Shelic three

Verified Slow Way

Verified by 75.00% of reviewers

OK between Shenstone and Chesterfield.

An urgent request goes out to complete a Slow Way, this needs immediate action, call for Wonder Walker. A six thirty start, three buses and Kinetic Ken is in Lichfield before 9am to look at Shelic.

Three routes with reviews but which one to go for? It's only four miles so I devise a route that covers all the options.

Shelic-3

The meeting place at Shenstone while having no seats etc it does serve both platforms at the station. I didn't seek out a better location, visit the town centre or try the two inns which are close by.

A good escape through a green park of some sort then over the clear running stream with a piece of art in the water. Those worn stone steps up to the railway bridge must have been there a while. It looks like most path users continue along the track but the Slow Way heads north so keep a close eye on the plot. Then a field of carrots and no sign of the path.

Farmers are quick to complain about inconsiderate dog owners allowing their pets to stray from the path or moan about illegal fly tipping in their gateways. But is the pot calling the kettle black. Footpath are public highways the only difference between them and roads is the limitation for users to be on foot not in a vehicle. The Highway Act 1980 is clear, section 134 subsection (3) requires the occupier to make good the surface of the path and indicate the line of the path on the ground. Section 137A (1) (b) requires the occupier to prevent the crop from encroaching on any relevant highway. The penalty for non compliance is a fine not exceeding level 3 (£1,000).

The section of Claypit Lane used by Shelic-3 has mown verges so this route avoids the less desirable narrow bendy section. The grassy footpath across to Birmingham Road is the very best part of all three routes. I actually walked it in both directions because of my route to cover all options. The current view into the city looks likely to be blighted or blocked by the marching housing development so enjoy it while you can. Even with my long legs I struggled with the tall fence and low footstool stile so another report via Peak and Northern Footpaths Society website.

While there is less roadside walking it's still unnerving to have traffic approaching from behind, it may be more comfortable when walking towards it. The roads are busy all the way to the meeting point unlike Shelic-1 which offers a less direct but more enjoyable route.

Yes the best on offer but again spoilt by Birmingham Road and the inconsiderate farmer so unfairly Slow Ways loses a star.

I walked this one from Lichfield to Shenstone, and unlike Ken I used the train to get there and started a little later. I just about agree that this is the best of the three SHELIC routes, though I had no real problems with SHELIC 1, perhaps because I did that one at a time of day when Claypit Lane was quiet.

The route out of Lichfield is easy to follow, direct and rather dull. The A5127 has a nice wide pavement as far as the new housing estate, but beyond that it is a little too narrow to be comfortable, and probably not wide enough for a wheelchair or buggy.

The path across to Claypit Lane is fairly easy to follow - the only slight doubt is how far left to go once the access road for Harehurst Hill is left, but since the answer is the first available gap it is easily resolved. Just beyond the house there is a stile that felt a little unsteady and was too close to a holly tree for my comfort, but once past that the lane is easily reached over another stile.

When I did SHELIC 1 in the other direction a few weeks ago, I failed to find the field path south of the motorway. This time I found the start of it and managed to get past Chesterfield more or less on it, but the only non-trampling line I could find across a vegetable field took me south and left me within easy reach of the lane, so I used that rather than finding the correct way out of the field round the edge. At the south end of this right of way (I hesitate to call it a path) the crop has now been cut but there is still no clear path line.

The remainder of the route into Shenstone is as per SHELIC 1 - the minor obstacles are the steps down from the railway bridge and a small step onto a bridge over a stream (and the steps down to the station if you follow the route literally and don't use the access road).

Overall I have no problems giving this route the thumbs up that gains it snail status and a place om the Birmingham-Sheffield link.

Setting off from Shenstone Station you pass a couple of pubs and a cafe before a series of alleyways take you through to a green space. A set of steps are required to get up to the bridge to cross a small stream and beyond there is fields. There are more steps up to the bridge over the railway. Once crossed, the footpath crosses a couple of fields. On previous occasions, walking in different seasons, this crossing was easier and the way marked by finger post. The signage at the motorway bridge end now seems non-existent and I had to walk around a field of carrots but this was not a major diversion and the lack of signage when I'd walked this route north-south had not resulted in me getting lost. You then join Ashcroft Lane which has a pavement to take you under the M6 Toll and A5 prior to losing it as you enter the village of Wall. The name of the lane reverts to Claypit Lane and in the year since I first reviewed this route, it does seem to have got busier. The walk along is actually quite enjoyable in parts but there were a couple of times where I felt slightly vulnerable. Leaving the lane to pick up the footpath over Harehurst Hill was a relief and makes for a much more relaxing walk. The short but gentle ascent affords views back to Shenstone and Brownhills, and ahead to Lichfield. The path is easy to follow, with only one stile by the farmhouse. There were signs that cattle graze here but as I made the descent to Birmingham Road, the "herd" seemed to consist of fewer than 5 cows. At the foot of the hill you join the pavement of Birmingham Road, and this takes you all the way to the meeting point at Lichfield City Railway Station. The first leg is along a fast section of the road, but as increasing amounts of people move into the new estate I wonder how long it will be until the speed limit is reduced. Before the mini roundabout is a Coop Supermarket and there are rumours of a Titanic Bod Cafe Bar opening there too. Beyond the mini roundabout, which I found easy to cross, but might be harder at busier times, the route is through a predominantly residential area of Lichfield although there is a pub "The Duke of Wellington" and just off the road "Trinity Brew" which is a brewery and eatery, open mainly at the weekend. Once passing under the railway bridge you're on the home straight. What this route loses in directness by not following Claypit Lane for longer, it more than makes up for in safety, beauty, enjoyability, links to transport and pubs and shops. By the metrics of Slow Ways it's the best route there is.

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