Dorridge & District Residents Association A Walk Along The Green Belt From Dorridge to Carine-de-Barnes The starting section of this walk through open fields would be destroyed by building of motorway services at junction 4, end section would be affected by threatened services at Carine-de-Barnes. This is NOT a circular walk. It is a walk of around 6 miles through a variety of countryside skirts Solihull town centre. There are a number of styles it is muddy in parts when wet. It crosses main roads in a couple of places, so children would need to be carefully supervised at those points. Starting from outskirts of Dorridge, it zig-zags across fields between motorway Dorridge, n crosses to River Bly runs along side this though to Brueton Park. From re it passes Solihull School, across by-pass n across fields to Gr Union Canal. Turning left takes you along to Boat Inn for refreshments await your return lift! This walk takes around 2½ to 3 hours. For hardy, it is possible to do a circular walk, instead turning right at canal to return to Knowle, cutting across through Knowle Park, Mill Lane Conker Lane to return to start in around 4½ hours. There are a number of places to start from: as a lmark, start from car park of Drum Monkey. If you need to park, just to south is Althorpe Drive odd car can be left re. If you are intent on a circular walk are going to use public transport to return, station is a good starting point. Note that buses do not run from Carine-de-Barnes on Sunday. To get to walk starting from station, left out of station, descend Station Approach, left n cross under railway bridge. Turn right up Manor Road. Go up, passing a mini-roundabout. At sharp left turn go ahead onto Conker Lane n a few yards along, turn left on a path through open space. Keep on this until you eventually emerge to side of Drum Monkey. 1: Go down drive to Four Ashes Golf Club From Drum Monkey car park, go left on or side of road you will see Four Ashes Golf Club. Walk down drive, bearing left into car park. 3: Continue around edge 2: Cross Car Park diagonally to far left corner. At far point of car park, cross lawned area by hedge walk down side of club buildings. 4: Turn left over bridge. Follow edge of field, keeping to left. Eventually you will be guided right around bottom of field. Go between telegraph poles netting. A short way past fencing you have to turn left over a wooden bridge. Walk straight ahead, across anor bridge over a barely noticeable stream. Ahead at field edge is a style. Cross style keep going ahead to left of hedge until you reach road. Page 1 of 7
5: Cross style turn right down Gate Lane 6: Just before roundabout turn right onto path. Go out onto Gate Lane, initially keeping to verge, but eventually you will have to walk in road. Follow road all way down to traffic lights turn right onto pavement towards junction with M42. 7: Head straight across field. The path goes straight across middle of field. There is a short post in middle of field, on horizon you might just make out shape of Solihull Riding Club arena in same line. 9: Follow hedge on right As you walk towards M42 J4 roundabout, look to your right you will find a style up bank, just before you reach roundabout itself. Cross style. 8: As you near edge, you should see a break in hedge. Continuing on roughly same line, you will see a low hedge on left, with a break, n a higher hedge on right. Go through break. 10: Cross style bridge Follow hedge on right, which breaks away to right. 11: As you reach School join lane. In far right corner of this small field is a style bridge. Cross bridge follow obvious path way marks towards riding school. 12: Follow track As you pass cottage, fence has a gap on right you cross onto track. 13: Take rough track on left Follow track out to car park in front of riding school n join lane on right, keeping ahead in same direction. 14: Take Kissing Gate to left. Just before some cottages, re is a track on left. Follow way marked path until just before Four Ashes Road. Page 2 of 7 Cross through to field take welltrodden footpath on left. This goes alongside railway for quite some distance.
15: Continue onwards 16: At end of field... Whilst mainly walking on field edge, you will come to a small copse. Take path to right of copse, continuing along next field, still next to railway. 17: Continue onwards Eventually, path comes to a thin hedge you should see a tunnel to your right under railway. Drop down through hedge... 18: And up bank. Through tunnel.. 19: Cross road turn right Go up bank follow well-defined way-marked path. This eventually comes alongside a cemetery. Continue along path out on to road. 20: Turn left into Widney Road You've arrived at Widney Manor Road. Cross over (take care, but re is good visibility) turn right, walking up towards roundabout. 21: Carry straight on At roundabout turn left, n walk a short way down to crossroads where you turn left into Browns Lane. 22: As footpath splits from road... Crossing to footpath on right, carry straight ahead through no-entry signs continuing along Browns Lane. 23: Follow path Continue along footpath until pavement splits from road to right. Stay on road, watching for cars, take footpath across style on left, just after large tree. 24: Cross style on right The path stays to left of field eventually comes out on to a lane (Smiths Lane) across anor style. Turn left shortly you will see anor style on right. Page 3 of 7 Turning right off Smiths Lane across style, walk straight ahead following hedge on right h side of what looks a bit like someone's back garden.
