4
mile
Circular Walk - Barston & Balsall Common
by
Peter Travis
A short gentle 4 mile circular walk
from the picturesque village of Barston through the outskirts of
Balsall Common. The opportunity to enjoy quiet open countryside
and the delights of the Warwickshire landscape. During the walk
you travel along a short section of the MILLENNIUM WAY,
clearly waymarked with the distinctive black Millennium Way
circular waymarkers.
Click on this button
to see a
short Photo Video of sights along the way.
Turn left down road out of the Bull's Head car park to find
public footpath on right just past
St.Swithin's
Church. Go through the church gate into churchyard and keeping left of
church. Go ahead to take wooden kissing gate in corner and
continue between fences to then go half left to find wooden
kissing gate in far corner ( ignore gate on your right.
) Continue between hedges to take metal kissing gate to field.
Bear half right to cross field passing solitary clump of trees
in centre of field to take metal gate / kissing gate ahead. Go
along edge of field with hedge and trees left. Continue through
gated gap ahead bearing right to cross footbridge over stream.
Ahead through wooded area to take stile into field then ahead
keeping trees right to take stile in corner. Go immediately left joining
Solihull Trans Link way with bank and trees right to find stile
by gateway. Take stile, cross gateway and further stile to
continue on tree lined path. Take gap and go right on driveway
of isolated house with interesting eyebrow roof feature to road.
Go left on road for some 250 yards to find stile adjacent to
metal gate right. Take stile and after some half a dozen paces
cross stream left, and cross field to field border. Go right
with hedge left around field edge. At field corner go left and
continue with hedge left up field. At top of field go right
(ignore stile to road). Go ahead with hedge left to exit
first field by gap.
Approximately
three quarters of the way along next field find waymark post
left with numerous way mark signs. You now join The
Millennium Way. Go right down field to find bottom left
stile. Take stile and go ahead across field taking mid field
bridge to exit field by stile. Go ahead over two fields with
hedge right to take stile to road. Go left along main road
passing houses right. Just before Ye Olde Saracen's Head pub
turn right into Magpie Lane and after a few paces take metal
kissing gate right and follow path to go with left hand hedge
then through kissing gate to lane. Go left on lane and after
approx 85 paces take stile on right. Go around field edge with
hedge right to come to large open field then go straight across
centre of field to take footbridge and kissing gate ahead.
Continue ahead over field to find a further kissing gate then ahead with short length of hedge left
to hedge stile. Take stile and go ahead with hedge left under
power lines to corner gap.
Here
we have reached a crossroads of paths and will leave The
Millennium Way by taking the stile immediately on your right
to continue along edge of next field with hedge and trees right
to pass under power lines and exit to road via corner stile. Go
left on road for a short distance and then take the footpath
right over stile into large field. Continue ahead across field
and on reaching the waymark post by the River Blythe bear right
keeping the river left. Head towards next waymarker post in
corner and cross footbridge to next field to go quarter right
and exit via mid fence stile. Keep ahead up next field with
hedge left and exit by corner wooden kissing gate back towards
the churchyard. Go to road then turn left back to
The Bull's
Head.
All the
paths, bridleways and roads we have used in these instructions are public rights
of way as designated on Ordnance Survey maps. Following the instructions and
walking tips on this web site in no way constitutes any liability on 41 Club that such routes or
tips are safe or suitable.
