Inkberrow (West)
Circular Walk 9 (5.5 Miles)
Walk Overview
There is a choice of two walks from the centre of the delightful village of Inkberrow allowing 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. The walk is mostly flat and crosses some delightful farmland with an opportunity to visit Inkberrow Church dating from the 13th century and take refreshments at a choice of pubs in the village. When on the main trail you will be guided by the distinctive green Millennium Way waymarkers.
Walk Details
- Start: The Village Green, Inkberrow WR7 4DZ
- Start Grid Ref: SP014 572
- Parking: Old Bull carpark if visiting, otherwise roadside
- Refreshments:
- The Old Bull or the Bull's Head Hotel
- Inkberrow Stores
- Maps: OS Explorer 204 & 205 or OS Landranger 150
- Distance: 5½ miles
- Time: 3 hours
- Stiles: 10 (a few are not 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 October 2023
Walk Instructions
Section A
From the village green turn left down the main A422 road past Lilac Cottage turning right into Stonepit Lane and continuing gently uphill past Greens Croft Way. After 200 paces turn right to take a public footpath immediately after house number 22. Keep ahead on grassed path. You will soon join the Millennium Way coming in from the left, but do not go left. Walk on with hedge left and houses right to cross a stile. Go with hedge left for 70 paces to where the hedge ends to find a small sometimes obscured waymarker post on left (having just joined the Millennium Way you will now leave it, so DO NOT bear over to the right to the next waypost). Turn left at the hedge end into large field. Having turned left go immediately very slightly right, ignoring the path diagonally right across field, (suggest you examine our map) passing two dips to reach a narrow hedge gap, with a finger post, to road (this path is hard to find so you may wish to walk around two sides of field with hedge left looking carefully on the second side to take the narrow hedge gap on left).
Old BullInkberrow
Section B
Go through kissing gate on opposite side of road, enter the driveway and take kissing gate slightly right to go diagonally across the large field and small step stile (sometimes crossing electrified paddock fencing with blue insulated hand hooks). Go through the metal kissing gate ahead, then stay on the same line to pass under power lines to find a second metal kissing gate at the field corner gap. Take the kissing gate to next field and continue along field edge under power cables with hedge right. 50 paces after the second lone tree take a wide hedge gap on right and then go left with hedge left on same line, under more power cables, to reach vehicle track at the field corner gap. Cross track and continue down field with hedge left to cross a double stile footbridge. Continue around next field keeping hedge left. After 250 yards, just past a group of trees, you come to a very narrow hidden hedge gap on left where a path joins. Ignore the gap and turn immediately right up centre of field (if unclear walk around edge of field keeping hedge left). Aim for the end of the right hand hedge, then at this point turn left going across the large gap and then keep hedge left to find corner fence stile. Take stile into next field and head towards right of small open barn. Approaching the barn take the single gate next to a large metal gate adjacent to the barn. Go forward to reach the T- junction and turn left along the track.
Section C
Continue down this farm access track to reach road then turn left. Pass entrance to Stockwood Lodge Farm on right (ignore wooden bridge left) and continue past farm buildings and green railings to enter a very large field. Stay on same heading directly across the large field towards the line of trees to reach a waypost at hedge gap. Continue through this wide gap into next field, cross the field to go between two lone trees to reach edge of wood where there is another waypost at the corner. Turn left here following the bridleway keeping wood on your right. Coming to another waypost on your right, follow the waymarker direction slightly left across the field on a sometimes undefined path. On reaching the wood, bear left to follow around to a gap 10 paces past the field corner, where you will see another waypost. Turn right at the waypost to keep wood right. At the corner of field turn right for a few paces then left to find lane behind hedge. Go down this attractive lane, initially past Orchard Cottage, then past the attractive church in Dormston to the T-junction and turn left onto Dormston Lane.
Section D
Continue along the road for 1/2 mile passing the entrance to Dormston Manor to go steeply uphill to reach Hill Farm House Bed and Breakfast on right and Hill Farm on left.