25: Continue onwards 26: After you cross footbridge, turn right Continue walking straight on across a style eventually motorway will reveal itself, toger with a footbridge. Cross M42 via footbridge(!). As you come off footbridge, cross style ahead - ignore wooden bridge ahead turn right, though at time of writing it is not way marked. In principle footpath follows next to River Bly down to copse, but re is a well-used path along middle of field. 27: Continue onwards along right of copse 28: Go through into woods The path joins corner of copse. Carry straight on a kissing gate will appear at end of field. 29: Continue onwards The path n goes through woods. It continues for some distance, with River Bly sometimes alongside, sometimes 20 metres away, but always in sight. 30: on... The path breaks out of woods, but continue on in roughly same direction. 31:...eventually arriving at a footbridge. 32: turning back over bridge. You eventually arrive at a large footbridge with metal guard rails. Follow path up to bridge... 33: Path comes out into open parkl. The path follows Bly to right, but we will turn left back over bridge through park. 34: Continue onwards The pathway comes out into open parkl. Strike diagonally to far right, joining footpath/cycle way on or side of field. You can see nature centre on far side of park. Page 4 of 7 The path continues on, you follow it in roughly same direction.
35: Path splits 36: Out of park The main path n swings to left, you carry straight on passing between formal gardens. 37: Go to traffic lights The path n leads to main gates of park. Exit park turn right along road. 38: Continue up Hampton Lane Continue along road, crossing lights diagonally, first across Park Avenue n across Warwick Road. 39: Take cut through Walk up Hampton Lane, pausing briefly to ponder why bridge club on right needs such a large building car park, passing two culde-sacs on right. 40: Straight on at end of road As pavement narrows, re is a cut through on right, take this to Oakley Wood Drive. 41: Continue along Avenbury Drive The path continues alongside Avenbury Drive. At end of separated path, cross road to next gate go to main Solihull ByPass. 43: Cross several fields At end of road, a gated footpath can be seen carry straight on across along it. 42: Cross By-Pass with care, n straight along fields. Though traffic is busy fast moving, re is good visibility at crossing point, so patience will get you across road safely. Just to right of obvious footpath marker re is a gate to fields. 44: At end of field... The path continues through several fields, staying always to hedge on left, passing various redundant styles on way where hedges have been removed. Page 5 of 7 In last field you will see a wood at end. The path continues on left of field until gate after large tree in hedge on left. At gate, strike across field to far right corner.
45: Cross style 46: Emerge at farm. Cross style onto obvious path through woods. At time of writing path was partially obstructed by a fallen tree scramble around this as best you can. 47: Pass farm The path leaves wood. Bear to right a series of styles takes you past farm buildings, keeping farm on left. The vocal dog can be ignored, bark is bad, but I remain un-bitten so I cannot prove proverb. 48: Passing through rickety gate, continue on. Continue farm. past 49: Cross next field The next style can be seen, just ahead to right, into field. 50: Leave field The path crosses next field, take style just to right, n go straight across field, keeping parallel to fence on left. 51: Continue onwards Leaving field, cross a quiet lane, continue on in same direction, keeping to hedge on left. 52: Pass by metal fencing. The footpath crosses several fields, again staying to left h hedge, aside from where path passes obviously through middle of fields. 53: Take track to road The fields end path comes alongside a large metal fence. Continue along fence until path swings left. 54: Turn right over bridge The path joins unmade track which emerges out onto lane. Page 6 of 7 Go right over bridge immediately after bridge, on right, is access to tow path. Go to towpath turn right again.
55: Go under bridge 56: Walk along towpath. Assuming you are completing walk, go under bridge. 57: Cross road The tow path winds its way until it eventually comes to a wide ling area. After this, take path that splits off right from tow path up a gentle slope to bridge. 58: The Boat Inn. Cross road with extreme care re is very poor visibility this is something of a commuter rat run so traffic often passes at speed. Cross bridge to your left via footbridge. On or side of road, you will find Boat Inn, a large pub with food a beer garden. Take time to rest your legs whilst awaiting your rescuers. There is also a local store with drinks swiches if you prefer. Alternatively, you can get 192/194 bus back to Solihull (hourly service, not Sundays) n 40 bus or train back to Dorridge alighting at train station or Four Ashes Road (at roundabout passed in step 20, n walk along Four Ashes road back to Drum & Monkey). Alternative Return 1. Alternative Return 2. At step 55, you can turn left along Gr Union Canal head south to Knowle. This is a very pleasant canal-side walk, passing Copt Heath Wharf. You can cut across through Knowle at several points, depending on where you are returning to. To get to centre, take footbridge which is after motorway bridge around 3 more canal bridges. Following footpath along right of fields, this emerges onto Kixley Lane you can n get to Knowle centre going right. Anor alternative route is again to return along Gr Union Canal head south to Knowle. Leave at concrete bridge after motorway underpass, where you can take a footpath up on far side of bridge cross to farm buildings. This path leads through a culde-sac n across Warwick Road through Copt Heath Golf Club. This brings you out at top of Longdon Road, near Tilehouse Green Lane. Turn right re, n left to take you to Browns Lane where you can find your way back to Four Ashes, or turn left to go back towards Dorridge. Page 7 of 7