Bit by bit, Nick and I have been making it our mission to uncover the waterways of Warwickshire thanks to outings that have explored the Grand Union Canal and its Stratford-upon-Avon counterpart. Our latest endeavours placed the spotlight upon the southern stretches of the latter with a ramble around Wilmcote, Wootton Wawen and Henley in Arden. The day proved so productive photographically that I nearly broke my all-time record for pictures taken, hence this post includes more images than usual...
- Starting out from Stratford-upon-Avon Parkway -
It's Friday 21st July 2023 and an initial Dorridge rendezvous (killing time before our required connection) precedes the trip proper commencing from Stratford-upon-Avon Parkway. The station here first opened in May 2013 and has an adjacent park and ride facility to meet the needs of commuters and tourists alike. This is my first visit to the halt and although I can't criticise the perfectly functional layout - all bright orange lampposts and the tentacle-like ramps of a modern green footbridge - I can't help feeling it's all a bit soulless.
- The canal beckons at Bishopton Lane -
Extricating ourselves from the large station car park, we join Bishopton Lane near some Co-op offices and track down the Stratford-upon-Avon Canal at the rudimentarily ugly Bridge 63. The view looking north is more inviting with old brick walls and a wide towpath, even if the A46 flyover isn't especially attractive.
- Spotting Scarecrows -
It doesn't take us long to reach Wilmcote Bottom Lock (No. 50) which marks the start - or the end - of a sequence of 11 locks in total. The flight is distinctive for being particularly narrow and having single leaf gates at either end of each lock chamber, this apparently helping to save on costs during construction circa 1815. We spy a couple of lovely cottages along the way, plus two resident scarecrow characters making themselves very much at home!
- Lock 42, Wilmcote -
A sharp shower sets in as we pass Lock 42 but thankfully it doesn't amount to anything and we manage to avoid too much of a drenching. Top Lock is number 40 and from there it isn't too far to Canada Bridge and thence onwards to Featherbed Lane, close to Wilmcote Station.
- Mary Arden's House -
Wilmcote is a very appealing village which keenly maximises its Shakespearean connections in the form of Mary Arden's House, the childhood home of the great playwright's mother. The attraction these days is maintained as an Elizabethan farm and rumour has it that our very own Nick once took part in their goose-herding demonstrations, although how successful he was at rounding up the mischievous gaggle shall remain a matter of conjecture...
- Ale Fresco you say? -
Towpath Turpin insists on avoiding any waterfowl confrontations today so we decamp to the local pub, itself named after the Bard's matriarchal figure. The Mary Arden duly delivers us refreshing halves of Ale Fresco, a tropically-tinged Greene King golden brew pitched as an ideal tipple for the barbecue season. Some rustic touches give the interior hints of traditional charm while half of the premises serves as a hotel. Dodging decorators' dustsheets, we take up a pew near the dartboard and keep abreast of lunchtime news bulletins reporting on the recent by-election results from Uxbridge, Frome and Selby.
- The Masons Arms no more? -
Our plan would have been to sample two Wilmcote watering holes but the Masons Arms on Aston Cantlow Road is long-term closed and becoming very overgrown. From earlier visits, Nick always preferred the Masons to the Mary Arden on account of its flagstone floors and a reduced focus on the tourist trade. Has it gone for good?
- Bridge 58 -
Rejoining the canal towpath, we make steady progress northwards towards Wootton Wawen. This section feels pleasingly rural and is notable for a succession of quaint split bridges that contain in-built central gaps that a towrope could pass through unobstructed (these are in essence another money saving design feature). For about an hour we hardly see another soul, hence simply enjoying the peace and quiet of the Warwickshire countryside.
- Edstone Aqueduct -
Nick and I are both fans of spectacular engineering and things don't get much more ingenious than the Edstone Aqueduct, which has a cast iron channel measuring 145 feet making it the longest such structure in the whole of England. The aqueduct spans in turn Salters Lane, a small stream, the North Warwickshire railway line and pastoral fields, allowing fine views across to either Bearley, Little Alne or Wootton Park. The narrowboat 'Whiskey Galore' is primed to make its way over in the tightly-lined trough.
- Admiring Another Aqueduct -
Bearley Lock (No. 39) keeps us briefly occupied and we note 'The View' as a marina complex associated with Hill Farm. The next prime landmark along is Wootton Wawen Aqueduct, much smaller than Edstone but no less charismatic; a sign reveals that it was erected back in 1813 to a design by the engineer William Whitmore. There are actually three aqueducts within a four mile segment of the Stratford Canal, the third being at Yarningale albeit we won't be seeing that today - it is however on our hitlist for a future walk.
