Start : This circular starts from the 15th Century church of St John the Baptist in the centre of the lovely town of Henley in Arden. You start actually on the Millennium Way.
(S/E) From St John the Baptist Church go up Beaudesert Lane and past the Norman church of St Nicholas on your left, to find a kissing gate giving access to footpath leading up the hill to what is known as `The Mount´ (no obvious ruins but this is the site of the Motte & Bailey castle built by Thurstan de Montfort, Lord of The Manor in the 12th century.) As you ascend you have a fine view over the town and surrounding countryside.
(1) From the top of The Mount descend some fairly steep steps then continue initially downhill, then uphill eventually passing under overhead lines and reaching a welcome wooden bench, dedicated to "Harry Griffin - a true gentleman".
Ignore the stile on your right and continue ahead following the Millennium Way waymarker. Here we continue along the ridge with hedge right and glorious panoramic views to your left. Continue ahead on a narrow path then look for and take the very short path through trees to a waymarked stile on your right and go diagonally half left to the stile in the hedge at the field edge.
(2) Cross the stile turning left into a small wooded area. At the junction of paths go ahead remaining in a wooded area - the path weaves through to exit into the field by a stile / wooden gate left . Go slightly left, keeping hedge left, to come to a ridge with fine views.
From the ridge go diagonally right, downhill to find the stile between two corner metal gates at the bottom corner of the field. Take the stile (or gate to the left, if open ) and go across the field centre to take the stile adjacent to the gate leading to the path alongside the gate entrance and then parallel to the lane to find the fence gap. Take the gap and go right on the lane for about ¼ mile passing Buckley Green farm on your right.
(3) At the `T`junction take the road right and after 25 paces take a kissing gate right. Continue up the field keeping the wooden fence on your right to the corner field kissing gate. Take the wooden kissing gate and go straight up the steep hill to take the corner kissing gate then following Millennium Waymarker go through copse and exit by stile to field.
Continue ahead straight across the field to find the corner kissing gate. Take the gate then ahead with hedge right to follow around the field edge to take metal kissing gate right. Go left to take the next gate-in-gate just ahead and turn right across the field corner to the tree line, then go left with trees right.
Watch for the farm building right and come to the driveway. Go right 10 paces on the driveway and immediately left gently uphill along a grassy path signed Millennium Way. After some 150 paces (by double power posts) veer slightly left to find the field edge.
(4) Go up the field edge keeping to the left of the metal barn to pass under power cables and at the top right field corner by the copse go right to find the hedge gap to Ireland´s Farm driveway. Turn right towards the farm. At this point, you are leaving the Millennium Way. Continue down the farm track to go under the power lines, eventually coming to Ireland´s Farm.
(5) Just before the farm gate turns left to descend down a rough track continuing ahead through an old metal gate, cross the field then over a stream and stile. Bear right of telegraph wires up the field with wire fence right, then cross a stile and turn right onto farm driveway to proceed over the dismantled railway line, ignoring the footpath left.
Continue along the driveway in a Southerly direction (you are on the Heart of England Way) until you reach the road. Turn right at the road, crossing the bridge and continue along the lane for approximately 300 yards to reach Malt House Farm on the left.
(6) Immediately after Malt House Farm take the signed footpath left through a large wooden gate. Continue ahead through the gap and proceed gently uphill on a well-marked path with a hedge left. Go over corner stile then half right across field continuing with hedge and trees over on right, towards the far corner of the field.
Take the stile, then over further the stile right. Continue ahead on the grassy path between hedges with a paddock on your left. Go through the metal kissing gate & turn immediately left, then take the next gate into a field, continuing ahead with the hedge left.
Keep ahead through two further gates and proceed towards Preston Bagot church. (This is an ideal spot for a short break - do visit the church which was originally built in the late 11th or 12th Centuries on Anglo-Saxon foundations and most of the original structure survives).
(7) (With your back to the church entrance door, exit the churchyard by the gate and turn immediately right). Take the wooden kissing gate nestling under a large oak tree and descend the narrow track down to take the wooden kissing gate to the road, then cross into the field opposite via the metal gate.
Continue through the next two metal kissing gates and go up the field keeping the hedge right. Take the next kissing gate and go directly across the centre of the field to exit by further kissing gate 20 yards in from the field corner. Ignore the kissing gate immediately to your right and continue ahead with the hedge on right for 100 yds where you will find a corner kissing gate to exit into a small wood of young trees.
Continue ahead with tall hedge right and exit by corner wooden stile keeping ahead with hedge right and exiting field by a wooden stile. Cross the next field via stile turning right to walk through small copse exiting by wooden stile. Continue ahead with a hedge to right going through a metal gate followed by two further stiles and continuing with a hedge right then over a stile to emerge onto a lane.
(8) Turn right onto the lane and after 15 paces turn left across stile continuing ahead with hedge right taking the stile right in corner of field then immediately left over further stile descending steps through a wood.
(9) Emerging from the wood enter Henley School playing area taking the small metal gate onto a tarmac track down to the road.
Go straight across the road, following the metal fence left by side of another school play area. At the corner go across the wooden plank bridge then through kissing gate to go left along path keeping hedge left to eventually reach a metal gate on your left. Take gate into Beaudesert Lane to arrive back to St John the Baptist Church in Henley. (S/E)
