A pub walk in Shrawley
basil | 8/4/2006 | 1:58 pmA 6-mile walk through the woods from The New Inn Shrawley.
Park your car at the rear of the New Inn, (there is a small charge if you do not use the pubs facilities)
Cross the main road to a narrow lane opposite the pub, this takes you into Shrawley wood, follow the waymarked track. There is a number of paths but keep left and soon you will be on the steep banks of Dick Brook.
Walk until you reach a seat with inscription, nearby are steeping stones, cross the brook here, if you are brave, otherwise following the track to a metal footbridge further downstream.
Cross the bridge bearing right and rejoin the track skirting Lower Astley wood, passing a small pool on your right and an abandoned rusty hulk, until you reach a unmarked leafy track on your left leading up into Woodland.
Walk up through the wood and upon emerging you will meet another path, turn right onto a track following this across a field passing the rear of the vineyards and eventually joining lane to main road.
Walk left for a few yards before crossing busy road to entrance drive to Solhampton Farm.
Follow the drive to the farm, pass buildings then through a gate, passing fishing lakes bearing right to follow waymarked bridleway. At junction turn right along bridleway with another fishing lake on your right, until reaching sunken track leading to Old School house drive. Walk along drive until meeting lane, turn left along lane leading to Astley church.
Past bungalows on left look for grassy drive to a galvanised pedestrian gate crossing pony paddock, with church on your right reaching another metal gate.
Follow path passing down through a deep rocky chasm through Newbridge coppice eventually to brick bridge crossing Dick Brook. Follow wooded path to reach a track through crops with Glasshampton Monastery on the right.
When reaching driveway turn left until reaching the junction with another drive on your right.
Follow this until reaching a waymarked track through gateway, that leads down to Nuttall pool.
With fishing pool on your right, look for a waymark arrow fastened to a tree on your left, and follow another wooded path, passing yet another fishing pool up to cultivated land (there usually is a clear path through crops).
Following path through field gate or footpath metal gate further up the bank (if you can see it in the brambles). The footpath though is clearly visible along top of bank ignoring first stile on your right, to another stile near farm gate at edge of wood.
Follow path with wood on you left, passing through a farm gate and waymarked path passing through pedestrian gates near Bonefields farm. When reaching farm driveway turn right and walk along to join a lane to your starting point at the New Inn Carpark.
