Our first short walk .............

8 mile Circular Walk from Meriden

Enjoy a walk on the MILLENNIUM WAY. Apart from a one mile section from Benton Green and through the village of Berkswell to the lake at Berkswell Hall, the route is entirely on the MILLENNIUM WAY. The way is clearly waymarked with the distinctive black Millennium Way circular waymarkers.

by Peter Travis - millennium_way@hotmail.com

 

Our walk starts from the mediaeval stone cross situated on the village green in Meriden and which  reputedly marks the centre of England.  Meriden is also the mid point of the 100 mile long distance walking path known as The Millennium Way, a delightful walk which runs from Pershore to Meriden then down to Middleton Cheney. Our circular walk incorporates the two northern sections of the Millennium Way, joined by a short link through the delightful village of Berkswell - enjoy.

From the mediaeval stone cross walk down the road with shops on your L, pass  the Cyclists Memorial (commemorating all the cyclists who gave their lives in the First & Second World Wars ) and at the Bulls Head pub cross the road, and take the driveway opposite into Meriden Hall. At the end of the metal railings take a signed passageway R, then at the end of the passageway take a large kissing gate and go L with hedge L to take a wooden kissing gate adjacent to a metal gate. Go ahead with wall and interesting building to your L. At the end of wall go ahead up the hill to find a mid fence metal gate. Take the gate and go half L across the field corner to take a mid fence stile. Go ahead over the stile to wire fence, and ahead with fence on your R to come to stile leading to road. 

Cross road with care and take kissing gate into field. Go 1/2 L to cross field and find corner kissing gate. Take gate and go R with hedge R to exit field by kissing gate. Go ahead keeping the hedge on your R. Halfway along field look for waymarked gap in the hedge, take the gap and then go L keeping the hedge to your L towards the copse. Here you will have the first view of St Laurence Church.  Continue on with copse to L to find a waymarked grassy exit track. Take the track to gate onto road and go ahead, passing St Laurence Church. Continue on, going past the public footpath sign, for a further 75 yards passing Moat House Farm to find Fentham House on R at road corner. Take the short grassy vehicle track to L of house to find stile by a gate. Cross this stile, to take permissive path, and go 1/2 R across field to exit by far right corner gate.

Go ahead on track keeping hedge on L and fence on R. Continue ahead on a track with hedge L and go through kissing gate on L. Go 1/2 R to cross field to reach a sole waymarker post at edge of Millison's Wood.  Turn your back to wood then go ahead across field to pass to L of lone oak to find wood edge. Go L with wood R to find kissing gate (This apparent doubling back is to ensure public rights of way are followed.) Take kissing gate and enter scrub to take short path to bridge into field. Go R for 25 paces then turn L up field centre to skyline hedge gap. Through gap and continue ahead with hedge on your L. Follow track round past barn on R to road.

Go L on road passing Shirley Lane and then a farm shop, continue under pylons and take kissing gate R opposite Oak Farm. Go  L to top far corner kissing gate. Go through kissing gate and continue down field to far L corner gate. Through gate and continue ahead along short track to take kissing gate to road. Go R and after some 250 paces pass two cottages on L. Face last cottage and take path to R of cottage passing through the rear garden with cottage to the L to reach fence gap exit to find hidden passage. Take passage to reach kissing gate and continue along grassy track with hedge R and far pylons R to reach far corner kissing gate.

Take kissing gate and go L with hedge L to take field corner kissing gate. Go R to hedge gap, continuing ahead under overhead cables to the next hedge gap. Go through gap and continue ahead with hedge L to field corner stile, through collecting paddock and over stile to the road. Here we turn L on the road and after some 40 paces take driveway R. Just before Sunnyview Cottage take the hidden waymarked passage L then over step stile into field and go R for 40 paces to find gate. ( At this point we leave The Millennium Way for a little while.)  With your back to the gate go 1/2 R towards trees and another stile. Cross the stile and continue directly ahead across field towards gap in far hedge. Cross stile and continue directly ahead, to walk past a clump of three trees in the middle of the field. Continue on same heading to find a kissing gate in the field corner, just to the R of the houses which you will see ahead. Take kissing gate then go through a short passageway to the road. Turn L towards the crossroads where you will find the Bear Inn, a delightful old pub in the village of Berkswell ,which dates back to the 16^th century and was used by Cromwells troops in the civil war. 

Go directly over the crossroads into Lavender Hall Lane, then after a few yards turn diagonally R up Church Lane towards the attractive 12^th century Norman church of St. John  Baptist. The village of Berkswell takes its name from Bercul, a Saxon landowner and the 16 ft square stone-walled well near 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 R, waymarked The Millennium Way. Pass through a small wood  and follow the well defined path through the field heading for the corner kissing gate at edge of wood. You have lovely views of the lake & hall to your R.

Go through a kissing gate at the corner of the field into a small wood, then continue around field keeping the hedge to your R, the path soon arriving at the edge of a pine forest. When you reach the wooden kissing gate turn R and follow edge of field with hedge to your R for 200 paces to wooden kissing gate. Turn R through kissing gate into wood. Turn L along edge of wood keeping to R of pond. Continue ahead along attractive woodland path and over wooden stile keeping hedge to L . As path approaches farm turn R at gatepost and go with high broken hedge on L.

Head gently downhill and go through kissing gate in corner of field, then ahead to  cross bridge over stream and through metal gate. Head across field towards stile. Go over stile, bear L along path at edge of field then turn R at road. Continue along surfaced road and after approximately half a mile, during which the surfaced road changes direction a couple of times, come to gate on L just before Park Farm.

Go through gate and take fenced footpath with quarry workings to your L. Stay on path with fence to your L until you reach the road. Turn R onto road and after 50 paces just before house, turn L through  concealed kissing gate along path with quarry workings on L. Continue over footbridge, the path turning R and then L at fence. This part of the path is usually waterlogged. Continue along rising fenced path and at the top go through kissing gate on R. Go diagonally L across field and downhill to metal gate. Cross corner of field to metal gate and wooden bridge.  Go diagonally L up field to furthest corner then through large metal  kissing gate on to road. Go R on road and after some 60 paces take waymarked hedge gap on L and follow path round for 80 paces to find hidden stile R in hedgerow. Take the stile and go down passageway to find road. Go R on road to roundabout then turn R and you have arrived back in Meriden..

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.