Wooath two

Verified Slow Way

Verified by 100.00% of reviewers

Nice route with a variety of terrains ranging from arable fields, woodland areas, some quiet roads and a short section of busier road with footpath beside.

This route is direct and offers some services at Baddesley should you wish to seek them out. Warwickshire have done a good job installing gates but vegetation clearance can be an issue. A mix of surfaces, including across a large arable field, alongside the A5 is not an issue with a pavement and often a wide grass verge segregating the traffic. The North Arden Heritage Trail links Atherstone to Wood End but takes a different route in part so use this waymarking with care.

My walk started from Atherstone with a diversion as the low bridge under the railway had one of it's occasional floods. A safe diversion is available. The short section alongside the A5 needs care if you have children but once on the diverted footpath along the disused railway it's safe. Information boards supply interest and views to Merevale Hall with it's surrounding parkland which offers an explanation for the absence of footpaths. Colliery Farm, named on the map gives a clue to the fenced footpath before entering Baddesley. The path across the common is not recorded but there is a right to wander at will here. The village exit passes under the railway that once served the colliery at Baxterley. After Speedwell Farm there are large arable fields to cross but the path had been well walked and the gate in the far hedge is a guide. Approaching the road a stile and waymark offered confusion rather than help, just keep going. The road could provide a direct route to Wood End but it had a fair bit of traffic, the path across the field avoids this and has the benefit of a good view southwards before meeting the pavement for a safe walk finish.

A really pleasant walk through countryside, which delivers more than it promises. Leaving the cafes, pubs and shops of the pleasant historic centre of Atherstone, there is not much of it to walk through before finding yourself in the countryside. The route passes the railway station and under the railway. On the day which Ken and I walked it, this section was under water and we bypassed it easily. A local was able to tell us that the flooding is unusual and later that day, on our return to Atherstone, the water had been pumped to a level that pedestrians could walk through it along the raised pavement. Beyond the edge of Atherstone there is a short section along the pavement of the A5, but you soon leave to join the wooded footpath and its views towards Merevale. There is a short section of lane walking along "Waste Lane" up Waste Hill but the lane is open and there are spaces to move to the side, I felt safe throughout. Some woodland walking brings you through to Baddeley Ensor, a friendly village, which at halfway offers a chip shop with a view. Having made our way through Speedwell Farm, we crossed a series of fields, heavy going on the damp December day we walked it, but not unpleasant. There is another short section of lane walking beyond it, where some caution is needed but you seen take a footpath to the left which crosses a field to Wood End. This section was my favourite and an unexpected gem. The views are incredible, and even on a not particularly clear day, we could see the spire of the church in Coleshill and the control tower of Birmingham Airport as well as the easterly suburbs of Birmingham. The last section takes you along the pavement of the main street, past the village hall and the working men's club, as far as the bus stop, which is the meeting point. This route is direct, safe, enjoyable, varied and easy to follow. Full marks!.

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