Strwar one

Slow Way not verified yet. Verify Strwar here.

Starting at Warwick the first part Crossing the dual carriageway is a nightmare and the track between A4189 and the B4463 is very very overgrown and I'm not sure if it's a right of way. That said once you're South of the M40 it is a very good route.
East of Snitterfield on the footpath between Snitterfield Lane and Heath End Road there is a narrow field with horses in that they seemed friendly, but as I don't like walking close to large animals that be I back tracked and took the path North of there.

The North of the M40 was so bad I posted a different version that can be mixed and matched with this route.

I walked from Stratford and agree with the previous reviewers that the southern half (first part for me) is lovely - nice path out of Stratford and lovely countryside as far as Snitterfield with good signs. I agree that taking the footpath here into the village is good, even if it is through a field planted with crops. The route from here to the M40 is pretty wild in mid-summer with almost no signposting or paths visible on the ground, so you need to be confident with your map-reading! In particular there is little indication at Red Hill Farm (I went round it to the left, crossing their campsite, following advice from a worker there). But I also didn't reach Heath End Lane at the right point and had to scale a gate to continue. The next part was very overgrown and it was a relief to reach the road over the M40, but unfortunately it is not particularly safe, without much of a verge. Going round on the road (as noted, the marked footpath is blocked) I decided to avoid the problems noted with crossing the dreaded A46 from other reviewers; so I just stayed on the A4189 Henley road all the way into Warwick, which is less pleasant with traffic, but has a pavement all the way and, crucially, a safe bridge over the A46. It's an option for those who don't want to play chicken with speeding cars.

I walked this route northwards from Stratford-upon-Avon today. On the whole it's a good walk. However, there are a few issues with this route mentioned below which have meant i've only given it 3 stars. There is a pub in Snitterfield, which is nearly half way, for refreshments.

If you're tall like me, you'll have to watch it when you're leaving Stratford, watch your head under the two bridges along the canal, the headroom is less than 6 foot. Then it's a good walk out of Stratford along the road to the Welcombe Hills. The route along the top of the hills offers some great views eastwards. The journey through the golf course is straightforward, and then after passing through 'The Farm' you reach a bit of road walking as you walk towards Snitterfield which you have to be careful with.

Here, the first error in the routes of both this and the other walk (strwar two) exists, where both routes take you along the road of Kings Lane to the junction with White Horse Hill to descend into the village along the road. Before the junction, on the left, is a footpath which takes you towards Snitterfield avoiding the road walking at the junction. Neither of these routes take this clearly marked footpath to avoid the road walking.

The next issue was after leaving Snitterfield, when the footpath reaches Red Hill Farm, the waymarking is poor and I couldn't find the path towards Oldhouse Farm. It's not a disaster though as there is an alternative path northeast which takes you to Bell Brook where you can rejoin the given path on this route at Heath End Lane.

The waymarking then gets slightly better, although there were a couple of paths where the waymarked posts had fallen into disrepair, so you have to keep your eyes open and watch your navigation. It wasn't until after i'd crossed the M40 that I encountered the next issue. You have to walk along another section of road as you cross the M40, and as this road turns to the left, the route takes a right turn up a dirt track which has been deliberately blocked off by the owner (see my photo 14). Looking at the OS map, it isn't actually marked as a Public ROW, but instead as a route with 'Other Public Access'. I will check with the Highways Authority to see if there is any restriction with this route, but you will not be getting over the deliberate obstacles easily! The only option is to turn back and divert around the road to get to the Old School Lane towards Hampton on the Hill.

The final issue is, as has been correctly identified in the other review, is that the route given here over the A46 doesn't exist. I notice that review takes the next crossing over the A46 on the OS map, albeit with a slight deviation due to a housing development in Hampton Magna at time of writing. I think this will be cleared in good time once the development has completed, but I don't think it's worth the longer detour as given in strwar two. You do however have to play a game of chicken crossing the motorway speed of traffic on the A46.

Apart from the issues above, there are plenty of gates, stiles, bridges and a few steps to navigate. A few of the stiles and bridges are in poor condition at time of writing.

Living in Warwick, we did this route in reverse. The wrong path across the racecourse had been selected as the small bridge into the field has long gone. The route across the A46 is non-existent. We doubled back on ourselves to find another way to document, but after crossing the A46 (not recommended!) we’d followed a footpath which abruptly ended on a housing development with no way through. Third times a charm, but we were not crossing back over the A46 so we went off-path around the edge of the field and eventually found another way through. The rest of the route was great! We’ve suggested a small edit given that it appears some rights of way no longer exist.

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