Milford near Stafford to Bourton-on-the-Water
160km/100 miles
Signed
A green route across the West Midlands linking Cannock Chase in Staffordshire with the Cotswolds, running to the east of Birmingham. Generally gentle walking through low-lying country with woodlands, canals and agricultural land, taking in Lichfield, Kingsbury Water Park, the well-wooded landscapes of the Forest of Arden, the Avon Valley, the Vale of Evesham and Chipping Campden.
The route was originally proposed by Alcester Civic Society in 1971 as a link between Lichfield and Chipping Campden, and devised with the help of local walkers' groups including the Ramblers. The first guidebook was published in 1979, and the route was finally recognised by the local authorities, supported by the Countryside Commission, in the late 1980s. The Heart of England Way Association coordinates the route and organises voluntary path wardens (see below).
Most of the route forms a section of European Path E2.
The connecting Arden Way, a 41.5km/26-mile circular walk via Henley-in-Arden, Ulcester and Ullenhall, also devised by the Heart of England Way Association, explores the attractive countryside around the Forest of Arden.
Public Transport
- Rail. Stafford, easily reached from Milford, is on the West Coast Main Line with services to London Euston, Crewe, Manchester, Liverpool, Preston, Lancaster, Carlisle and Glasgow, as well as local services to Wolverhampton, Walsall, Birmingham and Coventry. Lichfield has regular services to Birmingham and Redditch, and some direct services to Stafford and Coventry. Lapworth, walkable from Kingswood Junction, has trains to Birmingham, Warwick, Leamington Spa, Banbury and London Marylebone. Henley in Arden has services to Stratford upon Avon, Birmingham and Stourbridge. Birmingham is a rail hub from which most destinations in the West Midlands and in the rest of Britain can be reached. Moreton in Marsh (walkable from Bourton on the Hill) has services to London Paddington, Oxford, Worcester and Hereford.
- Bus. There are bus connections at Milford, Lichfield, Drayton Bassett, Kingsbury, Meriden, Berkswell, Balsall Common, Chadwick End, Lapworth, Henley in Arden, Alcester, Bidford on Avon, Mickleton, Chipping Campden (see Cotswold Way), Blockley, Bourton on the Hill, Longborough, Lower Swell and Bourton on the Water. For details of connections and through ticketing with Thames Trains on the Cotswold section see Transport: Southwest England.
The Arden Way has buses at Alcester, Coughton, Studley, Aston Cantlow and various other points.
See West Midlands for further general information. For enquiry lines, see Public Transport for Walkers.
Publications
- The Heart of England Way by John Roberts, 6th edition, ISBN 0 947708 40 5. Walkways £7.50 + p&p. Order here! Route guide, sketch maps and accommodation list.
- Heart of England Way by Richard Sale, ISBN 1 85410 538 8. Aurum £12.99
Detailed guide with OS 1:25,000 map extracts - Heart of England Way Accommodation Leaflet by Heart of England Way Association. Order here! or from Walkways.
- The Arden Way, map/leaflet £1.65 from the Heart of England Way Association Sales, 99 Alcester Road, Hollywood, Birmingham B47 5NR
Contacts
Regions
Local authorities
Connecting routes
Parks and countryside
Maps
- Explorer OL45, 205, 219, 220, 221, 232, 244 (205 and 220 include Arden Way)
- Landranger 127, 128, 139, 140, 150, 151, 163
Route is shown on maps.
More about maps
Visitor information
Accommodation
