Start: The Throckmorton pub, Coughton. Postcode B49 5HX. Start Grid Ref: SP049 608
(S/E) Turn right out of "The Throckmorton" pub car park and cross the very busy A435. Walk down (South) the path for 400 yards, joining the Millennium Way which comes in from the left by a cottage. Pass the car entrance to Coughton Court, then see the fine view of Coughton Court on your left, to reach the crossroads a few yards past the pedestrian crossing (where the Millennium Way leaves us).
(1) Turn left (East) down Coughton Fields Lane to pass the coach entrance to Coughton Court and Throckmorton Catholic Church on left after 250 yards. Coughton Court has been the home of the Throckmorton family since 1409. It holds a unique place in English history with its close connections to the Gunpowder Plot of 1605. See our Points of Interest below. Continue along the lane to bear right to then cross the ford via a footbridge.
(2) Once across the footbridge cross directly over and take the wide track opposite, past the " farm access no parking" sign. You are now on The Arden Way. Continue ahead on this wide track for well over a mile. The track rises gently towards an old barn on your left. Ignore the track to the barn and stay ahead on the main track with hedge right to continue gently uphill. Keep ahead along the uneven muddy track until you reach the road.
(3) Turn right at the road and after 50 paces turn left down the lane signposted Shelfield Green. Continue along the lane for nearly half a mile and at a sharp right hand bend take the footpath left to Mutton Farm, through a metal gate (signed Bridleway and Heart of England Way).
The track rises gently to pass the southern tip of Alne Wood on your left. Near the top of the track ignore footpath left and keep ahead to pass in front of the renovated Mutton Barn.
(4) Go through a gated gap immediately ahead keeping close to the hedge right and pass under power lines. Bear slightly right (North-East) through the gated gap to enter the woodland path, then follow the Heart of England Way to continue down the woodland track, which can be muddy.
Emerging from the woodland, stay ahead on the path with the woodland on your left. When you reach a solitary way post, go 20 paces further then take the metal kissing gate left signed Arden Way and Heart of England Way.
(5) Entering the large field go diagonally half left (North-North-West) towards the top left hand corner near dwellings and exit via the metal kissing gate to a lane. Here we leave the Heart of England Way and go left. Continue past a thatched cottage right, called The Cote.
(6) Walk a further 230 yards downhill and take a partially hidden footpath right up steps and through the gap, (waypost damaged & lying on the ground) then turn left to walk with a hedge left parallel with the road to reach the corner of the field. Ignore the gate to the road in the corner of the field and stay in same field, turning right and go with the hedge left to find and take the waymarked path left through a metal kissing gate and go ahead towards the wood.
(7) Go through another metal kissing gate ahead and over a small footbridge maintaining the line ahead on a central path towards the edge of the wood to find a waypost and then a track. Follow the track round to the right keeping the wood right and continue to reach a gap where gate has been removed.
Go through the gap then diagonally left across field (waymark arrow points too far left) keeping to the edge of the young plantation. As you get closer to the hedge, stay along with hedge left to take hidden footbridge in dip (be careful here) and metal gate left.
Continue ahead with wood left and on reaching a road cross over, taking footpath directly ahead, to cross a small broken stone footbridge over a stream then continue through what is sometimes extremely muddy scrubland and under power lines. Continue to the far left corner to find a metal gate (just before the gate, a ditch bridge has collapsed & is awaiting repair so take great care when crossing over). Here we join the Millennium Way and you will be guided from here by our distinctive black and white waymarkers.
(8) Go left through the gate keeping the hedge left continuing back under power lines to exit by the wooden gate. Go ahead into the garden of the house and stay ahead with the hedge left and pond right to exit the garden by the gate just to the left of the main entrance gate.
Emerge from this gate at a junction of several tracks. With your back to the gate, go ahead veering slightly right to go up the steepest of the grassy tracks keeping tall hedge with oak trees on your right and young plantation left. Continue up with the hedge right, ignoring two wide gaps right, to narrow the corner gap at top of field.
Take gap and go forward uphill for 40 paces when you will see twin electricity poles in mid field ahead. Continue to the summit passing just to the right of these twin poles and stay forward to take a gate in the corner near two large trees.
(9) Go ahead with the wire fence right to walk downhill and take the metal gate ahead. Continue downhill with hedge right to take another metal gate then follow down between wooden fence and hedge passing to rear of cottages. This very narrow path is often quite overgrown and tricky. Having turned left reach and take the corner metal gate, then go forward a few yards to take the next metal kissing gate and turn right onto the road. Follow the road for 250 yards to take the first surfaced lane on left.
(10) Pass the former Church of St. Leonard's Spernall and go through wooden kissing gate on your right. Go ahead across the field with the fence right to reach the metal gate to a metal footbridge over River Arrow. Continue ahead keeping the riverbank left into the narrowing of field, past the Millennium Way waypost, to take kissing gate ahead.
Go half right across the next field to the corner, by a half dead oak, to find gate. Take the gate, turn immediately right with hedge right and a fence on your left.
(11) Go a short distance to the field corner, stay in the field but turn left in front of gate and go with hedge right walking towards Coughton Court ahead. On reaching the next corner take the kissing gate turning right into the next field for a short distance to take another kissing gate.
Then, go half left across the field towards the cottages on the far side to exit by the kissing gate to emerge on to the main road where we leave the Millennium Way by turning right, to bring you back to your start point at "The Throckmorton" for some welcome refreshment. (S/E)
