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LIFETIME of WALKS by DEREK HARWOODDerek Harwood's Walking Records If you have any queries about the pictures or descriptions e-mail me at: derek@harwoodonline.com | |||||
A COVENTRY WAY | |||||
Crackley to Meriden
Tuesday 8th February 2011 .............................Walk No. 847 |
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Cousins Walks No. 1 Total 8.0 miles Time Taken: 3:50 hrs Distance: Enjoyment: Weather: Warm 10:00 to 13:30 6.0 miles 85% in Sun Temp: Cloud: Rain: Visibility: Ground Conditions: Nature: 9oC 25% 0% Good Good Buzzard Total AA: Total MH: Total LD: Total AW: Other: Total Distance: 1086.5 mls 931.5 mls 2593.5 mls 162.0 mls 1331.5 mls 6105.0 miles Companions: (Derek) Ken Points of Interest and LINKS: A Coventry Way Crackley Wood Beechwood Tunnel St Laurence's Church The Queen's Head MeridenDescription:
We caught the X17 bus to Crackley, Kenilworth and started the walk on the first section of the Coventry Way along the Kenilworth Greenway. The Greenway is the bed of an old railway track which used to link the old Coventry to Leamington branch line with the main Coventry to Birmingham line, from Crackley to Berkswell station, by-passing Coventry railway station. It was easy to stride out on the wide tarmac track, with only cyclists and horses to watch for. There was an interesting information board and seat and/or horse mount. We soon passed the new metal kissing gate at the entrance to Crackley Wood, with the local wildlife information board just inside the wood. Most of the Greenway is in a cutting, or bordered by trees. This was ideal for the route of the proposed (HS2) High Speed 2 train between London and Birmingham; time will tell. After several over bridges we turned off the track bed on a footpath across fields to Beechwood Farm and the main railway line to the west of Beechwood Tunnel. We turned left over Bridge 334 by West Tunnel entrance towards Carol Green Village. We crossed several more fields in the pleasant sunshine to Benton Green Village, then right on Board Lane, watching for traffic to Hill Cottage and the entrance to Hill House Farm. There were no hills anywhere to be seen. We stopped for lunch on a convenient crude seat in sight of Hill House Farm, with midges swarming close by. We joined the route of the 'Heart of England Way' and the 'West Midlands Way' on the footpath near Blind Hall House on the footpath to Meriden Village. We passed several ponds with unidentified creatures escaping from view. We arrived at Meriden Church with a good view of Birmingham City on the skyline and several interesting timber period houses by the church. We descended the slope from the church to the Queen's Head public house and a welcome pint of beer at the end of the walk. By chance the landlord of the pub explained that the bus route to Coventry had temporarily changed because of an unsafe local bridge, which meant we had to walk to the other side of the village green, by the village cross, to the bus stop in use. We passed many bus stops which weren't in use.
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Derek Harwood: Copyright 2009 Revised: June 2022 |