4¾ mile Circular Walk from Berkswell

Enjoy a walk on part of the MILLENNIUM WAY.  Almost half of this delightful walk uses a section of the long distance trail known as the MILLENNIUM WAY (clearly waymarked with the distinctive black Millennium Way circular waymarkers.)

by Peter Travis - millennium_way@hotmail.com

 

Starting from the car park in Lavender Hall Lane turn right out of the car park then up Church Lane towards the attractive 12^th century Norman church of St.John the Baptist. The village of Berkswell takes its name from Bercul, a Saxon landowner and the 16 ft square stone-walled well on the left near to the church is said to have been used for baptisms by immersion.

Continue ahead through the churchyard to a gate, then through a small wood and on to a long section of boarded walkway through a field, with views of Berkswell Hall ( built c.1815 ) to your right. Cross the bridge over a stream, continue to a kissing gate and turn immediately right, to join the  Millennium Way with it's distinctive black and white waymark signs. Pass through a small wood to follow the well defined path up the field heading for corner kissing gate at edge of wood. You have lovely views of the lake & hall to your right.

Go through a kissing gate at the corner of the field into a small wood, continuing through fields keeping the hedge to your right, the path soon arriving at the edge of a pine forest. Continue ahead to take the kissing gate, then turn right and follow edge of field with hedge to your right for 200 paces to take another kissing gate into the wood. Turn left along edge of wood keeping to right of pond. Continue ahead along the attractive woodland path and over wooden stile keeping hedge to left.

As path approaches the farm turn right at gatepost and go with high broken hedge on left. Head gently downhill and go through kissing gate in corner of field, and ahead crossing bridge over stream and then through metal gate. Head across field towards stile. Go over stile, bear left along path at edge of field then turn right at road. Continue along surfaced road with high bank on left due to quarry workings. After approximately half a mile, during which the surfaced track changes direction a couple of times, you will come to stile on your left before farm house (Park Farm). Ignore this stile as this is the point where you leave the Millenium Way. Instead, continue ahead on the surfaced track, past Park Farm until you reach a road junction.

At this junction take a kissing gate in the right hedge. Go ahead across the field to a gap in the hedge. Go through the gap and continue straight ahead across the field taking the stile in the far left corner. Keep ahead with hedge right crossing over next stile then through a metal gate to reach the road.

 Turn right onto road and after a few paces proceed through kissing gate on the left, continuing directly across field to pass under power cables in far corner, then crossing stile to turn left, keeping to the edge of field with hedge left, ignore kissing gate in first corner but continue around field edge, skirting wooded island with a pond, up the field to top left corner, then right for about 50 paces and take a hedge gap left. Then go right with hedge right to pass under power lines. Continue ahead to gap in hedge turning left, keeping hedge left, along edge of field. Keeping to the left of a small lake go through wooden kissing gate and continue ahead over small wooden bridge turning sharp right and following hedge to turn right through kissing gate to join the Heart of England Way.

Continue along the track past Blind Hall Farm until you reach the main road, turning left for approx 300yds. Just before the houses take the footpath on the opposite side of the road, through both kissing gates then turning left along track and eventually reaching Berkswell Church. Turning left along Church Lane will bring you back to the Car Park.

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.