Catrom two

Verified Slow Way

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This has the potential to be a really nice walk. It's direct and is as off road as it can but the main problem is with delinquent landowners who have left stiles to rot and break apart. There are a few unavoidable sections which require road walking, but despite the speed of the road, there are verges and sightlines are good. The Romsley end was undoubtedly the most enjoyable end. The occasional views from Romsley Hill across Worcestershire to the south, across the south of Birmingham to the city centre and the views across the towns of the Black Country were really rather something. The nature of some of the stiles make it difficult for anyone, this route scores lowly for accessibility. Links to public transport are poor apart from in Catshill.

Poor stiles, a failure to reinstate across plough, traffic noise from the motorway but there are also some good bits especially the excellent views on the approach to Romsley.

I walked from Catshill, the meeting place may be better located if a local can offer a suggestion. The exit is along the roadside pavement passing the eroding red sandstone church. Into the fields over a barrier for traffic safety but pedestrain inconvenience. The field has a good wide grass headland but no reinstatement of the two paths that cross the field.

A mix of poor stiles and some gates, a bit of quiet road then back in the fields before passing the blue painted Wildmoor Oak Inn. The crossing of Sandy Lane (A491) was perhaps hampered by the road works creating slow moving and blocks of traffic. The potential short cut 'Other Route with Public Access' (ORPA) failed to live up to its name and was totally overgrown.

Money Lane was quite busy, it had a verge but this did involve criss crossing to the best on offer. Approaching the second motorway crossing there is an attractive clump of trees on a hill which suggests an ancient burial mound. The subway under the noisy road reminded me of my grandfather's air raid shelter which was later recycled into a coal store.

The next path was again across pleasant pasture which had a temporary stream through it. The stile onto the bridleway lane needs two through steps, I wonder how easy it is to make reports to Worcestershire?

A final crossing of the M5 brings us to the palatial home of Raj Gill who through his string of company appointments has clearly made a packet. There could have been a rest stop here but it's now 'The Old Inn'.

A climb offers distant views to the south west across the Severn valley beyond the white painted Bourne Castle. The water tower and mast confirm the high point of Romsley Hill but what is the large building? Google suggests Calztec who do office fit outs and refurbishments.

Almost there and it might be tempting to take the road but that would miss the very best of this walk. A ridge walk at nearly 900 feet above sea level offers stunning westward views and occasional opening for the West Midlands conurbation to the east.

Walked from Catshill to Romsley. A bit of a mixed bag. Some of the field paths are little used, the field by the M5 has been ploughed without reinstating the right of way lines and there is one place where a damaged stile means a tricky upward step onto a fence is required, but it is direct, the landscape is pleasant and the views from Romsley Hill are very good.

From the war memorial in Catshill, we follow the pavement over the M5 bridge, then take the path right (we have to cross a crash barrier) into the field. When we walked it the field was ploughed across the rights of way, so we opted to stay on the wide grassy edges. The path down from here has a couple of stiles, and when I walked it last year it was necessary to walk around the lower field to avoid crop trampling - no such problem yesterday. We go sharp left at the farm then right to cross fields to reach Mill Lane, which we follow right round the corner then take the path straight on by the stream. My original plan was to use the shortcut path across the fields to the left, but the state of the stiles and lack of use meant I couldn't recommend that, so this route stays on the lane (which has the additional benefit of passing a pub).

At the A491 (Sandy Lane) we cross and follow the verge right (the old lane straight on is too overgrown to be useable). We turn left and follow Money Lane (the verges are walkable but not always comfortably, but the road is wide and quiet enough to make walking on the edges reasonably safe too. We turn right onto Malthouse Lane then take the farm road under the M5. The field path is a little further right than the map suggests, and is rather wet in places. At the top we meet the lane and return to CATROM1 - this is where the awkward stile is (picture 9).

The lane (part holloway, part stream) takes us to a farm, where a surfaced lane left leads us to the final M5 crossing. We then turn right onto the main road (walkable verges/partly surfaced pavements on both sides) and take the path that heads up the hill. At the top we follow the lanes around to an open green area with benches (there are places with neither verges nor pavements but the road is fairly quiet. We then take the field path that goes over the north top of Romsley Hill, for me the highlight of the walk, with fine views in several directions, though not at the same time. We go steeply down over a stile and across a field, then walk down the road to the Romsley meeting point.

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