Inkberrow East

Circular Walk 39 (8 or 6 Miles)

Walk Overview

A choice of two walks from the centre of the delightful village of Inkberrow allow you to enjoy a taste of the MILLENNIUM WAY and the delights of the Worcestershire countryside. You can put them together into a figure of 8 for a long day out. There are a few tricky, high stiles on this route, so be warned!
A few yards from the start you will begin to follow an attractive section of the Millennium Way, where you will be guided by the distinctive green Millennium Way waymarkers.

Note: Big Bouts Farm - Section C ( by arrangement with the farmer ) the path diverts slightly away from the official MW route, as shown on the OS map, in order to avoid walking through the garden of Big Bouts Farm. Simply follow the text & the green MW waymarkers and you will rejoin the MW route at the gated footbridge. Also in Section B where " take first gate left " is in bold letters you may notice that the farmer has diverted the official MW route to the other side of his fence so as to avoid livestock. The route is well waymarked and you should follow this very minor diversion.

Walk Details

Start: Village Green, Inkberrow WR7 4DZ
Start Grid Ref: SP014 573
Parking: Old Bull and the Bull's Head if visiting, otherwise roadside
Refreshments:
- Nevil Arms, New End (01527 892603)
- Old Bull, Inkberrow (01386 792428)
- Bull's Head Hotel, Inkberrow (01386 792233)
Maps: OS Explorer 205 or OS Landranger 150
Distance: 6 or 8 miles
Time: 3 or 4 hours
Stiles: 28 (not all dog friendly)
Download:
- Walk GPS short route (GPS Exchange Format, GPX)
- Walk GPS long route (GPS Exchange Format, GPX)
GPS and GPX explained
Find a mobile app on the Apple App Store or Google Play

Updated June 2024

Walk Instructions

Section A

From the village green turn left down the main A422 road past Lilac Cottage on your right, then turn right into Stonepit Lane, continuing gently uphill past Greens Croft Way and turn right onto a public footpath immediately after house number 22. Keep ahead on grass path at back of houses to reach and cross a stile, where you will see a green Millennium Way waymarker signifying that you have joined our main trail. Go with hedge left for 70 paces then, on reaching a waypost left, go 25 paces diagonally right to hedge end where there is another waypost with a green Millennium Way waymarker. Continue ahead keeping hedge left to reach the road via a metal kissing gate. Turn right onto road for 250 yards to take footpath left just before house. Follow path between hedges into sports field and go with hedge & trees left to find corner stile. Cross stile and go with hedge left for 40 paces to find mid fence stile. Take stile and go ahead with hedge right through two fields to take gate to the road.

Old Bull
Inkberrow

Section B

Cross road to take footpath opposite, then continue with hedge & fence left. At a bend in field take tricky stile in corner. Head diagonally down field, passing small stable far left, to bottom corner taking the hidden stile, a few yards left of solitary tree, to road. Go right for only 10 paces, then take stile right and go directly up steep slope to the top where you will find a further stile (rest awhile to take in the lovely view from here). Take stile and stay around field edge with hedge left to then take first gate left, then go immediately right following with hedge right to find further gate in corner of field. Take gate then ahead to corner to go right 20 paces to take metal kissing gate left into long narrow thicket with pond left. Make way along path, to eventually exit by 3 bar fence stile to field. Turn left then cross field to right of large tree to stile. Cross stile to go with hedge right to gated bridge in corner of field. Cross bridge and go half right to cross a further double gated bridge by telegraph pole. Go with hedge right to find corner gate immediately beside a cottage with thatched roof. Take gates and follow driveway to road.

Section C

Cross the road, over stile to right of private driveway into cottage yard then field. Go with hedge right to the corner & through thicket to cross stile, then stay with hedge right across a second field. At the end of the second field you will reach a rather overgrown corner thicket by dew pond with hidden gate up incline at the right corner. Take gate, then ahead through plantation keeping hedge right to find and take metal gate on right to emerge into small field and follow under power lines with hedge right eventually emerging onto road. Turn right at road, continuing past Middle Bouts Farm ( ignore first footpath left ) until you reach Big Bouts Farm where you will take farm drive left and follow track round right, then through gate. Ignore next gate immediately on right and follow the track left, keeping hedge right, until you come to another gate. Ignore this next gate ahead of you and instead veer left in front of gate, following green waymarker to continue with hedge right to a green metal gate at end of track. Do not go through this gate, instead veer left towards a mid-hedge gated footbridge. Take this gated footbridge over stream and then go across field bearing half right, to take a waymarked large metal gate. Stay across next field to cross stile/footbridge over ditch. Follow left around garden/paddock between hedge and wire fence, noting attractive pond and jetty right. Take stile ahead and after 20 paces take another stile on left. Go right with hedge right to take corner fence stile then go half left to cross corner of field to a hidden mid-fence stile, turning right through coppice to the road.

For the shorter walk we leave the Millennium Way here and turn right down the lane following directions from point F below.

