Solhen one

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I walked this route on Monday 23rd October. This was following a patch of very wet weather, therefore much of the route across the fields was very muddy and slippery.

We started from Box Trees Lane in Dorridge, Solihull. This is quite a long road with fast traffic going well over 40mph. There is no pavement on either side, therefore every time a car comes along you must step onto the bank of long grass (See photo 1). There were some points when I couldn't see around the corners and therefore it was dangerous to cross the road. This was by far the most treacherous portion of the walk.

We left Box Trees Lane via a public footpath sign stating that Hockley Heath was 3/4 miles away. Unfortunately, the sign has come away from its footing and it was leaning on a gate, however; luckily it was still pointing in the right direction. (See photo 2). This led across several muddy fields; however, it was very scenic and away from the noise of main road (See photo 3). Sometimes it was difficult to spot the signposts and therefore we did go off track a couple of times however it was easy to cut across some gaps in the hedges and shrubs to get back on course.

This then brings you onto the Stratford Road in Hockley Heath. This is a main road with a proper footpath on both sides. After walking along the main road, we came to a War Memorial (See photo 4) which is next to the Wharf Tavern pub. From here it was difficult to see how to get down to the canal towpath as the route was not clear. Eventually we walked around the Tavern pub which backs onto the canal. We then had a lovely walk along the canal enjoying the scenery and the barges (See photo 5). After crossing the canal via a footbridge, we then followed the route by the public footpath signage and stiles which led into fields. After walking a short distance, we came to a gate, however there were cows blocking the entrance to the public footpath (See photo 6). Not fancying our chances with the cattle, we opted to find another way through to bypass this particular field. This involved finding a suitable gap in the hedges and fencing for us to get through which was not very easy. Once on the other side we had to negotiate a very muddy entrance to another field (See photo 7).

The walk then led us into the quiet and picturesque village of Lapworth. The route brought us out directly in front of the church which is a lovely sight (Photo 8).
After spending a bit of time walking around the church we continued with our journey.
The next public footpath sign was quite difficult to find as its out of sight, down a driveway past some very nice houses (See photo 9). We almost felt like we were trespassing onto private property as the route took us down what looked like a private road (See photo 10). This road leads to a footbridge over the M40 motorway. At the bottom of this road the signage wasn't not particularly clear, however we could hear the noise from the motorway, therefore we were able to find the bridge quite easily.

Once on the other side of the motorway, the route took us across several fields using public footpath signposts, turnstiles, and gates. Not very easy to walk through due to the recent weather and overgrowth of the ground, albeit is still very scenic (See photo 11). We eventually got to a country lane which made it easier to walk. This was a quiet road, we only saw one or two cars, however parts of the road were uphill which was not particularly pleasant as we had been walking for long time at this point. This is a good spot for bird watching as we saw some pheasants and other country birds in this area.

We eventually came out at Buckley Green when we decided to go off route and take a short cut through some fields which led directly to the high street in Henley in Arden.

This was a very long walk which took approximately 5 hours to complete and that’s with a short cut at the end. It is a rural walk as most of it is over fields.
I would not recommend it following a bout of wet weather as it did make it more difficult.

However, it was enjoyable and felt like an achievement when we eventually reached Henley in Arden.

If you’re walking with a dog, there are parts of the walk where he/she would need to be on a lead due to livestock roaming around. Also, there are parts of the walk around Lapworth where the signage clearly states that dogs much be kept on a lead.

I completed this route northwards from Henley today. A varied walk which was taken during a bright day with showery spells. As such there was a large amount of mud particularly on the section towards Hockley Heath, and a couple of places (detailed below) where slight diversions were required. The were considerable amounts of road walking, with one section on a small verge along a busy road with no footpath, leading me to give this route just three stars. On the whole I did enjoy it though.

Leaving Henley, you climb and traverse (photo 1) the earthwork remains of the old motte and bailey Beaudesert Castle, which allows superb views of the surrounding area from the top. The route follows the Millenium Way path and shortly brought us to our first obstacle at the point where the path meets Edge Lane. Here we found the route impassable due to it being flooded (photo 2) which seemed strange being as it's on the ridge of the escarpment. Fortunately, there is an alternative route which we took to avoid getting wet feet, and this is marked on my third photo with a blue annotated arrow. If it has been raining recently, I strongly advise taking this slight diversionary route to avoid flooded paths.

The route then descends into Buckley Green, before heading back up and over the escarpment and eventually onto Irelands Lane (photo 5). The Lane is followed for approx. 1 mile before leaving the tarmac for a footpath to the left. As you walk along this path, just to the north of Windmill Farm, the path splits. The marked route (green line on photo 7) was not possible when we did the route with a farmer explaing he had to temporarily close the route. Fortunately there is an easy diversion (blue annotated arrows on photo 7) which can be taken to reach the footbridge by the Ford (photo 8), if the route is still blocked when you do the walk.

The route then takes you towards another footbridge (photo 9) before arriving at the large footbridge which takes you over the M40 (photo 10). The route then takes you through the small village of Lapworth, before eventually arriving at the old drawbridge on the Stratford-upon-Avon Canal. Here the route follows the towpath for approx. 1 mile before arriving at Hockley Heath, where there are several options for refreshments.

You leave Hockley Heath after approx. ½ mile of walking along the busy Stratford Road via a footpath which takes you to Box Trees Road. This section along the busy Box Trees Road road to Dorridge (photo 12) is particularly dicey as the verge gets very narrow in places. We ended up having to cross the road several times to get the safer verge to walk along, and at times the fast flowing traffic is just a few feet away from you, so caution is advised here. Eventually the route takes you onto a footpath which heads to a footbridge over the M42 (photo 13), and then to another footbridge over the River Blythe (photo 14). This footbridge over the river has clearly seen better days, but still seemed stable enough to use. The route eventually takes you to the Widney Manor Road, where you walk mainly along roads with the odd alleyway towards Solihull rail station.

There are a good amount of steps, footbridges, stiles and gates to negotiate on this route, but I would say by far the riskiest section is the Box Trees Road verge walking mentioned above. It probably is the best route between the two towns, as I have looked to see if there could be an advantageous route elsewhere. I did look at Solhen two, but felt the slight difference given in that route wasn't worth taking it. However, in hindsight the slight difference does remove the riskiness of the narrow verge walking along Box Trees Road, and with the benefit of this knowledge I would perhaps recommend Solhen two instead. All that said, this route is doable, albeit a bit hairy, and overall I can recommend it.

The first 5 miles, from Solihull to Hockley Heath is mainly along roads, with just two sections across fields. The route out of Hockley Heath is along approximately 1 mile of canal towpath with the rest being mostly signposted along field paths and quiet country lanes. There are several sets of steps and a few short, steep ascents and descents rewarded with some charming views across pastureland. There is a variety of places for refreshments on reaching Henley in Arden.
Between Widney Manor and Bentley Heath, the river Blythe crossing looks prone to flooding following very heavy rain. After walking 3.5 miles from Solihull, there is 0.75 miles of dangerous road walking due to narrow, uneven roadside verges and fast traffic. Great care needed. An alternative, slightly longer, route will be found on Solhen 2. The entrance to the footpath leaving the road below Lapworth Church is not signposted and could easily be missed.

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