Dorridge to Lapworth Railway Stations, Rail Trails

Start: Dorridge Railway Station (B93 8JA) Grid ref. SP 169 749

(S) With your back to Dorridge Station exit, turn right into Dorridge Road and walk along for half a mile until you reach the T-junction with Blue Lake Road.

(1) Turn right and walk to the next junction, where you turn right again onto Darley Green Road.

(2) At the left hand bend take the left hand road, which is Bakers Lane, which you follow past Deer Park Farm for over a mile until you reach the Grand Union Canal bridge.

(3) Go over the steep bridge, then go right and down the towpath, signed Private Road.

(4) After 700m, the towpath goes over a bridge and then down the other side of the canal. Continue under Rising Lane bridge until you go under the next bridge under the Old Warwick Road.

(5) Leave the canal by turning right up some steps to the road (B4439). Carefully cross the road and turn left up pavement until you reach Station Road.

(6) Turn right again to reach Lapworth Station.(E)

''Alternative: To extend the walk, instead of turning into Station Road, continue uphill on the Old Warwick Road under the railway bridge (with Village Shop left) taking the small footbridge across the Stratford Upon Avon Canal and turn right onto the canal towpath. Go past locks 18, 17 and 16, then go under bridge 34 and immediately come off the canal to turn left back over the bridge.
Continue for half a mile up Mill Lane. Look out for and take footpath on your right, which takes you back across fields to an interesting double footbridge over the railway and platforms. Take the bridge and descend onto the station platform.''

Start: Dorridge Railway Station (B93 8JA) Grid ref. SP 169 749

Transport: Dorridge Station is in the centre of the village and served by trains on both the Leamington and Stratford lines into Birmingham. There are direct services to Stratford-upon-Avon and intermediate stations, as well as Warwick, Leamington Spa and stations to London Marylebone and Birmingham Snow Hill.
Toilets and refreshments are available.

Alternative: You can choose a short diversion to either of the two historic houses of Packwood and Baddesley Clinton or on arriving at Lapworth you can enjoy a leisurely hour or two watching the canal boats descend 19 locks at Kingswood Junction.

Refreshments: Dorridge offers a wide ranging visitor experience, from designer boutiques, canal-side gastro pubs to rural walks. You’ll find plenty of cafés, restaurants and shops too. Look for Espresso or Skogen, a Scandinavian style café bar.

The Navigation Inn: A traditional country pub with canal side beer garden serving great quality ales and fresh, home cooked food. The only pub in the country to serve Guinness on handpull!

Discover the Heart of England by rail at Heart Community Rail Trail here.

The village of Dorridge grew up around the railway. During the 1960s and 1970s the Austin Motor Company used it to deliver up to 600 cars a day for export via the railway and there was also a brickworks nearby, with its own clay pit. Today, its a wealthy suburban haven.

Pubs called The Black Boy are generally named after King Charles II. The original pub was on Warwick Road but moved in 1793 because of the new canal trade.

Brook Meadow: An old traditional hay meadow, now managed as a nature reserve by Warwickshire Wildlife Trust. Its annual flooding makes it a haven for rare species and its a great place to spot brown hares.

The Grand Union Canal: The principal navigable waterway between London and the Midlands, stretching for 137 miles with 166 locks. The Stratford-upon-Avon Canal joins it at Kingswood Junction - a great place to enjoy a picnic!

Rigby’s Black Boy: With a reputation as one of the finest public houses in the Midlands, this family friendly pub serves traditional fayre set within beautiful grounds right alongside the Grand Union Canal.

Baddesley Clinton: A secluded, intimate estate built in 1500 in the heart of the Forest of Arden. Stroll through the walled garden, seek out the hiding spot for priests and admire the oh-so-gorgeous views across the moat.

Dorridge Wood: Just 10 minutes walk from the station, this Green Flag Park incorporates a woodland area first mentioned in 1556 and is home to many species of flora and fauna. It's also a lovely escape for a quiet wander.