The initial road walking was off putting but after a pleasant exit from Shenstone past the shops and through the old attractive village a light controlled crossing set me off along the lane. Crossing the busy dual carriageway is assisted by a multi-user traffic free bridge. From here we are off road along a pleasant path following the Black Brook which no doubt features in many wedding photos so is more attractive than it sounds. I made a mistake at the bridge because out footpath leaves the canal towpath after the bridge, not the road as we might expect. The next lane is very quite then onto another unsigned path which follows the River Tame and flood relief channel. We cross the old bridge now traffic free and enter the attractive Castle grounds before popping into the shopping street at the old market hall....

Ken

A section of path at Church Gresley was overgrown so can be avoided using Church View to access Mouth Pleasant Road. The section from Swainspark, Park Road to Overseal was challenging. The path south from Park Road is signed but was very overgrown and off putting. There is a hint of a walked path and for a short section the surface is good, this being a go to nowhere bridleway which our footpath soon leaves, a close eye on the plot is essential. From here things are five star the path is excellent and well used. The path continues as before easy to follow and unobstructed with vegetation, crops or barriers, an easy walk. Crossing the road I expected the next path across an arable field to be invisible but no, it had been cleared. So back to a challenging path with a stile topped by barbed wire and field of maize, easy as the crop was low but it will be impossible later in the year....

Ken

Follow this path for a quarter of a mile before turning right on the path that leads back down to the River Anker and then following the newly laid path East along the river bank, crossing a small wooden bridge on leaving the new estate....

Chris R

quite a bit of road walking at the start but then follows paths and a nice short section on the Coventry Canal and then alongside the river Trent into Tamworth Good Slow Ways Route...

Nigel Cull

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 canal (southern) section of this route is lovely, including seeing the canal cross the River Tame below, on an acqueduct. The part in Kettlebrook is less pleasant. On reaching the centre of Tamworth I would use the subways to stay in the park on the south side of the River Anker, for pleasant views and arriving opposite the impressive castle, before crossing over the footbridge into the town centre....

Andrew Davies

Where the path continues into the fields, the best trodden line heads down to the river, in a large pool here, and I chose to use this rather than chase the right of way line through the undergrowth. The path up to the churchyard has a few steps, and beyond Hangmans Lane we go up more steps to find the "shortcut" to Newton Lane - this path has stiles and the exit to the lane is further west than the right of way line. We follow the quiet lane into Newton Regis, then turn left onto Main Road, which has a pavement, passing a duckpond and the church (more flooding from water mains on the road here), and then take a well marked field path straight on out of the village. We turn left onto Church Street, then take a good field path left that takes us past a cricket field onto Bowleys Lane, where we continue straight on. Rectory Lane arrives soon enough, and we follow it right to Measham Road....

Hugh Hudson

Ignoring the diagonal path, we turn right along a lane that takes us to Bridge Street where we turn left (or alternatively take the prettier surfaced path left over the footbridges). Eventually we reach Amington Road, which crosses the canal slightly diagonally - we bear right just before the bridge and follow the path out to the pavement, then follow the road straight on (at the railway viaduct the pavement goes one arch further right than the road)....

Hugh Hudson

We leave the diamond route and take Knox's Grave Lane, no sign of the grave only a large hole in the ground where sand has been extracted before we return to a pavement walk alongside the A51....

Ken

Eventually the main road heads right across the river at a roundabout where we go straight on along Lichfield Street and Church Street then right down Colehill to the meeting point on George Street (we then continued along George Street and Market Street past the castle to the excellent Old Bank House pub on Silver Street, and in retrospect this might have been a more interesting choice for the final part of the route)....

Hugh Hudson

There is a second route (Tampol One) which is virtually identical, however this route took me past the shops at the Polesworth end of the route....

Dan Phelan

We go left at the third, the B5000 Glascote Road, then turn right before the viaduct and follow Kettlebrook Road down to the canal, which is accessed from the left (east) side of the bridge....

