Stocov one

Verified Slow Way

Verified by 100.00% of reviewers

There really is nothing of note in Stoneleigh. The walk (in the direction we travelled) follows the river up to Baginton, past the remains of Bagot's Castle (if the site is open there's a loo and a cafe) and through the churchyard which contains Polish war graves. We took a shortcut along the A46 (beside the allotments, not along the road!) to the new bridge, which is already graffittied. The walk into the city centre becomes more residential as you approach, although there is welcome relief through London Road Cemetary (also worth an explore in it's own right).

I combined this walk with Roysto one to join the two together to get to Leamington Spa.

Considering this walk starts in a fairly big city, the walk is pleasant walking alongside an old graveyard, open common land and some pleasant areas. Once out of the city, it has a very rural feel, and the public footpaths onward from Baginton are a joy.

I would have given this walk five stars, but couldn't help but feel the walk could be enhanced by actually walking through Whitley Common, as opposed to walking alongside it. Perhaps I will come back and redo a different version of the walk through the Whitley Common areas, but this walk is good as it is.

The Old Mill pub in Baginton is now open following a previous review which stated it was closed throughout lockdown, and there is a new footbridge now over the large Stivichall interchange roundabout.

Leaving Coventry, you will find some cobbled streets on the route around the old cathedral. There are definitely more obstacles on the Stoneleigh side of the walk, with numerous kissing gates, and in particular the narrowest part which is a footbridge over the river, close to Stoneleigh.

Overall, a very enjoyable walk with a mix of field-side footpaths, (mostly residential) pavements, and churchyards. The route generally avoids busy roads. Some of the route could be muddy in wet weather.

The route goes past The Old Mill pub and restaurant at around the half-way point, though it's still closed due to Covid restrictions at present. On the Coventry side, the route goes past the Cathedral.

On the Stoneleigh side, there are a about a dozen kissing gates, as well as steps and low barriers which could make cycling the route or using a pushchair etc difficult at best, but otherwise not a problem.

The biggest obstacle at present - hopefully only short term - is the lack of a bridge over the Stivichall Interchange roundabout near Finham; at the time of walking (May 2021) the bridge has been removed as part of highway maintenance. It is still relatively safe to cross since traffic lights are in operation on the slip road exit and roundabout, but not ideal. If / when the bridge is back, the star rating would be one higher.

Note: I followed this route uploading the GPX into a eTrex 22x and followed all waypoints as given, except for crossing the roundabout.

The photos show the typical footpaths, kissing gates and bridges near Stoneleigh, the missing footbridge at the roundabout, and some of the route toward Coventry.

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