Hagcat two

Verified Slow Way

Verified by 100.00% of reviewers

A very pleasant walk of two halves. The first part from Catshill to Belbroughton was mostly off road, whilst from Belbroughton to Hagley was mostly on quiet country or suburban roads.

We completed the route in just over four hours, taking a very leisurely pace to accommodate our 7-year old.

We walked the route at the end of April after a very wet spring. The off road section was mostly firm going, with just a couple of brief muddy sections around the Pepper woods. Some parts of the path were a little overgrown, but still easily passable.

Beware that there is one small footbridge that is signposted as closed in the Pepper woods section. As there was no obvious alternative path, we crossed it anyway, taking care to avoid the couple of planks that are broken.

The route was quite easy to follow. The only points where I was uncertain of direction were around Hurst farm. Footpath signs were lacking in the fields leading up to this.

There are Co-op stores at either end of the route, and a Morrisons local in the middle at Belbroughton, and also various eating options.

This is a generally pleasant walk with some rewarding views in places across to the Malvern, Clent and Clee Hills. There are some trickier stretches, particularly when skirting the perimeter of Pepper Wood where the path is quite narrow between the boundary wire fencing and the undergrowth of the woodland edges. The shade of the trees meant that this stretch was damp underfoot and probably is aways this way.. I did the walk starting from Catshill to Hagley and, apart from a steep climb up steps shortly after leaving Catshill the stretch up to Pepper Wood is a very pleasant mix of field paths and lanes. This is the case beyond Pepper Wood too. Belbroughton is a halfway point and has a shop/Post Office, two pubs and The Deli which also serves light lunches, drink, cakes etc. There is also a 2 hourly bus linking either back to Catshill and on to Bromsgrove or on to Hagley and Stourbridge. Beyond Belbroughton the route follows a road with pavement to Holy Cross then across a recreation ground, then along paths and lanes.to the outskirts of Hagley where the route follows pavements into the High Street and finally across a sports field to the station. Hagley has transport connections via train or bus to Kidderminster, Stourbridge, Halesowen and Birmingham. Hagley also has ample refreshment places and shops. Altogether a very enjoyable walk.

I really enjoyable and well paced slow way. The start from Catshill is quite brutal. A set of steps lead you up a steep footpath towards the M5/M42 junction. Prior to crossing the M5 using a footbridge there is a marvellous view back across Catshill, so there is a reward. The route from the other side of the motorway is a series of footpaths through fields, crossing the occasional lane on the way. It undulates gently, but it does undulate a lot, and combined with some overgrown paths and poorly marked sections progress can feel slow. The section around Pepper Wood was particularly bad, the path had clearly been rerouted, possibly because the original had collapsed into the stream. Having got to the edge of the woods we found that we followed a firmly trodden path leading to a broken down fence only to discover the actual, badly overgrown path was fenced in. More of an issue for those heading in our direction, as opposed to those starting in Hagley. The climbs and descents do make for some great views at times, including to the Malvern Hills. We were pleased to reach Belbroughton and have a snack and a coffee at the Deli. There are also two pubs and a shop in the village. The walk from Belbroughton is quite different, following pavements, quiet lanes, farm tracks and crossing the occasional playing field. We stopped for a celebratory pint of Batham's at the King Arthur before cutting through the park to the meeting point at the railway station. The route is direct, safe, with no difficult road crossings and lane walking along quiet open lanes with verges. There are some great landscapes and wildlife aplenty. It was mostly easy to follow, although some bits needed some figuring out due to the poor repair of the infrastructure. Pepper Wood was a challenge in this respect, but it did reward us with the sight and sound of a green woodpecker. It has stiles and steps. I'd definitely walk it again but wonder if a better maintained version of the walk is out there.

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