Bidford-on-Avon

Two long-distance paths pass through it – the Heart of England Way and Shakespeare’s Avon Way – as well as the much shorter Avon River Walk (previously known as Avon Valley Footpath), which links it with Stratford-on-Avon and with the hamlet of Marlcliff, just downstream.

This walk includes Marlcliff, along with the tiny Warwickshire villages of Barton and Dorsington.

It also includes Cleeve Prior, a large and relatively unspoilt Worcestershire village with beautiful houses built from the local stone. It’s well worth taking the time to explore Cleeve Prior thoroughly.

Much of the local landscape is intensively farmed but one man with a passion for trees has transformed part of it. This is Felix Dennis, who served a short prison term after the notorious Oz trial of 1971. He later became a hugely successful publisher and poet, and the owner of Dorsington Manor. He has created an arboretum and extensive woodlands, along with several permissive footpaths, though these are available only to local people. Nevertheless, there is plenty for visiting walkers confined to public footpaths to enjoy: many hedges and field margins have been allowed to grow, greatly enhancing their wildlife value, as well as their visual appeal, and there is a lovely conservation area next to the Heart of England Way between Barton and Dorsington. With its woods, meadows and wetlands, it gives us an idea of how the area would have looked before the days of large-scale drainage systems and intensive farming.

In Cleeve Prior, the Cleeve Prior Heritage Trust and the Millennium Green Trust are also working hard on behalf of the environment.

Visitors are welcome to explore the Millennium Green, where about 1,000 native trees and shrubs were planted 10 years ago. There are wildflower meadows too, and a wonderful community orchard, half of which has full public access.

The other half is accessible on special open days.

FACT FILE

Start: Bidford Bridge, Bidford-on- Avon, near Alcester, grid ref SP099517.

Length: Seven-and-a-half miles/12km.

Maps: OS Explorer 205, OS Landrangers 150/151.

Terrain: Pasture and arable, no hills.

Footpaths: It’s hard to fault the Warwickshire paths. The Worcestershire ones are excellent at Cleeve Prior, but poor at Bickmarsh. The path between Fox Covert and Honeybourne Road is overgrown towards the end, and has no waymarking at junctions. The path which skirts the airfield and caravan park is truly atrocious, so overgrown that it would be impossible to believe it's a right of way if it were not for the occasional waymarks.

Stiles: One.

Parking: Car park on south side of Bidford Bridge.

Public transport: On Sundays, Diamond 166 to Stratford serves Bidford direct from Worcester; on weekdays go by bus (First 550/551) or train to Evesham and change to First 247 or Stagecoach 28; alternatively, go by Redditch – Diamond 350 direct from Worcester, or First services X3/142/143 from Stourport-on- Severn, Kidderminster and Bromsgrove, then First 247; worcestershire.gov.uk/bustimetables or 01905 765765.

Refreshments: Pubs, shops, restaurants and a tea room at Bidford; Cottage of Content at Barton; Kings Arms at Cleeve Prior; cafe at Bickmarsh Airfield.

DIRECTIONS

1 Begin by joining a well-trodden path (Avon River Walk/Shakespeare’s Avon Way/Heart of England Way) on the east side of Bidford Bridge and follow it across fields to meet a road at Barton. Turn right, then soon left on a track at Owlets End.

Keep straight on at a junction– this is still on the Heart of England Way. It’s more than a mile to the next junction, where you again keep straight on, leaving the Heart of England Way, which turns right (OS maps show it going straight on, so be guided by the waymarking instead). Turn right when you meet a road and continue to walk into Dorsington.

2 Turn right, rejoining the Heart of England Way, and soon turn right again between Old School House and Old Manor Lodge Cottages. Keep straight on at a junction, leaving the Heart of England Way, which turns right.

Keep straight on at all subsequent junctions, walking to the left of the hedge ahead when the track bends right to Bickmarsh Hall.

3 Cross Honeybourne Road, turn right on the grass verge and then take a path at the entrance to Buckle House. The path leaves the driveway almost immediately and passes to the right of the house. It starts badly and soon gets much worse after it leaves the house behind and continues along the edge of a caravan park and airfield.

It is in appalling condition, but it is possible to get through. Eventually, emerging on the airfield, continue in the same direction. At the end of the airfield, fight your way through a thicket into a field (or find an easier way through further to the left) and keep to the edge through more fields. Do stay close to the edge or you will struggle to find an overgrown plank-footbridge which crosses a brook. Keep straight on at a junction by a more substantial bridge and keep your eyes to the ground for a while after passing this bridge so as to avoid falling in a concealed ditch.

4 Meeting Hoden Lane, turn right and walk to Cleeve Prior. Turn right onto Cleeve Road then take a path almost opposite the Kings Arms. It leads to the churchyard and a waymarked path junction.

Keep straight on past the church and then walk across several fields, following a very well-trodden route and ignoring branching paths, to eventually meet a track at Marlcliff. Turn left to the River Avon and follow the riverside path to Bidford.

Your Worcester News recommends the use of OS Explorer Maps, your ideal passport to navigating the countryside. This walk is based on OS Explorer 205.