Redhen two

Verified Slow Way

Verified by 100.00% of reviewers

I completed this walk yesterday walking eastwards from Redditch, and it should be noted there is more descent than ascent in this direction. Overall it is a good route, but due to the large amount of hard surface under foot (over half the route) as well as a couple of sections which require GPS assistance, this route unfortunately only gets three stars from me. I was close to giving four, it would get three and a half if I could. Full details below.

The route passes a number of shops in Redditch town centre if any supplies are needed, otherwise the route takes you through some underpasses (photos 1 & 2) and pavements to reach the pleasant Arrow Valley Country Park (photos 3 & 4). Leaving the park, the route takes you through one final suburb (Matchborough) before arriving into Mappleborough Green. The Boot Inn is a 5 minute diversion from the route when you reach the A435, and perhaps the only chance for refreshments en route.

The route leaves Mappleborough Green via Haye Lane (photo 6), from which just past the half way point the route finally enters open countryside. On leaving Haye Lane, the route across the fields got a bit muddy (photo 7), and does differ slightly to the path marked on the OS maps. We managed to find our way easily enough but you may well notice a slight change to the mapped path. The route then follows another road, Chesters Green.

As the route gets to Cadborough Farm, footpath gates were chained up which meant you had to climb over them. The farm itself appeared to be derelict which might explain the slight access issues, but climbing the gates wasn't too difficult. The route then takes you across the busy A4189 and round the back of Oldberrow Court. Have to say, I was glad of the GPS on my phone in this section as finding the stile in the hedge (photo 11) wasn't obvious by sight. It was also slightly overgrown, which I can imagine being worse during spring/summer.

Eventually the route comes back out onto the A4189, where a verge provides cover from the traffic. Again, GPS helped find the path off the road and also around the house and garden. I think by reading the previous review, this section towards the Henley Road is where the previous reviewer lost their way. The path across the agricultural field which exits onto the Henley Road was not clear, and the GPS certainly came to the rescue for this section. After crossing the road, the rest of the route to Henley-in-Arden is pretty straightforward.

There are the usual amount of stiles, gates, steps and footbridges you'd expect with a walk of this length. I can recommend the walk which was pleasant and safe enough, but just be aware you may need to refer to the GPS on your device to find the occasional exit from and routes through fields, particularly around Oldberrow.

I walked this from Redditch to Henley on a sunny December afternoon, and enjoyed much of it. Sadly both the state of some stiles and in places the lack of waymarking mean that I can't recommend the route wholeheartedly, and shortage of daylight coupled with location problems on my phone eventually forced me to abandon the route and do the last mile or so on the main road.

Leaving the meeting point by the Redditch bus station, we go north east up Unicorn Hill under the ringway and into Redditch centre. We follow the road, which becomes pedestrianised in Market Place around to the underpass that leads to Ipsley Street, where we turn left, crossing the roundabout and following Bealey Road West, which leads to a couple of underpasses under the Alvechurch Highway and Holloway Drive. We go left to rejoin Bealey Road East. Just before it ends, we take the surfaced track right which goes under Holloway Road into the country park. After crossing the river we take an unsurfaced path right, which is muddy in places. At the next bridge we cross the river again and follow its west bank through to a car park, then take another unsurfaced path that leads under the Warwick Highway. Where this path ends we cross the river again and take the next path right, which is also unsurfaced. Eventually it joins a cycle path where we go left to join another cycle track. We take the right of way across the park towards the car park in the far corner, cross Washford Lane and follow the track beyond under Icknield Street Drive then left and right to follow Breaches Lane. Crossing Matchborough Way we go straight on through a green space between houses and industrial buildings, crossing Claybrook Drive to reach Birmingham Road, where we turn left and cross wherever it is safest (there is no assisted crossing and it can be busy).

We take the second right turn into Haye Lane, which we follow about a kilometer until just beyond a sharp left turn, where a field path continues. Beyond the first field the right of way bears right towards an old bridge, protected by low metal fences with no stiles. OpenStreetMap suggests there is also a newer bridge further east, but I wasn't using that for navigation so I used the old one. Beyond the stream we cross a large open pasture to its far left corner, then cross another field up the hill to emerge via steps onto a lane where we turn right and go straight over a crossroads.

Just before Chester's Green Cottages we join the Arden Way path which goes left up through fields to emerge at Cadborough Farm, which is bypassed on the right. Just before the main road the path crosses to the left side of the farm road. We turn right at the main road and almost immediately cross left into the large open field, where the path is unclear. Avoid the temptation to go too far right and you will see the stile over the first fence, then aim to the left of Oldberrow Court Farm to find the stile. A little further on the path crosses a fence (not much of the stile is left) to join the farm road, which can be followed out to the main road if the path short cut is not obvious. We join the verge of the A4189 until just beyond power lines, then take the signposted path up through the hedge and turn right, crossing two fields and turning left beyond the second stile. The path through the next two fields is not obvious or well marked (I may have lost a diversion here) and eventually I reached a point where I couldn't find the way forward, and because I had less than half an hour of daylight left I decided to cut my losses and return to the main road, which I followed into Henley, so I don't know how good the remaining field paths are.

Walked in February 2022 from Henley-in-Arden to Redditch. It took about 3h30-4h excluding lunch. Overall a pleasant walk. On the Henley side it is mostly open fields with some tracks, sections on country roads and <10m alongside a more major road. The route into Redditch is on paved traffic free routes and through the Arrow Valley country park.

There is a café a short detour from the route around the lake in Redditch. Wayfinding was OK - in some open fields it was easy to loose the path and one path on the map had bee ploughed over (though was still passable around the edge). After some rain parts will be muddy, but not too bad/deep except near one or two gates (ankle deep if you're unlucky).

Varying standards of styles/gates - many well kept and well marked, but a few decaying and wobbly / missing steps.

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