Berkswell - East
Circular Walk 3 (3.5 Miles)
Walk Overview
An enjoyable short walk which takes in some attractive countryside and farmland. No sign of HS2! Mostly flat with dog friendly gates & stiles. The walk incorporates a short section of The Millennium Way, where you will be guided by our distinctive black and white waymarkers
Walk Details
- Start: Berkswell - Lavender Hall Lane / Church Lane CV7 7BB
- Start Grid Ref: SP245 791
- Parking: Public Car Park or roadside
- Refreshments:
- The Bear Inn (01676 533202)
- Store and Stove Cafe
- Maps: OS Explorer 221 or Landranger 139 &140
- Distance: 3½ miles
- Time: under 2 hours
- Stiles: 4 (dog friendly)
- Download: Walk GPS (GPS Exchange Format, GPX)
- GPS and GPX explained
- Find a mobile app on the Apple App Store or Google Play
Updated April 2022
Walk Instructions
Section A
Our walk starts right in the centre of Berkswell next to the Store and Stove Cafe. Emerging from the car park, cross road and go right for 30 paces to take narrow signed footpath left through the arch between two bungalows. Go along the passage, between fences, to take wooden kissing gate into field and stay ahead with hedge right. Take gate / kissing gate into second field and then a further kissing gate into third field. Continue with hedge right and just before field corner take further kissing gate right, then go left with hedge left. At the corner follow field edge around right, then take kissing gate left to continue up field with trees & fence left under power lines towards farm buildings. At the top take kissing gate and go ahead between concrete barns and onto track past the remarkable Ram Hall Farm (home of the famous Berkswell Cheese, made from Ewes' milk) on your right. This is a working farm and during busy times, for safety reasons, a permissive route round the back of the left barn may be in use, re-joining the track over a stile. Continue to the end of the farm track to reach the surfaced Baulk Lane.
Time to Relax
Peaceful Secluded Pathways
Section B
Cross over Baulk Lane to take metal kissing gate opposite then stay ahead to cross directly over centre of field under power lines to hedge corner and continue ahead for 30 paces with hedge right to pass through a metal kissing gate and over left hand concrete footbridge. Then go left for 30 paces to turn right in same field and head up incline towards far pylon. On reaching a waymarker by the Oak tree head diagonally right across field. Turn right onto farm driveway then, after 60 paces, cross stile on left. Keeping hedge left, continue under power cables to corner of field. Cross stile and continue 70 paces with wooden fence right, then go through wooden kissing gate on left. Go right along driveway from Moat House Farm & Barn entrances and then turn left onto Truggist Lane.
Section C
Continue along Truggist Lane for 110 paces then take the surfaced Fordrough drive right, next to Jasmine Cottage. Go through large kissing gate into field to stay ahead with trees and fence left. Take corner kissing gate and continue forward along somewhat narrow fenced path with hedge left, soon crossing a short section of boarded walkway then exiting by kissing gate to farm driveway. Go left along driveway to reach Hodgett's Lane.
Stunning Countryside
Inquisitive cows!
Section D
You now join The Millennium Way with our black and white waymarkers. Go left on road to reach a T-junction at Carol Green. Turn right here to reach another T-junction. Turn left onto Spencer's Lane and after 20 paces take driveway right to cross stile to vehicle track. Go ahead on track to take kissing gate and ahead to exit track by further kissing gate to field. Go to right of power pole to cross field and find top corner kissing gate. Take this kissing gate / plank bridge / kissing gate and go ahead with fence right and left, ignore kissing gates to left but continue ahead to find kissing gate / plank bridge / kissing gate. Then stay ahead, over rough driveway, keeping hedge and trees right to pass under power lines.
Section E
100 paces after passing under the power lines you will come to a crossroad of paths and a mid hedge gap on right with kissing gate and a way post with several way marks. Stop. Remain in the field then turn left (walking away from the kissing gate and way post) across field to take ditch bridge located 10 paces in from right field corner. Continue ahead with wire fence left across field to exit by kissing gate. Go with hedge right to top right swamp boards and take kissing gate. Go with hedge right and at end of trees take ditch bridge and kissing gate right and then go left continuing with hedge left under power lines. At field corner go ahead over large field aiming 70 paces to right of white house to find corner gap.
Section F
Ignore gap (here we leave The Millennium Way) and instead go left to carry on around edge of same field with hedge right. When you soon reach a large metal gate and fence stile, go diagonally half left across field to reach far line of trees. The paths here are usually very distinct. On reaching line of trees take kissing gate and go directly ahead over next field to reach a hedge gap. Take gap then corner kissing gate into next field staying straight ahead to pass a large lone tree on your left and a few other trees in mid field. Stay ahead to field corner, where the path descends slightly to reach a corner kissing gate. Take kissing gate through short passageway to Broad Lane. Turn left slightly downhill to reach crossroads. You can stop here at The Bear Inn or continue across the crossroads to return to your starting point at the Lavender Hall Lane Car Park. Don't forget the Store and Stove cafe for a cinnamon bun and coffee!
Sharing the Countryside
Points of Interest - What to know and what to see...
by Andy Botherway
Church of St John the Baptist
Berkswell
An interesting village with a lot of history. Four of our circulars are nearby, as we are near the apex of the Millennium Way in Meriden.
Starting at St. John the Baptist, the first item of interest is its timber frame porch, originally the village schoolroom, with benches and hatpegs. Venturing inside, we find a number of examples of the furniture of the ‘mouseman’, Robert Thompson, each adorned with his trademark carved mouse. See how many you can find (there are 9 in all). The two Norman crypts are remarkable. The eastern part was built around 1150 and the octagonal western end later in the same century. Rare Hawfinches can be seen in the churchyard at times.
Outside the church is the square stone-walled Berks Well, after which the village is named. It was used for baptisms by immersion (a chilly experience!).
On the village green opposite the cafe are the stocks. It is claimed that these were especially built for a one-legged ex-soldier and his two drinking companions as there are only five leg holes.
Behind the well in Lavender Hall Lane, in a sixteenth century cottage, is the free village museum, showing local exhibits and history.
Notable people from Berkswell include the actor Jeremy Brett, whose roles include Sherlock Holmes in the ITV drama series.
Berks Well(Used for Baptisms)
StocksBerkswell
Ram Hall Farm, which is passed about half a mile southeast of the village, was built in the late 1500's. It is managed by Berkswell estates and is home to the famous Berkswell cheese made from Ewes' milk.
The short stretches of railway line near Berkswell House and Carol Green are the main Birmingham-Coventry-London Euston route. This was the first inter-city line, engineered by Robert Stephenson in 1838.
The Bear Inn very near the end of the walk dates from the 16th century and has an interesting interior. Store and Stove is a lovely cafe on the green which opened in late 2021.