Harvington

This moated manor house was built in the Middle Ages and rebuilt during the reign of Elizabeth I by Humphrey Pakington. Some rooms still contain Elizabethan wall paintings, despite the house becoming almost derelict in the 19th century, before it was bought in 1923 by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Birmingham and carefully restored.

The Pakingtons were Catholics at a time when it was illegal to practice the religion in England and Harvington Hall has an amazing collection of ingenious priest holes where Catholics could hide from the authorities, if necessary.

The hall is set in lovely gardens enclosed by a moat and features an 18th century malt house which has been restored with the help of the Heritage Lottery Fund. It now functions as a visitor centre, with some interesting displays.

The hall is open to the public – but not every day – so if you want to visit do check first at harvingtonhall.com or on 01562 777846.

FACT FILE

Start: Harvington, a village on the A450 Stourbridge Road east of Kidderminster, grid ref SO874746.

Length: Seven miles/11.km.

Maps: OS Explorer 219, OS Landranger 139.

Terrain: Pasture, arable, woodland; mostly flat with just one very small hill.

Footpaths: Mostly excellent, but one path is badly overgrown (though easily bypassed by using the adjacent field edge). Waymarking is patchy and in places this seems to be because work is currently underway replacing stiles with gates and new waymarks are not yet in place. However, elsewhere, waymarking has been a longstanding problem.

Stiles: 15.

Parking: Harvington.

Public transport: Go to either Kidderminster (train or bus 295/303) or Droitwich (train or 144) and take the 133, which links the two by way of Harvington; the X3 (334 on Sundays) is also useful – it travels along the A448 between Kidderminster and Bromsgrove and if you get off at Stone it’s only a fiveminute walk to join the route described; worcestershire.gov.uk/ bustimetables or 01905 765765.

Refreshments: Dog Inn at Harvington and café at Harvington Hall.

DIRECTIONS

1 Take a footpath which leaves Stourbridge Road (A450) by Forge Cottage, which is next to the bus stop south of Park Lane. Once you’ve passed the cottage, the path is easily followed to Harvington Hall. Then walk along Park Lane until it bends left, soon after you’ve passed the end of the moat.

Leave the lane for a track on the right, at an open gateway. Despite the lack of a signpost, or any waymarking, this is a right of way.

Follow the track to a junction where, as if to make up for the earlier lack of signage, a post bears no fewer than 10 waymark arrows.

Go straight on, joining the Monarch’s Way, which is easily followed across several fields to Woodrow Lane.

2 Leaving the Monarch’s Way, turn right, then soon left on a footpath. This coincides with a driveway at first but soon takes to the fields, continuing in much the same direction to meet Tandy’s Lane. Turn right, ignoring a footpath on the right. Turn left at the next junction, signed to Hill Pool, then shortly take a footpath on the right. Follow it to a Tjunction, turn left down steps then follow waymarks past a house and to the right, into woodland. Turn left when you come to a junction, then left again to cross a footbridge. Join a driveway by Stable Cottage and turn left to rejoin the lane.

3 Turn right, then left on a footpath after Parkside Cottage.

Walk through the valley of Barnett Brook. When the path forks, just after a stile, go to the left, closer to the brook. Shortly cross a footbridge and turn right. Proceed to Stourbridge Road and turn right, then cross to Sandy Lane.

Re-join the Monarch’s Way on the right after about 400m and climb Barnett Hill. Cross a stile at the top and turn left on a bridleway.

Follow it to Sandy Lane and turn left, leaving the Monarch’s Way once again. Then, after about 250m turn right on another bridleway. Pass several paddocks then take a footpath on the left, which leads to a junction in a wooded dingle. At that point turn right. Once you have left the trees behind, continue in roughly the same direction across a field to Deansford Lane and then turn right.

4 Pass Deansford Barn then take a bridleway on the left. Follow it to a wood, on the slopes of Mount Segg. After entering the wood and crossing a brook, turn right on a footpath. Walk the length of the wood, then carry on along a track, passing two houses. Shortly after passing the second house you’ll see a gate on the left. The top of it is wreathed with barbed wire and there is no waymarking. Don’t let this put you off. Pass through the gate and go to the far left corner of a field. Cross a stile and walk through a wood. On emerging from the wood, go through a gate and turn left. Go through the next gate on the right and follow a welldefined path. At the end of it go through a gate and climb a stile on the right. Proceed to another stile and cross it to a junction.

5 Turn right on a path badly overgrown by nettles and hogweed. Descend into woodland, cross a brook and go uphill to enter a field. Turn left along the edge.

After going through a gate, continue in the same direction until you see a footbridge below, partially hidden by a large willow tree. Cross the bridge, go up a bank and then diagonally right to meet the road by the Dog Inn at Harvington.

Worcester News recommends the use of OS Explorer Maps, your ideal passport to navigating the countryside. This walk is based on OS Explorer 219.