Hugh Hudson

I'd already decided to start from Measham and having both read Ken's review and wanted to test the route in the opposite direction I felt like I was doing the right thing. The route in Appleby Magna left me puzzled and lost the route a star. It was along here that I spotted a path which the map confirmed would take me through to the Coventry Canal and looked a more direct, although more built up route in to Tamworth. The path through the last section of countryside really did not match the right of way but the route was obvious and didn't cause it to fail as a Slow Way....

David Sanderson

It has an identical problem to one I reviewed last week where it uses a footpath that does not exist near Conkers and so does not run as plotted. The other problem is the plotting at the ends, particularly at the Swadlincote end, which is really poor. I have tidied the plotting and fixed the problem in Tamswa two...

David Sanderson

There are definitely more places to stop at the Swadlincote end with pubs and shops in Netherseal and Overseal....

David Sanderson

Although the path has been diverted at Armingtom Hall Farm the cross field sections were not apparent on the ground so some interpretation is required or just follow the locals along the river side. Looks like the locals turn into Newton Gorse but we press on then across the field on another well marked path, no reports required in Warwickshire. Having said that, as I approached Austrey Lane I was surprised to see a group of lost ramblers on the field edge as I crossed the field on a wide cleared path. The road approach to Appleby Magna has a pavement but while the verge grass has been cut the metalled path is inaccessible because the hedge needs cutting back. When I eventually found it by retracing my steps north to south I found a field of waist high grass and a path neglected by locals. The road from the village has no pavement and wasn't too busy but drivers are unaware of the latest update to the highway code and expected me to step aside while they passed at speed....

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

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

Coming from Tamworth, I left the canal towpath just before the M42 and crossed to the other side and navigated through the country park on the south side of the canal....

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

Easy walking and safe road crossings but the exit from Tamworth could be improved if slightly longer via the castle and river side gardens....

Ken

I could tweak the route at both ends using Abbey Park and the footbridge at Polesworth and underpasses and the Castle Park at Tamworth....

Ken

I could tweak the route at both ends using Abbey Park and the footbridge at Polesworth and underpasses and the Castle Park at Tamworth....

Ken

Very nice route, nearly 100% on canal towpath. Easy to follow with pubs and shops on route....

agtaylor123

Route along the canal was great, some walking along relatively busy roads unavoidable to get into the centre of Tamworth, suggest using the underpass where possible. Overall decent Slow Way...

agtaylor123

The route crosses Watling Street from the meeting spot past what would actually be a better meeting spot with benches next to a memorial and then crosses the road from Tamworth to join the Coventry Canal....

David Sanderson

The first section is quite noisy but you are kept away from traffic before turning left into leafy lanes under the railway viaduct. The only problem I had with Tampol One was the route from the High Street to the meeting place which cuts down a side alley and follows a narrow dark overgrown footpath rather than the clearer footpath across the Green or even better stay on the High Street before turning right (as Tampol Two does)....

David Sanderson

The first section is quite noisy but you are kept away from traffic before turning left into leafy lanes under the railway viaduct. The next section is along relatively quiet side streets past many shops and pubs before reaching the Coventry Canal....

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

A tiny unnecessary detour starts the journey from Lichfield going along the busy Birmingham Road rather than following the pavement straight up from the station (this might be a product of automation when the meeting points changed)....

David Sanderson

This route uses the scenic Heart of England Way to deliver you to Knox's Grave Lane which then takes you over the hill to the pavement of the Lichfield Road. A descent through the village of Hopwas crosses the Coventry Canal and then more spectacularly the River Tame. The road follows the north bank of the river into the centre of the town after which it is named: Tamworth...

David Sanderson

Having had some misgivings about how many lanes it follows they turned out to be open with the exception of where you turn from Park Lane to Little Hay Lane, which requires some caution....

David Sanderson

I had some misgivings before doing this walk (as Shetam One) because of the amount of lane walking and the lack of directness of the route. The route through Buck's Head Farm is fenced in by HS2. Picking up Knox's Grave Lane the route undulates past a massive pig farm on one side and quarry workings on the other (Shetam One directs you through the quarry which is forbidden)....

David Sanderson