Wootton Wawen to Wilmcote Railway Station, Rail Trails

Start : Wootton Wawen station (B95 6BJ) Grid ref. SP 147 631

(S) From Wootton Wawen (A) railway station, walk out to the road, turn right and follow the road (B4089 and A3400) over the ornamental bridge.

(1) Immediately after the bridge turn right up a drive, passing two impressive stone eagles on the left. After the brick and wood fence on the left ends, go through a kissing gate in the wire fence on the left. Go through a second gate in a wire fence a short distance ahead and up to a gate in the far right corner.

Go through it and follow the path as it goes left then meanders through the trees to a plank bridge and a gate onto the road.

(2) Turn right for 50 yards then left up a track that leads past houses on the left to the canal (B). (Ignore the private signs, which only apply to motorists).

(3) Turn right along the canal.

(4) At bridge 55 the towpath crosses to the left hand side. Continue past lock 39 to reach the Edstone Aqueduct (C). Continue a short distance further along the canal to bridge 57.

(5) Cross it and enter the field beyond. Turn right a short distance to the corner then left uphill with the hedge to your right. Before reaching the top right corner, look for a way mark on a tree by a boggy patch on the right, helpfully covered with some corrugated iron and planks.

Go through the bushes to find a stile. Cross this and go half right to a kissing gate in the wooden fence opposite. Continue in the same direction to a gate behind some rubble to a road at a bend.

(6) Go ahead along the road for 10 yards then left through a metal gate and go straight on with a hedge to the right. (The OS maps show the path on the other side of the hedge.)

(7) Go straight ahead over a cross path in the field corner, and in the next large field walk half left across the middle, keeping close to the bottom of the slope on the left, without actually going up it, to a stile in the far corner. Continue ahead to a stile in the far right corner of the next field.

The path then zig-zags with the hedge on the right to reach a cross path which goes right through a large gate in a wire fence. Follow this, but do not go over the stile next to the gate ahead.

(8) Instead, turn left and continue along two large fields with the wire fence and remains of a hedge on your right.

(9) At the far right corner of the second field, cross two stiles and continue ahead along another field with a hedge on the left. Cross two more stiles, beyond which the path becomes enclosed, and swings round the edge of Mary Arden’s farm to reach the road opposite the village stores.

(10) Turn left, then left up Station Road to Wilmcote railway station. (E)

Start : Wootton Wawen station (B95 6BJ) Grid ref. SP 147 631

Transport : Wootton Wawen is on the mainline between Birmingham Snow Hill and Stratford-Upon-Avon with trains running hourly to Henley-in-Arden and all stations to Earlswood and Shirley. You can change at Stratford for Warwick and Leamington Spa. Wootton Wawen station is unstaffed so tickets must be purchased on the train.

Refreshments : You can stock up on provisions from the General Stores in Wootton Wawen or wander to Yew Tree Farm, a contemporary shopping village with coffee shop and chocolaterie.
For more leisurely refreshments there’s the Navigation Inn or Bulls Head country pubs in Wootton Wawen. Or why not enjoy the stunning views at The View, near the Edstone Aqueduct.
On entering Wilmcote you’ll pass Mary Arden’s Farm, once the home of Shakespeare’s mother and can reward yourself with a cheeky pint at the Inn named after the lady herself!

The Bulls Head : Right on your route in Wootton Wawen is a top lunch stop at this beautiful country pub offering authentic Thai food as well as Great British favourites. We highly recommend the Grilled Duck Pad Kra Prao!

The Navigation Inn : With a perfect perch right on the canal, you won’t go far wrong with a quick detour to the Navigation Inn for a lunch stop. Enjoy freshly cooked homemade food including tapas, traditional British meals, real ales, and fine wines (and a really lovely beer garden).

The View : A converted cattle and grain store that lives up to its name with far reaching views over the canalboat marina to Warwickshire and Worcestershire beyond. Oh, and the locally sourced food is top notch too!

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

(A) Wootton Wawen, home to Warwickshire’s oldest church, literally means “farm near a wood, belonging to Wagen”,an Anglo Norse lord of the manor a thousand years ago.
Wootton Wawen is exactly 100 miles from London! You’ll spot the milepost just after leaving the station.

St Peter’s Church : One of the oldest structures in Warwickshire, the tower dates as far back as the 900s, perhaps even earlier. Renowned for spectacular stained glass and magnificent memorials. Not to be missed!

(B) The canal from Birmingham to Stratford was built between 1793 and 1816. Its most remarkable feature is the cast iron Edstone Aqueduct, the largest in England. A hose pipe used to be connected to the bottom of the Aqueduct and locomotives on the railway below would stop here to fill up.

(C) Edstone Aqueduct : You certainly won’t miss this rather impressive cast iron aqueduct, which takes the Stratford-upon-Avon canal over the railway. At 475 feet long its also the longest of its kind in England!

Mary Arden’s Farm : The childhood home of Shakespeare’s mother, this working Tudor farm keeps pace with the seasons, see rare breed animals , watch falconry displays, and explore nature trails.