A very pleasant and easy route, following the Coventry canal towpath for most of the route. It's quiet and flat, and it's a good idea to relieve any monotony by taking the proposed turn into Whittington - not really a detour, and there's a lovely cafe on the main street. There's a little bit of noise from the road and railway in the northern part, but generally this is a secluded and rural route and highly recommended....

Andrew Davies

The route along the canal is clear, though it does cross the canal three times (four if you count the bridge at Alrewas)....

Hugh Hudson

I walked it from Lichfield to Alrewas as the middle part of a longer three route walk from Shenstone to Burton. The approach to the Fradley industrial estate is interesting - at first sight the way forward seemed to be blocked by an enormous new warehouse building, but careful reading of the map shows that the right of way has been respected by the developers, and near the warehouse new fences keep you on the right line. The remainder of the route is mostly across clearly marked easy field paths, though beyond the A513 the way forward is almost obscured by overgrowth, and the line across the park is unmarked....

Hugh Hudson

After the railway on the edge of Lichfield a steel traffic safety barrier obstructs the footpath stile then the fields had been heavy ploughed with no attempt to leave a path along the edge or mark out the cross field sections. Section 134 of the Highway Act 1980 requires the occupier to make good the surface of the path, make it apparent on the ground and keep it clear of crops....

Ken

A mix of well used field paths, some quite road links and lots of canal towpath which again was a mix of surfaces some very good wide and well surfaced others narrow eroded and muddy. The towpath along this canal is not a designated cycle route so in places it's rather washed away and muddy but I did still meet a few cyclists perhaps encouraged by an old OS map which shows a cycle route heading north but stopping abruptly at Tamhorn Park. Other reviews had been critical of the final road walk so I had looked for an alternative and having met a friend along the way who knows the area my alternative was recommended as a good route. I did inspect the road route as I returned to Lichfield by bus and it's fine....

Ken

At Orgreave, there is a misleading footpath sign that points towards the A513 when you should turn left through the Orgreave gates towards the gas station. Photo 3 - As path swings left head straight on across field on RHS to start with Don't go straight on turn left through the iron gates you see here looking back from where you came...

Charles Bradshaw-Smith

Nice easy navigational walk this one but spoilt by the traffic noise on the A38 which is alongside for a long distance. Away from that it's a delight but beware the canal uses the RiverTrent between Wychnor and Alrewas the pictures show what it can be like and the towpath may be flooded. At the Burton end there is a route north of Shobnall from the towpath through quite roads to the Town Hall which avoids the busy road....

Ken

You leave the canal at Fradley and walk through the village to a footpath which connects you to Alrewas. This route is offroad, relaxing, safe and has pubs at Alrewas, Huddlesford, Hopwas and Tamworth....

David Sanderson

The stretch through Alrewas is extremely short before joining the canal, and it sticks on that same canal all the way to Burton....

mtormey

- leaving the canal at Fradley, I might have just used slightly more direct footpaths that what was plotted here, but the route was perfectly fine and I encountered no problem following it as laid out...

mtormey

When I reached a point where I had to turn back from the other Slow Way I attempted to join this route at the dairy farm at Stanton House....

David Sanderson

Starting from a point in Alrewas which is not far from the Trent and Mersey Canal, the first section is some very pleasant canal walking as far as Barton Turns where it joins the Cross Britain Way. There is a tiny section of verge walking before leaving Walton and crossing into the fields. The path is pretty clear to see and throughout the Cross Britain Way the waymarkers are in good repair. As with Walton, as you get to other end, there is a slightly longer section of lane walking required (about 200m). As this path turns east, leaving the Cross Britain Way, you have the honour of being the Slow Ways walker who is furthest from the sea!...

David Sanderson

Joining the Trent and Mersey Canal at Shobnall Marina, then the towpath takes you as far as the last couple of hundred metres of the walk. If you are feeling adventurous you can make a short excursion to Barton Marina at the half way point (6km) where there are numerous restaurants, pubs, cafes and even a cinema cafe....

David Sanderson

The footpath used is being built on at the easterly end and any attempt to rejoin it was met with barbed wire fences. Here I encountered a barbed wire fence with no way through....

David Sanderson

This route takes an unnecessary detour away along a slip road and away from the cafes and shops of Alrewas. It suggests entering the National Memorial Arboretum via the car park which is not allowed. It then falls foul of where OS has not kept up to date with where the current footpath is in a new housing estate in Tamworth....

David Sanderson

A very straightforward start to this walk from the meeting point in Tamworth up the pavements of Victoria Road to the railway station. Passing under the railway, the path goes through a small caravan park (it’s very well marked) and then under another line (Tamworth Station is on a crossroads of railways between Cornwall and Scotland, and London and the Northwest). The descent takes you to Main Road, from there it’s a short walk into the pretty village of Harlaston. The next section, following the A513 under the narrow railway bridge as far as the traffic lights at the River Tame required nerves of steel. Having crossed my third river of the day, the spectacular River Tame (as a cormorant flew overhead) I was relieved to be able to cross over a stile into the grounds of the National Memorial Arboretum for a short section of the walk. From here the walk is along the very pretty Main Street in Alrewas which offers plenty of opportunities to get something to eat or drink before getting the bus from the meeting point....

David Sanderson

Throughout the walk there are great views out across the Trent Valley towards Rugeley and Lichfield. The route then picks up close to the River Trent and takes you across the fields outside Alrewas before a gorgeous crossing of the Trent and then the Trent and Mersey Canal....

David Sanderson

I walked it from the Alrewas end which starts very nicely through the village and then follows a fairly straight well marked footpath across flat wide open farmland....

David Sanderson

Yoxall offers a food store, pub and dry cleaners....

martin whitehead

I'm not keen on the road walk although there is a wide mown verge....

Ken

Very nice walk with some high ground and views....

Ken

Please use Kinalr Two instead which is exactly the same route save for a small diversion to use a clearer path....

David Sanderson

As a consequence the route as far as Minster Pool takes you in the wrong direction to start with and takes you up Upper John Street, a busy road, frequently full of cars, lorries and buses with a narrow pavement....

David Sanderson

The route was clear and walking through Fradley, back on pavements is simple. This is the half way point of the route and Fradley South has a supermarket and a raft of shops....

David Sanderson