Newbed two

Slow Way not verified yet. Verify Newbed here.

I walked this route from New Arley yesterday. After reading the review left for Newbed one which stated difficulty with a section near Bedworth, I thought i'd go with that general route but with the intention of looking for better alternatives. I believe this route is an improvement, but I only give it three stars due to the amount of road walking, as well as some slightly overgrown sections. The overgrown sections might not be so bad if doing the walk at different times of the year. Overall it is a pretty good route.

Leaving New Arley you have to cross the busy Gun Hill road, but you soon leave the small settlement behind and are greeted with fairly good views across to Birmingham City Centre to the west in the distance. When I reached the second half of the path on the way to Wood End, the fields were full of runner beans (photo 4) and tricky to find a route through. I was pleased I had GPS on my phone to confirm where I should be going. One field boundary seemed to have lost it's stiles l (photo 15), meaning you had to step over the fences and this gave me a sense the route here had fell a little out of use.

Upon reaching the busy Park Lane B4102 road (photo 5), there are no pathways meaning you have take care along this section. The route then takes you down Wood End Lane which does offer a short section of path, but not for the full length. It was here I took a diversion away from Newbed one to reduce the amount of road walking. It rejoins Newbed one at High House Farm and Breach Oak Lane, however upon reaching the lane I turned and noted the route wasn't signposted going the other way (photo 7), but the paths were well maintained.

After leaving the Lane, the route then rejoins rural footpaths (photo 9) on what is part of the Coventry Way. Some of these sections were overgrown (photo 10) but nothing too serious to make me turn back. Eventually you reach Astley Lane and then eventually you reach the dismantled railway which I followed all the way through the pretty Sidings Pool to Heath Road.

After crossing Heath Road, the dismantled railway route can be followed further after going through a gap in the fence and following a well trodden path along the old rail route (photo 12). It was here I noticed the overgrown route mentioned in Newbed one as the issue relating to access was still an issue, and made me pleased I picked out this new route. The route takes you under the A444 bypass (photo 13) before then taking you through to the end via a mixture of streets and urban footpaths (photo 14).

I can definitely recommend the route, it has a mixture of stiles, gates, footbridges and the aforementioned fence to negotiate. There are no refreshment stops except for either end, but then again at only 7 miles long that might not be a problem. Looking at the map, there doesn't seem to be a better alternative to suggest, so this does seem better. The useful review left by Marion Frankland in Newbed one is a great example of why Slow Ways is a beneficial cause.

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