Start: Village Green, Inkberrow WR7 4DZ. Grid Ref: SP014 573
(S/E) From the village green turn left down the main A422 road past Lilac Cottage on your right, then turn right into Stonepit Lane, continuing gently uphill past Greens Croft Way and turn right onto a public footpath immediately after house number 22.
Keep ahead on the grass path at the back of houses to reach and cross a stile, where you will see a green Millennium Way waymarker signifying that you have joined our main trail. Go with hedge left for 70 paces then, on reaching a waypost left, go 25 paces diagonally right to hedge end where there is another waypost with a green Millennium Way waymarker. Continue ahead keeping a hedge left to reach the road via a metal kissing gate.
(1) Turn right onto the road for 250 yards to take the footpath left just before the house. Follow the path between hedges into the sports field and go with hedge & trees left to find the corner stile. Cross the stile and go with hedge left for 40 paces to find the mid fence stile. Take the stile and go ahead with the hedge right through two fields to take the gate to the road.
Cross the road to take the footpath opposite, then continue with the hedge & fence left. At a bend in the field take a tricky stile in the corner. Head diagonally down the field, passing a small stable far left, to the bottom corner taking the hidden stile, a few yards left of a solitary tree, to the road.
(2) Go right for only 10 paces, then take stile right and go directly up the steep slope to the top where you will find a further stile (rest awhile to take in the lovely view from here). Take the stile and stay around the field edge with the hedge left to then take the first gate left (the farmer has diverted the official MW route to the other side of his fence so as to avoid livestock. The route is well waymarked and you should follow this very minor diversion), then go immediately right following with hedge right to find a further gate in the corner of the field.
Take the gate then ahead to the corner to go right 20 paces to take the metal kissing gate left into the long narrow thicket with a pond left. Make your way along the path, to eventually exit by a 3 bar fence stile to the field. Turn left then cross the field to the right of a large tree to a stile. Cross the stile to go with the hedge right to the gated bridge in corner of the field.
(3) Cross the bridge and go half right to cross a further double gated bridge by a telegraph pole. Go with the hedge right to find the corner gate immediately beside a cottage with a thatched roof. Take gates and follow the driveway to the road.
Cross the road, over a stile to the right of the private driveway into cottage yard then field. Go with the hedge right to the corner & through the thicket to cross a stile, then stay with the hedge right across a second field. At the end of the second field you will reach a rather overgrown corner thicket by dew pond with a hidden gate up the incline at the right corner.
(4) Take the gate, then ahead through the plantation keeping the hedge right to find and take the metal gate on the right to emerge into a small field and follow under power lines with hedge right eventually emerging onto the road.
Turn right at the road, continuing past Middle Bouts Farm ( ignore the first footpath left ) until you reach Big Bouts Farm where you will take a farm drive left and follow the track round right, then through the gate. (( by arrangement with the farmer ) the path diverts slightly away from the official Millenium Way (MW) route, as shown on the OS map, in order to avoid walking through the garden of Big Bouts Farm. Simply follow the text & the green MW waymarkers and you will rejoin the MW route at the gated footbridge. ) Ignore the next gate immediately on right and follow the track left, keeping the hedge right, until you come to another gate.
Ignore this next gate ahead of you and instead veer left in front of the gate, following the green waymarker to continue with the hedge right to a green metal gate at end of the track. Do not go through this gate, instead veer left towards a mid-hedge gated footbridge.
(5) Take this gated footbridge over a stream and then go across a field bearing half right, to take a waymarked large metal gate. Stay across the next field to cross stile/footbridge over the ditch. Follow left around garden/paddock between hedge and wire fence, noting attractive pond and jetty right.
Take the stile ahead and after 20 paces take another stile on the left. Go right with the hedge right to take the corner fence stile then go half left to cross the corner of the field to a hidden mid-fence stile, turning right through coppice to the road.
(6) Continue along the surfaced lane past Little Mearse Farm until you eventually reach the main road. Cross the main road and take the tarmac drive to go through metal gate and continue ahead along gravel track. Where the surfaced area of the track veers right continue straight on along the grassy track between two tall hedges and a caravan park on your right.
Continue ahead and downhill along the field edge keeping the hedge left. At the corner of field go through gap and continue along narrow bridleway with hedge left and fence right, eventually emerging into a large field. Continue ahead along the edge of a large field with a hedge left.
(7) At the field corner, follow the public bridleway marker along track between hedges for 100 paces to find the waymarked damaged stile/gap with a finger post (easily missed) on your right. Take this damaged stile and go diagonally half left across field to pass through wide hedge gap and go under power lines, passing telegraph pole to exit by stile to a lane.
Take the stile almost opposite signposted Inkberrow. Continue half right across the field, keeping well to the right of the right hand pylon near the corner of the field to find and take double stile.
(8) Cross a small field to pass under power lines and take a second double stile into the next field. Stay ahead on a rising path to the top of the hill where you will have your first view of Inkberrow Church. From here we go through a tree gap then descend slightly left towards a metal gate and wide boarded stile.
Take stile then a rising track right, to cross a bridleway, up towards the church. Eventually, the track descends to go through a metal gate then across narrow lane through metal gate opposite.
(9) Cross the footbridge over small stream then onwards through another metal gate in corner of field. Inkberrow Church is high above you on your left. Bear a few steps right here, then go left up a rising lane back into Inkberrow and the village green, perhaps visiting the attractive church before you enter the village for some well deserved refreshment. (S/E)