Section D

To continue the longer walk turn left up the road for 150 yards, taking unmarked wide gap on left and following the right hand footpath continuing with hedge right. 75 yards before field corner, take makeshift gate on right through gap in hedge and go left continuing with hedge left. Continue ahead through gap in corner then onwards keeping hedge right to metal gate. Go ahead between hedges to reach road. Cross road then over stile into next field. Continue with hedge right through several fields and over stiles following our green waymarkers and maintaining line ahead over doubled gated bridge. Stay ahead, with hedge right, to cross two further stiles eventually reaching a small metal swing gate leading to passageway to road.

Section E

Turn left past houses for 100 paces to come to road, then turn right to reach the main road with Nevill Arms at the corner (stop here for half way refreshments?). Here we leave the Millennium Way and turn right down the main road ( A441 ). When you reach Wood Lane turn right and continue along the lane to the crossroads then ahead into Mearse Lane. At T- junction follow lane round to the right, ignoring footpath on your right which you came out of earlier.

Neville Arms Pub
New End

Section F

Continue along surfaced lane past Little Mearse Farm until you eventually reach the main road. Cross the main road and take the tarmac drive to go through metal gate and continue ahead along gravel track. Where the surfaced area of the track veers right continue straight on along the grassy track between two tall hedges and caravan park on your right. Continue ahead and downhill along field edge keeping hedge left. At the corner of field go through gap and continue along narrow bridleway with hedge left and fence right, eventually emerging into a large field. Continue ahead along edge of large field with hedge left. At the field corner, follow the public bridleway marker along track between hedges for 100 paces to find gap with leaning finger post (easily missed) on your right. Take this gap and go diagonally half left across field to pass through wide hedge gap and go under power lines, passing telegraph pole to exit by stile to lane.

Church of St Peter
Inkberrow

Section G

Take the stile almost opposite signposted Inkberrow. Continue half right across field, keeping well to right of the right hand pylon near corner of field to find and take double stile. Cross small field to pass under power lines and take a second double stile into next field. Stay ahead on a rising path to top of hill where you will have your first view of Inkberrow Church. From here we go through tree gap then descend slightly left towards metal gate and damaged stile with no footplate. Take stile then a rising track right, to cross a bridleway, up towards the church. Eventually, the track descends to go through a metal gate then across narrow lane through metal gate opposite. Cross footbridge over small stream then onwards through another metal gate in corner of field. Inkberrow Church is high above you on your left. Bear a few steps right here, then go left up a rising lane back into Inkberrow, perhaps visiting the attractive church before you enter the village for some well deserved refreshment.

Points of Interest - What to know and what to see...

by Andy Botherway

Inkberrow

The earliest recorded version of the village is Intanbeorgan, from the 8th and 9th century. Charles I passed through the village on his way from Worcester, leaving his maps behind in the Vicarage and it is said that William Shakespeare stayed here whilst on his way to Worcester to collect his marriage certificate.

St. Peters Church, dating from the 13th century, is perched high up and is the largest in the district, suggesting that it was the most populous settlement. The Savage family chapel is interesting.

Archers fans may recognise the half timbered, black and white pub, the Old Bull, on the village green as the well known, fictional Ambridge pub. It has several items of memorabilia following cast visits. Try a mulled wine in December - mmm!

There is a convenience store, as well as another pub called The Bull, all close together so you have a choice!

Holberrow Green

The landscape in this area is dotted with black and white timber-framed houses from the 16th and 17th C, many of them listed. Although not all on the direct route of the walk, the following may be of interest to the architectural historian. All are nearby.

MEARSE FARM - Farmhouse. C18; possibly as enlargement of an earlier house.

SHURNOCK COURT is a half-timbered black and white building started in 1300 as a hunting residence in Feckenham Forest.

MORTON HALL is an impressive brick building dating from 1780. MORTON HALL FARM is the original manor house, and is considerably older. The rear half of the house being dated between 1400 and 1500.

BOUTS FARM - Farmhouse. c1600 (illustrated).

Bouts Farm

New End

A hamlet at the junction of the Salt Way and the Ridgeway. The Salt Way was part of the historic Ryknild Street, so called because it was one of the routes used to transport salt extracted from the Droitwich brine springs all the way to Saltfleet on the Lincolnshire coast. The salt was then loaded onto ships and exported to France and Scandinavia for trading purposes.

The Romans also used the road that became the Upper Saltway as a frequent route between settlements and marching forts. The Ridgeway (now the A441 Evesham Road) was an ancient track between Redditch and Evesham, following the high ground above the valley of the river Arrow for security.

St.Peters Church
Inkberrow

Returning to Inkberrow

Approaching the village, some stonework can be seen in a wood. This may be the remains of Inkberrow Castle, demolished in the 1200’s. The Millennium Green at the foot of Church Hill is well worth a visit. Established to mark the Millennium Year, it is managed by Trustees as a natural open space for the refreshment and pleasure of all Inkberrow residents and visitors. It is a tranquil oasis containing interesting flora and fauna, ponds and a restored medieval moat from a demolished manor house.