from February onwards, violets and primroses bloom valley of Shrawley Brook, Not far away, in the sheltered too, if you know where to look. garlic. There are wild daffodils anemones, bluebells and wild with multitudes of wood that it really puts on a show, it is from March to early June with January’s snowdrops, but winter. The wild flowers start ivies keeping it green all year, with ferns, mosses and it is fabulous at any time of Forestry Commission holding, privately owned, and part species grow there too. Part limewood, though other

metres limes at Shrawley Wood. Bluebells and small-leaved km 20 0 40 0 60 0 0 0 essentially an ancient Shrawley Wood is JULIE ROYLE CHOSEN BY… 07 u Distance: 6½ miles/10.5km u miles/10.5km 6½ Distance: 2 4

SHRAWLEY WORCESTERSHIRE

6 by flowering cherry trees. a viewpoint is surrounded while a small seating area on primroses and wild daffodils, burial ground overflowing with hill-top church of St Mary, its Overlooking the valley is the by bluebells and wild garlic. before being superseded 1 uphill, across ridge below snowdrops Jan/Feb) then path L (through masses of allows access to wood. Follow Shrawley Wood, until stile past Oliver’s Mound and close to ridge on L. Continue through pastures, keeping changing sides at stile. Proceed on R. Walk along field edges, verge then take footpath GR ADIENT PROFILE Walk north on roadside Start

8 Time: 3 hours u 3 hours Time: 10

12

Grade: Moderate Grade:

JULIE ROYLE JULIE PHOTO: sparsely wooded knoll. leads to T-junction below R on unsigned path which junction by New Pool. Turn Oliver’s Mound then down to 14 Landranger 138 or 150 Maps OS Explorer 204; only; diamondbuses.com Kidderminster, Mon-Sat Worcester, Stourport & Diamond 294/295 from transportPublic toiletsPublic None at Shrawley village Inn at start and New Inn Refreshments Lenchford Nearest town Stourport PLANNING Stiles 12 in places good paths but boggy pasture, parkland, arable; Is it for me? Woodland, grid ref SO812643 Road, WR6 6TB, Inn, off B4196 Stourport road north of Lenchford Start/parking On old ROUTE PLAN YOUR WALK YOUR PLAN 16

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MIDLANDS ✁ this gently undulating walk map as a tourist destination, put on the annual Horn Dance may have village square. Although the back to the Butter Cross in the eco-friendly wind turbine, of a lager brewery and an (or oil seed rape), past stills across fields of angled corn countryside, on a delightful tour of the footpaths convey the walker surrounding network of of this walk will testify. The of time) – as the partakers have survived the passage of the few village customs to the annual Horn Dance (one

metres outside Abbots Bromley. Oil seed rape fields km 20 0 40 0 60 0 0 0 Abbots Bromley than There is more to MIKE COPE CHOSEN BY… 08 u Distance: 5¼ miles /8.6 km u km /8.6 miles 5¼ Distance: 2 4

ABBOTS BROMLEY STAFFORDSHIRE

6 1 views of Rugeley power station Look back for outstanding keeping to LH edge of field. ends. Ascend inclined slope, two fields with stiles at both at bottom of next field. Cross continue to footbridge and stile aiming for gap in hedge and Veer half L across sloping field, Staffordshire Way (SW) arrow. swing gate to follow yellow then L through a galvanized estate). At end, zig zag R and along Swan Lane (a residential school, then take the next right right up Schoolhouse Lane past (behind The Crown pub), bear whatever the weather. undertaken in all seasons, along field paths can be GR ADIENT PROFILE From the village car park Start 8

Time: 2½ hours u hours 2½ Time: 10 12

Grade: Easy

MIKE COPE MIKE PHOTO: on L then keep to RH edge of go straight across. Cross stile when you meet a tarred lane, track (near farm buildings) and field. Continue along hedged field corner) and traverse next stiles in quick succession (near and . Climb two 14 ROUTE Landranger 128 Maps OS Explorer 244; Bus 403 from Public Public Abbots Bromley & The Goats Head, both Refreshments The Crown Nearest PLANNING Stiles 13 contain cattle Some of the fields may and quiet country lanes. Is it for me? Field paths 3BT, grid ref SK081246 Abbots Bromley, WS15 behind Crown pub, Start/parking Car park PLAN YOUR WALK YOUR PLAN transport toilets None 16 town Rugeley

