Delightful route that's set in stone

walk is the underlying red sandstone, because it is this that has shaped the landscape and given it so much of its present character.

This is seen not only in sandstone outcrops and cliffs but also in the acid, sandy soil which reminds us that much of this area was once covered by heathland, patches of which survive at nearby Habberley Valley and Kinver Edge.

Many of the local bridleways owe their character to the sandstone. They are ancient green lanes cut deep into the soft stone by generations of feet, hooves and cartwheels.

Fringed by bracken, oak and holly, they weave boldly through the farmed landscape, offering a tangible link with the past, resonant with a sense of history and continuity, something which is rarely apparent when walking bland field paths.

The sandstone used to be quarried to provide building stone for houses - and some people lived actually within the cliffs themselves.

On Sladd Lane, opposite the turning for Drakelow Manor, you will see cave homes, complete with doors, windows and chimneys.

There are some more above the Worcestershire Way between Drakelow and Solcum Farm, and in Wolverley. The caves were made during the Industrial Revolution for workers at a nearby ironworks.

Wolverley's caves provide quite a contrast to some of the other village houses, such as The Court House, as sophisticated an example of Victorian Gothic as you'll find for miles around. Altogether, Wolverley is a fascinating and strangely under-rated village, full of quirky character.

North of Wolverley, the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal is bordered by tree-covered sandstone cliffs which provide just the right backdrop to a classic canalscape at Debdale, complete with lock, cottage and bridge - and another cave.

The walk also passes Bodenham Arboretum, which is open daily until 21 December, and then at weekends only from 27 December until next March.

DIRECTIONS

n Walk along Sladd Lane for 400m then take a bridleway on the right, which is also the driveway to Drakelow Manor. Turn left by Summerhill Barn then follow the bridleway round to the right, ignoring a footpath branching left. Take the next footpath on the left, just as you reach Drakelow Lane.

Go past Cinder House then left by Woodvale. Cross a field to the far side, keeping to the left of rising ground. Cross a footbridge and continue to Sladd Lane. Join the Worcestershire Way and walk through a caravan park to the far side.

Turn left along a lane for a few paces then take to the fields. Keep to the well-trodden Worcestershire Way, ignoring branching paths and crossing the arboretum access road. Eventually, you will meet a bridleway - turn right here, leaving the Worcestershire Way.

The bridleway runs through patchy woodland before crossing the arboretum access road, after which it descends through more woodland to a lane. Turn right, still on the bridleway, adjacent to the lane. (After 100m a branching path provides further access to the arboretum.)

Turn right when the bridleway joins the lane. After a further 200m, take a footpath on the left and very soon turn right. Turn left when you come to a lane, then soon left again, rejoining both Sladd Lane and the Worcestershire Way.

Keep straight on at two junctions, crossing Drakelow Lane at the second one. Walk past industrial premises, through woodland, past more caves and eventually past Solcum Farm to meet a lane.

Turn left over a stile, along a field edge and into Kingsford Forest Park. Descend through plantation to meet a track and turn right, leaving the Worcestershire Way. When you reach Blakeshall House turn left, then left again on a track which leads to a lane.

Turn left for 150m then take a bridleway on the right. Follow it to a lane and turn left for a few paces to find a footpath which leads across two fields and then down through woodland to the River Stour. Turn left to meet a road and turn right into Cookley.

Take a footpath on the right just after the Titan factory and then join the canal towpath, turning right towards Wolverley. Stay on the towpath as you pass The Lock, a canalside pub on the B4189. After a further 400m, turn right to cross the River Stour at a footbridge. Cross a field, walk past houses and follow an access road to the B4190. Turn right and cross the B4189 to a narrow lane leading to Wolverley village.

Take the first footpath on the left, just after Wolverhill. Proceed to Drakelow Lane and turn left. After Bay Horse Farm take a bridleway on the left which crosses a brook then passes a farmhouse before meeting Sladd Lane. Turn left to the crossroads.

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.

FACTFILE

Start: The Green, Inkberrow, grid ref SP014572.

Length: 61/2 miles/10.5km.

Maps: OS Explorers 204/205, OS Landranger 150.

Terrain: Farmland, mostly pasture, no hills.

Paths: A mix of poor, adequate and good. One path is obstructed by an electric fence; other paths have not been reinstated after ploughing.

Stiles: Nine.

Parking: Inkberrow.

Buses: Harding's/Dudley's 350 Worcester to Redditch via Inkberrow, Mondays to Saturdays; Traveline 0870 608 2608 or www.traveline.org.uk

Refreshments: Inkberrow.