Lulsley Ravenshill Alfrick circular

Start : The Fox and Hounds Lulsley. (Postcode : WR6 5QT)

(S/E) From The Fox and Hounds pub car park go South head along the road towards Alfrick for a few yards then turn right (South-West) at the footpath sign. This is a steady incline for some way. Continue to a gate across the road and turn left following the footpath sign. Keep straight ahead into the woods going to Warren Farm.

(1) The track goes around Warren Farm, keeping to the fence on the right. There is a way-marked gate just after the farm buildings. Go through this gate and continue up the gentle slope of the field keeping to the fence on the right, at the corner of the field there is a stile, DO NOT go over this stile but turn left keeping the woodland on the right.

At the end of the woodland/copse, there are two gates with Worcestershire Way Way-marks. Go through theses gates and follow the path along the ridge passing wooden rest seats to admire the view. Stay on the ridge and continue through a couple more gates. Through a copse passing, what looks like a man made, ravine on the right. Keep going straight ahead the Worcestershire way until the path meets a road.

(2) Cross the road and take the 4 or 5 wooden steps leading to the ridge of the Suckley hills. Keep to the ridge through the woodland (Crew Hills Wood Nature Reserve) until there is a cross in the trail marked with a way-mark post. Leave the Worcestershire way here and turn left (North-East-East) downhill.

(3) Follow the path through some pasture until a right turn on the trail. This is about 300m after leaving the woodland. There is a way-mark at this point. Take this path and continue along the trail for another 3/400m through the bottom of an orchard keeping the hedge on the left.

Ignore the farm gate and continue to the far side of the orchard exit the orchard at the bottom corner over a stile, followed by a metal kissing gate and another stile. Again there are Way-marks. Keeping the hedge on the left continue up the meadow to another stile next to a metal gate. Go over the stile onto the road.

(4) Turn right on the road and after around 15 paces just after a Bungalow on the left take the path to the left (North-East). Keeping the fence and Bungalow on the left continue to another style next to a gate. Continue keeping the fencing to the left. Follow the trail to another old wooden gate open the gate and step over a low fence (aimed at keeping animals out). Go through the gate sticking to the pathway. There is a swimming pool on the right.

As unobtrusively as possible as this is also a private garden, follow the path into the garden and round the edge of a garden. Keep to the left boundary of the property keeping the house on the right. Go through the gate of the property and down some steps onto the road. There is a finger post here confirming the public footpath.

(5) Turn right onto the road and then left at the T junction. Follow the road for about 300/400m to a cross roads with a converted oust house, on the edge of Alfrick village. Follow the sign post to Leigh and Worcester and turn right. After a short distance just before the next left turn take a footpath on the left. This leads to a field.

Follow the edge of the field keeping the Bungalows on your right turning left at the corner of the field and after about 20 paces enter St Mary Magdalene churchyard through a small gate on the right.

(6) Exit the churchyard through the main gate and turn left. Keeping the church on the left proceed to the village memorial at the crossroads. Bear left so that the memorial is on the right at the approach to the crossroads go straight across the road down the road marked "No through road" on the left. (Folly Road).

After a few hundred meters there is a signposted footpath on the left. Turn left here and follow the footpath bearing left onto a track and gate. Go through the gate, and keep straight along the road. At the road junction, turn right and follow the road.

(8) At the junction, turn right onto the road and continue past the woodland on the right and then on the left. Just past a strange building on the left with vents in the roof (probably for battery hens) there is a wooden footpath sign to the left. Take this path back to The Fox and Hounds pub. (S/E)

Start : The Fox and Hounds Lulsley. Postcode : WR6 5QT
Car park : Park at The Fox and Hounds pub
Stiles : 3 or 4
Note : The beginning of the walk goes up a steep (ish) incline to pick up the Worcestershire way. That said it's easy going after that with only about 3 or 4 stiles.