Codpen two

Verified Slow Way

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Walked from Codsall to Penkridge. An interesting and varied route. The Staffordshire Way section is 5* - I have walked it before but not recently. From Brewood eastwards the paths are less well used and maintained. I took a look at the horse pasture David mentions but retreated and chose to use the farm drive instead. Some field paths without clear marked lines. From CratefordRoad onwards going is easy, so overall I think 4 stars and a snail is fair.

From Codsall to the canal at Brewood the route is entirely on the Staffordshire Way, which is easy to follow but has a few steps and stiles. Beyond Codsall all of the road sections are quiet apart from Port Lane which has a walkable verge. There was one gate that I had to climb because the sheep farmer had tied a temporary looking electric fence securely around the gate mechanism, probably to stop the young lambs escaping.

The Staffordshire Way leaves us to head north along the Shropshire Union canal, and we stay on the lane and follow streets out to the east side of Brewood. The first field path crosses a pasture, and the arable field beyond was ploughed, with no obvious sign of the path. Fortunately the stile at the far side was clearly visible. The lane beyond (Tinkers Lane) is surprisingly busy, the worst bit of road walking on the route.

From the junction of Somerford Lane and Tinkers Lane, a dilapidated stile takes us into a field subdivided into horse pastures, where there was no sign of any path infrastructure or any sign of a gap, stile or hurdle in the fences, so I retreated and used the farm drive slightly further north instead, passing a group of locals who ignored me rather than questioning what I was doing, so I suspect that most local walkers now use the drive. The drive leads into a yard, where the path continues to the left of the house over a couple of bridges.

The path across to Crateford Lane is visible enough to follow, and the lane itself is quiet . There are pelican crossings over the busy A449, and we go straight on along the pavement on what is now the access road to an industrial estate beyond the railway and mostly beyond the canal. We head left onto the Staffs & Worcs canal, which takes us most of the way into Penkridge. This towpath is unsurfaced and a little muddy in places, but the wetter mud was entirely avoidable. Just beyond a footbridge we turn left up to Francis Green Lane, and follow pavements to the meeting point.

A nice variety of towpath, lane and field. Safe, and thanks to it running along the Staffordshire Way mostly well signposted. There was a small section in Somerford where the local landowner keeps you guessing which route to take around their horses but that was an exception. The only section I might have changed would be in Brewood, where it stops following the Staffordshire Way. Had it continued it might have picked up some stops and shops, which this route lacks. Overall reasonably safe, direct and easy to follow.

We walked from Penkridge after a lot of rain which introduced an element of “fun” to this walk! The first four miles were nice and easy along the towpath of the Staffs & Worcs Canal, although the path was very muddy! There had been a bridge strike just as we reached the section alongside the motorway (Bridge 81 Otherton Lane) but this will no doubt be repaired shortly.
We had some problems between the A449 and Brewood. The road at OS Grid Ref: SJ 90391 09312 was completely flooded, but we managed to edge along the embankment and stay dry. (The rain put paid to that a bit later!!) Crossing the very full River Penk was dramatic but safe, but after passing the farm buildings we had to negotiate several small fields enclosed by electric fencing, with horses in them (OS Grid Ref: SJ 89510 08919). It was also poorly signposted here. We managed to get through safely but it wasn’t easy, and if I’d been on my own, I would have used the roads over Somerford Bridge, just to the north.
From Brewood, the going became a lot easier, with good field paths and lanes. There was a very short stretch of road at OS Grid Ref: SJ 87709 05948 where the traffic was very fast, but we had a wide verge.
Codsall had a good number of shops, pubs and cafés, as did Penkridge. Both had railway stations, although on different lines. Brewood, not far from the middle, also had facilities.
In dry weather, I think this would be a very pleasant walk, but the electric fence section really knocked off a star or two for me.

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