From Church to School via the River Severn

From church continue down lane, cross motorway bridge and then stone bridge over Bushley Brook. Turn left at footpath sign just after stone bridge, go past isolated  stile and through gate. Cross to corner of buildings and then go right  close to buildings  to top of hill through two more gates to a school car park and rejoin school drive. Continue past two bungalows on your left and in 50yds further on turn left to large metal gate in fence. Go through and bear half right across paddock to stile with wood on left. Continue across centre of field to reach field track and gate/stile into old orchard. Cross orchard to gate and proceed towards a fine avenue of trees. Continue through trees and keeping fence on left come to a hunting gate into wood (Mossgreen Shrubbery). Continue uphill in same direction  through wood and out onto road through ornamental gates. Ahead can be seen the tower of Tewkesbury Abbey. Go down road for ¼ mile. Just before an open barn on right turn sharp left at footpath sign along track to river Severn. Turn right to follow river on your left..

The walk now follows the Severn Way along the right bank of the Severn. On reaching Mythe Bridge follow signs to go right of house and cross over the A438 road at traffic lights. [NB The apparent path through the arches under the road at Mythe bridge has been in dispute for many years and should not be used.] (A) Mythe Bridge carries the A438 across the River Severn at Tewkesbury. It is a cast iron arch bridge spanning 170 feet (52m) and 24 feet (7.3m) wide, designed by Thomas Telford and completed in April 1826. Across the river, just after the bridge, can be seen the large water treatment works which had to be closed down during the 2007 floods. It has since been protected by a large bund to isolate it from the river and flood plain. Rejoin the river path and continue along the Severn Way to meet a track from your right at Upper Lode. Continue forward past the lock at Upper Lode, over a river bridge and follow the Severn Way to the narrow access road to the hotel at Lower Lode.

Pass hotel and walk on the road for about ¾ mile, initially following river on your left and then bearing right along the road to reach a crossing footpath and fingerpost.  Turn right onto footpath and cross small park in a north east direction to gateway a little to the left of Forthampton Court. (B)  Forthampton was one of the foundation gifts to Tewkesbury Abbey in 1102, and had probably been church property from the 8th century. Until the Dissolution it was used by the abbots as a country retreat, and a great hall was built probably in the 15th century, which still exists at the core of the house. Continue along driveway leading to Home Farm. Just before reaching farm follow track curving left to with farm buildings set back on your right. On your left head across middle of field towards gate and stile in dip by large oak tree. Go over stile and proceed uphill to stile in right hand corner behind old oak. Continue across next field to small house in front of wood.

Continue with house on right downhill to farm gate and stile gate onto track. Follow track (which leads to Forthampton village) for about ½ mile, passing Alcock’s Farm on right and Elm Cottage on left. Now take first turn on right down access road to proceed past two black and white houses on left as far as right hand bend in track and farm gate to your front. Turn left at footpath sign and in 30 yards go over stile into field. Immediately turn right and head up field past two oaks to stile by gate at far right hand end. Then proceed with wood on right to stile. Over stile, emerge onto A438 Ledbury-Tewkesbury Road. Turn right and in 150 yards cross road and go over stile by farm gate on your left into field. Climb field diagonally half right to stile in far corner. In next field follow wood on your left to stile on your left into wood. Proceed forward along a broad pathin wood for 200 yards. Where paths cross, turn right to edge of wood by stile. Staying in wood, turn left with fence on right, then over stile into field. Proceed diagonally right across corner of field to two gaps in hedge, including one into a scrapyard. Bear right onto track through scrapyard, through a gate, then past a bungalow on right to lane T junction. Turn left along lane and in 400 yards join the Bushley road. Turn left along road and walk into Bushley Green with its large village green and cricket pitch.

On the green follow the right hand track to the houses. Just before last two houses turn right along track to stile and continue with hedge on left towards strip of woodland. Cross this strip through two hunting gates and proceed past large dead tree downhill to stile in wire fence. Cross field heading to stile onto Bredon School drive. (C) Bredon School was origiinally called Pull Court. Pull Court, the home of the Dowdeswell family, was built in 1836–9 by Canon E. C. Dowdeswell on the site of an older house, described as ancient in 1628. It stands in a well-wooded park at the north end of the parish of Bushley, and is a large and picturesque stone building in the Elizabethan style with curved gables and square-headed mullioned windows, erected on three sides of a court,with stone screen and gateway opposite the hall. Turn right towards school and follow driveway through school playing fields and past two bungalows on your right to reach school car park on your right that you passed through at the start of the walk. Go through car park and pedestrian gate, and cross two small fields downhill to farm buildings on your left. Round farm buildings, cross stile and rejoin lane leading to school that you used earlier. Turn right on this lane , go over Bushley Brook and follow lane uphill and over motorway back to Queenhill Churchand your cars.