- The Navigation Inn -
Adjoining Wootton Wawen Aqueduct is an Anglo Welsh maintenance basin from whence holiday narrowboats can be hired, and next to that is our second functioning pub of the day. The Navigation Inn stands on the A3400 Henley to Stratford main road, and we're very lucky to be able to stop for a drink because mid-afternoon closing is imminent. The barstaff are preparing to lock the doors but we are able to smuggle two halves of Sharp's Sea Fury out into the beer garden where we can shelter under bright red Amstel jumbrellas. It's lovely to indulge in a spot of gongoozling as the barges chug past and the sun comes out.
- Think God at the Saxon Sanctuary -
Wootton Wawen is a settlement which boasts a very long history, thus giving us plenty to see for a place of this size. A burbling weir on the River Alne has the mighty Wootton Hall for a backdrop; the grand house has been converted into flats and also has a residential mobile homes park as part of the grounds. We then happen upon St Peter's Church, billed as a Saxon Sanctuary with a tower that is said to date to the 900s if not earlier. It's fascinating perusing the mixture of architectural styles employed over the ages, from huge buttresses to crossbeams to the 15th century clerestory. Bees buzz around the lavender bushes outside.
- The Bull's Head -
Nudging past the General Stores to Alcester Road, we can't resist the half-timbered joy that is the Bulls Head opposite the village hall. This pub looks every inch a chocolate box classic, all bulging beams, low ceilings and creaking doorways. Nestling in the back bar which is laid out in anticipation of a party (Happy Birthday Katherine whoever you are), we ponder ales from the Marston's stable and plump for halves of Banks's Mild - strange how I've seen this more in Warwickshire than in Wolverhampton of late! One of the other rooms hosts a Thai restaurant which offers a takeaway menu too so the place is evolving even though it is centuries old.
- Anything Teresa May can do... -
Retracing our footsteps to Pettiford Lane with hints of the Yew Tree Farm antiques centre, we tackle the final canal leg of the day which takes us from Bridge 53 up to Bridge 51, just shy of Preston Bagot. At this point Towpath Turpin decides to go cross country, leading us over the fields to Henley in Arden via the seemingly derelict stable blocks of Blackford Mill Farm. Part of our path hugs the River Alne and there are wispy wheat stalks should the royal one be tempted to perform a Teresa May impersonation - mercifully he declines that opportunity.
- A Proper Job at the Nags Head -
Emerging across school playing fields onto Stratford Road, we can soon absorb the charms of Henley in Arden's mile-long High Street which presents architectural gems from the medieval ages through to the Victorian era. The Nags Head is partially 17th century in origin and has attracted quite a Friday evening crowd, some watching the Ashes cricket and others making gleeful use of the extensive beer garden. Armed with a glass each of St Austell's Proper Job, we too sit outside and check out the AstroTurf-clad decking area. Dining pods which resemble mini-Eden Project domes add an extra touch of glamour and there is an excitable roar when Mark Wood gets a wicket at Old Trafford.
- St Nicholas' Church -
Further Henley sightseeing involves two outstanding churches in very short order. St John's is probably the more famous, standing squarely on the High Street with its perpendicular tower and an off-centre clockface. Beaudesert Lane then introduces us to St Nicholas's with an excellent example of a Norman doorway; this church was initially built by the De Montfort family in the 12th century and historically served the Beaudesert parish. The heritage trail doesn't end there, not with The Mount at the far end of the lane representing the remains of a ruined castle and deer park; one of its residents, Peter de Montfort, was slain at the Battle of Evesham in August 1265.
- Goats Milk at the Three Tuns -
One final pub should round off the day nicely so we call into the Three Tuns as positioned further along the High Street beyond the Market Cross. This proves to be another very lively hostelry with barely a spare seat - it really is great to see places packed full with convivial company of a Friday evening again. Church End's Goats Milk is an excellent tipple as we manage to grab a couple of stools over by the dartboard, nodding with approval as Mark Wood snaffles another Australian scalp.
- Journey's End -
We've covered several miles, numerous locks, a fair few fields plus five pubs today and it all ends at Henley in Arden railway station awaiting the 18:59 Kidderminster train. I last explored the station way back in 2010 when it felt almost forgotten with the main building out of use and a rickety footbridge that had charm but didn't meet current accessibility requirements. Some things have improved - there is lift access now as part of the sympathetically-styled footbridge replacement - but the booking hall remains empty despite initiatives to find it a new purpose. Pretty planting and repainted period running-in boards give a better overall impression and our homeward train runs to schedule despite the threat of strike disruption. Cheers!
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