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MIDLANDS DATE WALKED TIME TAKEN YOUR RATING

© Country Walking June 2018

JUNE 2018 START 1 IN ASSOCIATION WITH OS MAPS OS lfto.com/cwroutes 2 OS MAPS ONLINE: VIEW ON THE WALK woods and park-like pasture. pasture. and park-like woods Turn the brook. Don’t cross Inn when you Lenchford L to Road. Stourport meet 4 3

uphill to St Mary’s Church. Pass Pass Church. Mary’s St uphill to Church to churchyard through path second R. Take Turn Lane. going Farm, Church on L, after field to diagonally R across L, then Turn Lane. Nutcross Nutcross R, by next take along field edge, Walk Cottage. to and down woodland into above L on path Turn junction. Holt Mill, Pass Brook. Shrawley R, branching paths ignore R to and fork junction climb to through Brook Shrawley follow ©CROWN COPYRIGHT 2018 ORDNANCE SURVEY. MEDIA 007/18 MEDIA SURVEY. ORDNANCE 2018 COPYRIGHT ©CROWN

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WORCESTERSHIRE SHRAWLEY 4¼ miles/7km Take path on R, going path Take 3 miles/5km Turn second L then fork R, L then fork second Turn 1½ miles/2.5km Turn R, soon reaching R, soon reaching Turn OS Explorer map 204 u 2 3 4 waymarked junction. Onward Onward junction. waymarked on, but first is straight route see wild the knoll to explore and conifers giant flowers, and Millennium Oaks ‘John’ path, to ‘Mary’. Returning and Severn River to proceed Shrawley close to turn L. Keep enters when path Wood Dick to Continue meadows. Shrawley to stile cross Brook, above path and take Wood climbs path Eventually, brook. then bends L. brook from away reach on to straight Keep junction. hill-top complex descending to woodland edge. woodland to descending Inn; R if visiting New Turn wood. turn L into otherwise, which soon enters L on path parkland. Go diagonally L park then eventually across then into woodland, back into are paths three where pasture, middle one Take waymarked. road to ahead, walk straight and turn L. Go straight on at junction, by by junction, on at Go straight then ignore edge, woodland going R andfield-edge path going R. path bulldozed faint on R, a grassy path next Take a clearing. one leading to along L edge to Proceed R by Turn cross-path. next At edge. woodland fork junction waymarked u 07

MIDLANDS ✁ DATE WALKED TIME TAKEN YOUR RATING

© Country Walking June 2018 JUNE 2018 3

IN ASSOCIATION WITH OS MAPS OS 4¾ miles/7.5km gain the road, to stile Cross lfto.com/cwroutes OS MAPS ONLINE: 2 VIEW ON THE WALK go L along hedgeline up rising and continue Climb stile path. track. along farm 5 which plunges downhill before before which plunges downhill rising again on the outskirts of Pass village. Abbots Bromley going Lane and keep Swan the car park reach you until began. the walk where 4

5 START 1 3¾ miles/6km 3¾ miles/6km enter (to stiles two Cross

and exit woodland) and woodland) and exit is of hill. This crest to continue look back and to a fine place passed you spot locations (Moors earlier on the walk the wind turbine , Farm, of the lager brewery). stills Go through gap in hedge and Go through Bear side. on opposite continue and keep field corner L at you until 150 metres) going (for Go half find a gap in the hedge. end of field aiming for R across it, reach you When hedgeline. 4 routes you’ve ever walked. walked. ever you’ve routes the reach you going until Keep then bear right field corner, Way along the Staffordshire copse. towards ©CROWN COPYRIGHT 2018 ORDNANCE SURVEY. MEDIA 007/18 MEDIA SURVEY. ORDNANCE 2018 COPYRIGHT ©CROWN

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STAFFORDSHIRE BROMLEY ABBOTS 2½ miles/4km Lodge near Park Climb stile 1¼ miles/1.9km Bear L along arrow-straight OS Explorer map 244 u u sloping field. Climb stile andsloping field. Climb stile hedgeline follow to bear right and tarred stile km) to 0.35 (for this field may Be aware, lane. cattle. contain 2 3 lane that climbs uphill past lane that going over Keep Farm. Moors cattle of hill and across brow house white grid, aiming for in the distance. Just before before Just in the distance. zig zag R and gate, entrance hedgeline past follow then L to house on L. pit on R and white field across direction Maintain a small reach and when you through path follow copse, wind turbine. white arge it, which drops down to to down it, which drops then rises up over footbridge, path follow to Go R here stile. edge of around curves that see l R to field. Look large and bear L along tarred drive. drive. and bear L along tarred as it route tree-lined Follow and dips under powerlines Go a small rise. ascends and past farmyard through (with lager brewery Freedom steel stainless its glistening for going downhill Keep stills). then bear a further 150 metres ditch follow to the bottom L at in come If you and hedgeline. the fields around April or May, as of colour, will be a blaze with usually sown are they Pick a fine oil seed rape. yellow and this might in early May day colourful be one of the most 08

MIDLANDS