WAY back in 1870, the vicar of St James's Church at Birlingham, together with his sister, planted a number of snowdrop bulbs in the churchyard.

Tens of thousands of these lovely flowers now carpet the churchyard every January and February and people come from miles around to admire them.

Smaller numbers of winter aconites bloom alongside the snowdrops, though they have been flowering for a few weeks now and are past their best. The crocuses are still to come, and so are the primroses and other wild flowers which follow the snowdrops in this wonderful churchyard.

At this time of year, St James's is definitely the highlight of this walk, but there are plenty of other things to enjoy too.

Don't miss the superb parish map outside the village hall, opposite the church. This was created to mark the millennium and not only is it a work of art, it's also a valuable historical record. Not just the names of houses and streets, but also field names, which might otherwise be forgotten, are recorded on the map, and it's a rich source of information about the village.

The River Avon plays a large part in the walk. It meanders through the landscape in a series of loops, surrounding Birlingham on three sides. At Swan's Neck it turns a full 180 degrees. Additional interest is provided by the locks and weirs which make it navigable.

The area around Strensham lock is fun to explore, with a massive weir and long footbridges linking islands in the river. Bredon Hill provides a scenic backdrop.

There are more locks, weirs, footbridges and islands at Nafford, together with a memorial to Charles Douglas Barwell OBE, the founder of the Lower Avon Navigation Trust, which restored the navigation from Tewkesbury to Evesham between 1950 and 1962.

The Avon was first made navigable in 1639. It was a trade route then, but today it is used for leisure and is part of a popular cruising circuit, the Avon Ring.

This walk falls naturally into two loops so you can choose between doing both of them or just doing one of them.

The Eckington loop is one of a series of Avon Valley walks described in colourful, informative leaflets produced by the county council's countryside service. The leaflets should be available at the tourist information centre or the countryside centre.

DIRECTIONS

Cross the road from the picnic place to join the Eckington Wharf circular walk, which runs beside the Avon. It passes through more than a dozen fields before reaching Strensham Lock, where you leave the river to follow a track (Mill Lane) towards Eckington. But before joining the track, you might like to explore the lock and its surroundings. If you wish, you can cross to the west bank of the Avon by means of footbridges and a couple of islands. Altogether, this will add about half a mile to the length of the walk.

Returning to Mill Lane, follow it to Eckington, crossing the railway at a footbridge to reach the main road by the Bell Inn. If you're only doing the Eckington loop, turn left alongside the road to Eckington Wharf.

If you're doing the Birlingham loop as well, cross to Cotheridge Lane. You'll soon come to a junction, where you turn left on Jarvis Street, then immediately right on School Lane. Pass the school to reach a T-junction, and turn right on Hacketts Lane, which immediately bends left.

When you reach Upper End, take a ''no through road''' on the right, by The Cottage. At Upper End Farmhouse go straight on to the left of the house then through a green-painted gate on your left. Walk across a field to the far right corner then turn right on Nafford Road.

After about half a mile join a footpath on the left and follow it towards a house. After passing a log store, turn left and cross the Avon on a footbridge. Then cross a second channel at another bridge by Nafford Lock.

Beyond the lock, a path leads across Nafford Island to another footbridge, after which you turn left along a field edge on what soon becomes a clearly defined track leading to Lower End at Birlingham.

Turn right at a junction by a pumping station, left at the next junction, then soon right on a track which passes to the left of a terrace of houses. Continue along a well-trodden path to another lane. Turn right past Hall Farm Manor then go left on a footpath as the lane ends at Hall Farm.

Pass a barn and and then turn right on a field-edge track. Turn left when you come to a T-junction, on a track which leads to a lane. Turn left into Birlingham, walk to the church and again turn left. Keep straight on at a junction by the war memorial, following the road for a third of a mile.

After passing a thatched cottage, turn right at a sign indicating a link path to the Eckington Wharf circular walk. Simply follow the frequent waymarkers to return across riverside meadows to Eckington Wharf.

FACTFILE

Start: Eckington Wharf picnic place, next to Eckington Bridge on the B4080 south of Pershore; grid ref SO923423.

Length: full walk 61/2 miles/10.5km; Eckington loop 31/2 miles/5.6km; Birlingham loop 4 miles/6.5km.

Maps: OS Explorer 190, OS Landranger 150.

Terrain: flat farmland, mostly pasture; very muddy in places.

Paths: excellent, with one exception, but no significant problems.

Stiles: none on the Eckington loop, three on the Birlingham loop.

Parking: Eckington Wharf picnic place.

Buses: Aston's 382 to the Bell Inn; Traveline 0870 608 2608 or www.traveline.org.uk

Refreshments: Eckington and Birlingham.

PLEASE NOTE: This walk has been carefully checked and the directions are believed to be accurate at the time of publication. No responsibility is accepted by either the author or publisher for errors or omissions, or for any loss or injury, however caused.