain south of the Teme. the meadow to a higher stile uk); The George & Dragon, Turn L and then R onto the path Inn, Oldwood (✆ 01584 onto a surfaced track, which Lichfi eld (✆ 01543 254854, 1. START Follow the signed Two parallel with the road. Keep 810701, www.thefountain 1. START From the oval skirts the R-edge of a massive www.brilliantpubs.co.uk/ Saints Way trail along the western on the path, pass Greenhills oldwood.co.uk); Brook market hall in the town centre fruit-tree nursery. Persevere georgedragonstaffordshire). edge of Castle Ring Iron Age Nursery on your L, and then take Farm B&B, Berrington (SO595684), head along Cross along the fringe of polytunnels

SLEEPING: Pipe Hill hill fort (SK044128), tracing the the next path L to Windy Ridge (✆ 01584 819868, www. Street with the supermarket on and greenhouses, and in 200m L

House B&B, Lichfi eld L rampart to the car park. The Park Nursery (which takes you off the brookfarmberrington.org). your R. Turn R along Berrington look for the footpath fi ngerpost Gate Inn is opposite. Turn L down Heart of England Way). Road, passing the police station. pointing the way L to a lane. ▼ ▼ 55-56 walk37 routemaster_CENTRAL_rev1.indd 1 routemaster.indd 2 Ordnance Surveymapping©Crowncopyright.AM34/08 Ordnance Surveymapping©Crowncopyright.AM34/08

Map not to scale. Representation of OS Landranger MAP 138 1:50,000 4. After about 200 yards you www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk continued... come to a T-junction. Turn R into Lodge Lane and walk to (✆ 01543 255751, the crossroads in Chorley, to the main road to reach harvesting great views north www.pipehillhouse.co.uk). with the Malt Shovel pub on Map not to scale. continued... Oldwood hamlet. The way is R, a to the ridge of the Clee Hills, visitor information: your R. Cross over and, after Representation of capped by the radome on tarred lane/bridleway by white Lichfield TIC, Lichfield OS Landranger MAP visitor information: about 270m, turn L by another 128 1:50,000 Titterstone Clee. At the minor cottages (there’s a pub 200m Garrick (✆ 01543 412112, Tenbury Wells TIC, Teme crossroads. Take a R turn onto www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk road, turn L and follow this for ahead). Take the wide gate to www.visitlichfield.co.uk). Street (✆ 01584 810136, the footpath, passing the village over 1km/½ mile. the L of a cattle grid, passing Guidebooks: A new e-book www.tenburywells.info). hall on your L. Cross over the 6. After visiting the cathedral, beside a barn, then ahead guide to the Two Saints Way Guidebooks: 50 Walks stile by a gate and follow walk around the south side of the 4. Turn L onto the waymarked through a series of gates, aiming will be available soon from in Worcestershire & the signs through four fields building and turn R down Dam bridleway beside a bungalow. L of distant oast houses to reach www.twosaintsway.org.uk. Herefordshire (£9.99, towards St Bartholomew’s Street, then immediately L along Waymarks take this beside a a farm lane beside a lone house. LocaL rambLers Group: AA Publishing, ISBN 978 Church in Farewell. Take the Reeve Lane. There are two paths barn into an old orchard, then Turn L to a junction. Lichfield & District Ramblers 0749562984). footpath to the R of the church ahead of you. Take the one to the past a tin barn on your L before (✆ 01283 791286, lichfield. LocaL rambLers Group: and aim for the holly hedgerow R, leading to Stowe Pool. You will easing R to the far corner. From 6. Go ahead along the tarred ramblers.users.btopenworld. South Shropshire Ramblers ahead with a stile. Turn R into see St Chad’s Church at the far end here, the bridleway discs guide lane, dropping to the outskirts com). (✆ 01952 462855; www. Cross in Hand Lane. you down to a footbridge over of Tenbury. At the T-junction, ahead of you. shropshireramblers.org.uk). go R and fork L down the tarred the brook. Cross it, turn R and 5. Follow the lane for almost filter into a wider path, passing drive 120m past ‘Mill Meadow’. 7. Walk along the embankment 3. Follow the path past Windy 3km/2 miles to reach the A51 3. Turn R and, after 150m, go L to the L of a pond, before Cross the bridge and use the and descend steps to cross the Ridge Nursery and down into and cross with care. Cross in down the ‘No through road’, looping R beyond a spinney and metal-barred stile immediately L, road and enter St Chad’s Church a wooded area, which narrows Hand Lane continues for about dropping into the narrow valley continuing to a grassy fork 100m heading for the far top corner of (SK122103). St Chad’s Well is to near the bottom. Turn R here 150m on the other side, then of Cadmore Brook to reach beyond a bridlegate. Go L up the the pasture. Remain at the top the L of the church and the along Watery Lane (which, as its turn L and immediately R into secluded cottages. Look carefully green track, which becomes a of the field beyond the stile here final resting place for pilgrims name suggests, can be muddy Beacon Street, with its ancient on your R for a stile into the farm road and meets a lane, and turn L at the end of the field. throughout the centuries. at times). Continue uphill, then pinfold (a pen for stray cattle) trees (not the cottage-side track) where you turn R. Cross the stepping stones and Route devised by David Pott cross over into Dodds Lane on your L. Walk down Beacon and cut the overgrown corner rise to the Pembroke House pub. between hedgerows. Dodds Street, passing Erasmus Darwin of these woods to a higher 5. Opposite St Michael’s College, Turn R here to bring you back to Lane merges with Green Lane, House, and turn L at The Close 09/11/2012 11:24 stile into a field. Trace the L go L onto the main road. At the the start point in Tenbury. where you continue ahead. to Lichfield Cathedral. edge of the immature orchards, immense common, walk parallel Route devised by Neil Coates