Start: The Stag at Offchurch CV33 9AQ Start Grid Ref: SP360 658
(S/E) With your back to the Stag pub, go left on road out of the car park for 30 paces to turn left again up School Hill signposted Leamington. Continue past Offchurch Village Hall to the T-junction where we turn left (on the right is the parish church of St. Gregory which may be of interest to visit - see below).
(1) Having turned left at the T-junction, go along the road past Village Farm on your right to another T-junction. Go directly across the road to take the footpath opposite, through the gate, then stay ahead to then enter the scrub and cross a bridge over a disused railway line.
(2) Emerging from the bridge walk slightly right aiming for the hedge corner 250 yards ahead. On reaching the hedge corner go left around the field keeping the hedge a few yards to left then, just before the double metal gate, take a waymarked gap through the hedge.
Continue ahead keeping the hedge right to exit the field through the corner hedge gap. Keep ahead with a wire fence to your right passing dwellings and then continue straight ahead across the field to reach main Fosse Way (alternatively take surfaced driveway to right).
(3) Cross over the road and take the stile opposite, next to a telegraph pole and continue directly ahead keeping a hedge left to reach a gap in the far left corner of the field. Go ahead through the gap then past house right, emerging onto a surfaced lane (with speed bump) which you cross to find a grassy track where you immediately turn left.
(4) Keeping hedge left and trees right follow the track round, eventually bending to the right, passing in front of a metal gate in the corner and exit the field 200 yards further on, through the gap in the hedge, to reach the road. Turn right on road continuing gently downhill along the wide grass verge for just over half a mile to find a wide unnamed track left known as Ridgeway Lane.
(5) Turn left along this tree-lined track for about 3/4 mile to pass through a metal gate to reach a road. Cross the road and go through the gate. You are now on The Millennium Way and will see the distinctive black waymarker on the post.
Continue ahead up field to exit through a metal gate to go on track and lane to the main road. Cross road and continue along tree-lined lane passing Snowford House left.
(6) Then ahead on vehicle track ( which may occasionally be muddy and rutted in parts) eventually to cross the unique and interesting high bridge over the disused railway line and coming to tarmac drive leading to the main road at Hunningham Hill. This road is busy with no pavement so take care. ( If you go left on road for 100 yards and up driveway Hill Farm is a good diversion for teas cake etc. )
We go right on road to reach the cross roads, then turn left on another main road.
(7) After 100 yards look for a stile in the hedge on left next to a telegraph pole. Cross the stile and go half right across the field to tree corner, then 35 paces to right along the hedgerow to take bridge / stile located towards the middle of the hedge (note there is a wire here with yellow tape obstructing your path which you need to go under to reach the bridge/stile so take extra care as you cross).
Go ahead to find the hedge gap. Through gap to continue with hedge right to cross next stile into a large field. Go directly ahead, across a large field to reach the far hedge then go left with the hedge right for some 30 paces to find and take the hedge gap to the road.
(8) Go left on road for 15 paces and take the narrow road right. Continue down this narrow road following the telegraph poles and passing houses on left to reach an attractive thatched cottage ( The Old Bakehouse ) at the end.
Go left here and just in front of the church entrance gate go right to pass through a wooden kissing gate. Follow ahead with wooden the fence left to pass the church, and at the fence corner go half left across the field to reach a waypost & kissing gate adjacent to a wide gap.
(9) Take a gap and stay ahead keeping the river on left. Ignore a stile high on right & stay on a narrow track close to the river. After a little way the path veers away from the river and we now head for a stile directly ahead in front of The Red Lion pub.
Take stile and go left on road to cross the bridge over the River Leam. Pass minor road on left and immediately after the Severn Trent booster station take the kissing gate left ( marked with the distinctive Millennium Way waymarker.)
Go half left diagonally across the field to take a kissing gate to the right of buildings by a power line pole into the field. Cross this narrow field with buildings left to take the kissing gate and go ahead across the field centre to take another kissing gate.
(10) Go across the next field under power lines aiming for an exit gate well to the right of farm buildings. Go over the gated footbridge and go diagonally half left across a large field to far corner, to take the waymarked kissing gate.
Go over a small stone ditch bridge and stay forward into the next field crossing a narrow track to go with the hedge right. Eventually you will reach a gap on the right where the overhead power cables enter the next field. Go through this gap and bear left under power cables to stay with the hedge left.
At a crossroads of paths, where a path is entering from the right, go left here to walk downhill and through a short section of woodland ahead.
(11) Exit the woodland by a bridge over the River Leam into the field. Bear right to exit field by wide gated gap and continue along the rough track keeping trees right. Pass a small brick structure next to two trees and stay forward to a junction of four paths by farm buildings.
Once at the junction, ignore the first path coming in from the left by a metal barn and instead take the second path ( a bridleway ) to walk between barns. Stay up the track and you will shortly see Fields Farm coming into view on right.
Eventually the track veers right and then left in front of the two farm entrances to eventually reach a road, with a bungalow opposite called Ashlawns.
(12) Turn right on road and continue for 3/4 mile towards Offchurch to reach a junction with Welsh Road. ( HS2 workings may be encountered half way along this road - but we are informed that the road has been re-opened as from August 17th 2021 - please follow any diversions and watch for traffic. )
At the junction with Welsh road turn right to arrive back at The Stag Pub. (S/E)
