Brolon one

Verified Slow Way

Verified by 100.00% of reviewers

Walked this from Longbridge to Bromsgrove. A very pleasant walk, if a bit too urban at the start and finish, but that can be avoided with careful parking. Not being locals it was good to find pastoral country so close to the main conurbation. well recommended.

This is a lovely enjoyable walk between Bromsgrove and Longbridge which goes through fields, villages and some urban walking. It takes note of the Slow Ways guideline to go round hills rather than over them, and to go near railway stations and seek out refreshments - hence the less obvious routing round the side of the Lickeys through Barnt Green, instead of over the top.

Some of the road crossings need care, and there are two places where the route wasn't totally clear, but not to the point of causing unpleasant disruption.
I also think the route could be simplified by staying on Linthurst Road and not dropping down to Billy Lane, and I would now take a different approach to Longbridge all the way across Cofton Park and up Lickey Road.

Route line could be more accurately drawn: where it goes into/comes out of Cofton Park and crosses Groveley Lane. From Bromsgrove direction the route is best if it crosses straight from Chestnut Drive into Cofton Park, there is a little gap in the woods visible (penultimate photo). BUT on no account should this be tried if you are coming from Longbridge as its on a blind bend - come out of Cofton Park earlier and cross where its safe (I came up through the woods behind the bus stop, that seemed to work (last photo is of bus stop from the front)).
I had a bit of an adventure on the footpath between Old Burcot Lane and Alcester Road. It's not much used and was quite overgrown, and disappears completely in the meadow bottoms, which is a bit of a damp almost-stream area. So wear long trousers (nettles, I wore a skirt, big mistake) and waterproof boots and maybe even a walking pole will come in handy, and be prepared to search around for the path in the general direction you want to head. But it is a charming meadow and feels a million miles from Birmingham and big farming. (first photo)
I found the Barnt Green Inn, which is half way, was very convenient when it was raining, and also it is near a bus stop which has occasional buses between Bromsgrove and Longbridge (but not on Sundays).

Accessibility - steps, stiles, awkward narrow paths. The bridge over the railway had 56 steps up.
4 stars cos although its a lovely route in many ways I can see scope for improvement!.

I did this walk on a very hot day and was expecting it to be a very urban pavement slog for much of the route. It turned out, however, to be a delightful walk through mixed countryside - meadows, woodland , fields and only became truly urban for the last couple of miles or so. The route was easy to follow except that you need to pay attention at two points - firstly, where the footpath crosses Burcott Lane the steps down to the road are easily m missed and secondly, after passing Cofton Lake and joining the road, the footpath is pretty well directly opposite. A very pleasant walk.

We set off from the meeting spot at Bromsgrove in blazing hot sun. The first section was very easy to follow through quiet residential streets and then a footpath delivered us to the edge of town. Crossing the A38 required patience but did not take too long. The next section follows a path through a meadow parallel to Burcot Lane. We managed to miss the side path to cross it (the entrance is a little overgrown) but were able to retrace our steps. More meadow walking and then a crossing of Alcester Road before a series of clearly marked paths around fields leads to woodland on Green Hill. The path through the cool woods is clear and there is a bit of a climb bringing you out in the village of Linthurst. A bridge takes you over the M42. The roads at the edge of Barnt Green are quiet and some of the route goes via Billy Lane. We had wondered why the route didn't then cut left on to the trail to take you through Pinfield Woods towards Lickey Hills. Instead it turns right, where there is a pub which does food which answered the question. It's worth noting that the cricket club was offering an open bar at the weekend too. At the other end of Barnt Green we passed a picnic area which was a good spot for lunch. Carrying on north the route turns left for another ascent before crossing a railway bridge and then another climb to Cofton Hackett. Having passed the reservoir we passed our first houses for a while. The only other slightly tricky bit to read from the map was that when leaving Chestnut Drive you should cross straight ahead into Cofton Park rather than following the road right. The route cuts across a corner of the park and emerges at the site of the old car factory, where modern houses are being built. Another walk up a hill and an alleyway into an estate delivers you into the only urban section of the walk. The route is very straight from there and emerges near a shopping centre over the road from Longbridge Railway Station. With this Slow Way we expected edgelands and maybe some pavement pounding besides a-roads. Instead it delivered a superb walk through some gorgeous countryside. Direct, beautiful, and (mostly) easy to follow. Full marks!.

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