Section E
Next to Hill Farm turn left through gap by waymarker metal gate. You have now rejoined The Millennium Way and will again see the familiar green waymarkers. At the end of the outbuildings continue ahead with hedge left to field edge gap. Continue ahead with hedge left and, at the end of the hedge, find waypost and bear diagonally left across sometimes cropped field, to find a barely visible waypost 15 paces in from corner of field. Enter small coppice veering slightly left to exit by gate into right hand field. Go diagonally up centre of sometimes cropped field towards another barely visible yellow topped waymarker post at top of field just to left of copse of trees. Go through gap and then cross field diagonally left to go towards farm buildings under two sets of power cables to reach wide gated gap with visible waypost tucked in field corner.
Open countryside
Section F
Go through gated gap following green Millennium Way waymarker, then go forward to cross narrow track towards fence. Stay with fence and farm garden right to reach and take a large metal gate. Go slightly left to take a further metal gate to then walk a further 30 paces to turn right by waymarked post. Continue around back of farm buildings going between open storage barn on your left but staying close to the large roofed barn on your right. After passing between the barns, cross the farm track then over fence stile to bear slightly right to very corner of field ahead. At the corner take care over the double stile and wooden bridge (often overgrown & bridge needs some repair work) into next field. Go directly across field to take stile and ditch bridge. Go diagonally left across field to find and take stile in hidden hedge gap. Stay with hedge left and large gardens right to take wooden gate in corner of field then stay ahead on rough track past houses to take further small wooden gate to left of 5 bar gate. Continue on track to the road, then go slightly left to cross road to take steps up to alleyway between properties and continue past recently built housing until the walkway ends at the public footpath you previously walked out on at the start of Section A. You now leave the Millennium Way which goes left. Turn right and retrace your steps, then turn left down Stonepit Lane to reach the main road. Turn left again to arrive back at the village green. There are two pubs and a village shop close by.
Points of Interest - What to know and what to see...
by John Rea
St.Peter'sInkbarrow
Inkberrow
The village of Inkberrow is mentioned in the Domesday Book as Interberga and a church and minster are recorded as having been in the village from Saxon times but no trace of the early buildings have been discovered. The present church, dedicated to St. Peter, dates from the 13th Century and is believed to be on the site of the minster and possibly of the 12th Century castle recorded as destroyed by Henry III in 1233. The lych gate at the entry to the churchyard was erected in 1919 in memory of those who had died in The Great war. Charles I stayed in the vicarage in May 1645.
The two pubs have similar names! One being The Bull’s Head Hotel is on the main road and is Georgian. They both have accommodation.
The other is the Old Bull on the village green and is half timbered black and white from the 15th Century and Shakespeare is reputed to have stayed here while on his way to Worcester to collect his marriage certificate. It is also used as the basis of the fictional Bull in Ambridge in the Archers.
The Old BullInkberrow
The skyline tower
The tall tower on the hillside is a tele-communications station.
Dormston church has stood since Norman times, but today is mainly of 14th and 15th Century origins. Worthy of note are the old pews, Jacobean altar rails and the old stone crucifix built into the wall near the altar. There are three bells one undated and the other two 1631 and 1640.
Dormston Manor is Grade II listed, dating late 16th Century consisting of timber frame and plaster.
Hill Farm in Section D was built in 1704 and today has 17 acres of farm and also offers lovely B&B accommodation.
In addition to this circular walk on the Millennium Way, it is worthwhile taking some time to explore the Inkberrow Millennium Green, a community resource for leisure, exercise and nature. It is easily reached from The Old Bull by going past the church down the narrow lane (Quiet Lane) and about 50 paces on the left is the entrance to a magical 8 acres of ponds, grassland, amazing ant-hills and stunning views.
Pamphlets are available as well as a number of informative boards around the grounds. Spend 10 minutes or more if you want to explore the full grounds.
