Start: Bell Lane, Studley, B80 7AR Grid Ref: SP073 639
(S/E) Park on the roadside near Bell Lane, Studley. Walk down Bell Lane to reach the T-junction with Castle Road. Go directly across the road to walk between the bollards and then along Gunners Lane between houses.
(1) At the end of the road (cul-de-sac) go left to enter a narrow passageway between a wooden fence and hedge. Emerging from the passageway take the wooden kissing gate on the right then go ahead following the river on your left. Shortly the river bends sharp left. Continue towards the church and take the footbridge across the River Arrow. Go through a kissing gate to a lane.
Go left for 50 paces then turn right into the churchyard. The attractive Church of The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary was built in 1105. Go right past the front door of the church and cross the churchyard diagonally to exit by the wooden gate to the lane.
(2) Ignore the footpath opposite, and instead go left on the lane then take the metal gate 60 paces ahead where you will have joined the Arden Way. Continue along a wide grassy track between hedges. Shortly the track narrows and continues gently uphill. Keep straight ahead passing the side of Studley Castle Warner Centre.
(3) Go ahead across the driveway to the Castle then past greenhouses and then Wig House on your right. Immediately after passing under power lines take the metal gate on right into the field and walk parallel to the power lines over the field crossing under them towards the end. Exit the field by the metal gate to a track then go right along the track. After a short while, the track veers to the right by a way post. Leave the track here and continue ahead on the Arden Way with a hedge left.
(4) Stay ahead to take the metal gate into the next field and go slightly right walking beneath power lines to exit into the next field via the small metal gate at the corner of an orchard. Continue gently uphill alongside power lines keeping the orchard on your right.
At the brow of the hill continue on to take the next metal gate ahead. Stay forward keeping close to the hedge right. Ignore two gaps right and approx 30 paces before the field corner take two metal gates on right (hidden in the hedge) into another field.
(5) Go diagonally right to walk across the field between a line of four large trees finding a small metal gate to exit the field. Stay forward to take a kissing gate into the next field. Go left along the edge of the field keeping the fence and hedge left to eventually take a kissing gate at top of the field. Go right after the gate keeping the hedge right and heading up towards the building ahead. There is an attractive lake to your right.
(6) Take the corner kissing gate into the gravel area of Manor Farm and almost immediately take the further waymarked kissing gate to cross the paddock area diagonally and exit via the kissing gate at the top corner just in front of a modern style farmhouse. Stay ahead to take the kissing gate to the track passing the house ( Spring Cottage ) on your left to reach the road.
(7) Turn right on lane, initially passing Orchard House, for about 1/3rd mile to reach a road junction. Turn right and when you reach the crossroads continue straight over in the direction of Shelfield and Wootton Wawen eventually to pass under power lines. As the lane gently rises, go past a way marked footpath on left and continue gently uphill shortly to find a way marked metal gate on right.
(8) Here we join the Millennium Way and share this part of the route with both the Arden Way and the Heart of England Way. ( You will be guided by the distinctive black Millennium Way waymarkers). Once though the gate go 1/2 left through a small copse and then emerging into the field turn right.
Go uphill along the field edge with the hedge right. The path gets gradually steeper but soon flattens out. At the top of the rise take the gap right to go over the only stile on this walk and then immediately turn left to follow with the fence left to take the gate into Bannam's Wood.
(9) Follow the path as it winds ahead through the very attractive wood. The path through the wood is waymarked in various places, but the footpath is easy to follow. Stay ahead where a path goes off to the right. The woodland path winds downhill veering left onto an old rough track to reach a gate to the road.
(10) Here we leave the Arden Way & Heart of England Way and turn right up the road to continue on the Millennium Way. Where the wood ends continue along the road to pass under power lines and keep a sharp look out for a waymarked gate hidden in the hedge on the left.
Take the gate and continue along the edge of the field with the hedge right. At the field corner take metal gate then go diagonally left across next field to exit via wooden gate. Go right on a wide grassy way parallel with power lines on the far left and stay forward to the brow of the hill ahead.
At the brow go down the slope to the bottom to take the wooden gate adjacent to the start of the hedge. Go ahead with hedge right to exit via corner gap then continue with hedge right to exit next field via corner gap. Go diagonally left on an ill defined line heading towards an oak tree to the right of a pole with an old rusty transformer.
(11) On reaching the field edge, with a hidden waymark post, turn left for 30 paces and then proceed slightly left down grassy track towards a pylon, past a house with skylights (often with securely contained barking dogs) to find large pylon with overhead cables.
When you draw level with a large pylon do not continue to the road, but go right between a wooden fence and the hedge right to find the metal gate. Take a gate and cross the driveway to take a further gate. Go ahead, eventually to pass under power lines to the right of the pylon and past a solitary waypost to far corner going through sometimes very muddy passage to find metal gate.
(12) Take the gate (here we leave the Millennium Way) and go diagonally right to pass between two large trees then through a narrow corner gap. Continue on with the wire fence and stream on your right. At the field corner take the metal kissing gate and go right down the track.
After a few yards you will notice on your far right the Studley Castle Warner Centre. Stay on the track which eventually swings right to a large gap on left. Take a gap and go forward to follow the yellow waymarker directly ahead rising gently to a brow where you pass a couple of trees and a small low-lying pond (heavily overgrown with reeds) on your right.
(13) Continue past the pond and the path gently descends to a gap with solitary waymarker pointing forwards. Follow the Heart of England Forest sign with the hedge left (behind the hedge is the old footpath!). Stay along the path to take the wooden gate into the graveyard and exit by another gate to the lane.
(2) Go left on lane following round right at the corner to continue past the church on your right. Stay on lane to reach a road junction. Go left on Hardwick Lane and a little way ahead where the lane turns sharp left go straight on through a metal kissing gate and take the left hand path going diagonally left across the field. (Here you are crossing the remains of an old priory - note the typical ridge and furrow topography).
Take the metal kissing gate in the field corner and stay diagonally left across next field eventually meeting and continuing to follow the River Arrow on your left.
(14) Shortly we need to take the metal kissing gate left and the bridge across the river now walking along a fenced path with the river right. The path soon swings sharp left and continues with tall conifer hedge on left to reach a kissing gate.
Take the gate to reach surfaced track and go right to reach the main road in Studley opposite the Barley Mow pub. Turn left along the main road which soon brings you back to your starting point opposite The Bell Inn. (S/E)
