Packwood
Circular Walk 6 (4 Miles)
Walk Overview
A pleasant 4 mile circular walk from Packwood enjoying the delights of the Warwickshire countryside. For over half the walk you enjoy a delightful section of the MILLENNIUM WAY. The MILLENNIUM WAY is clearly waymarked with the distinctive black and white circular waymarkers.
Walk Details
- Start: Packwood House B94 6AT
- Start Grid Ref: SP 174 722
- Parking: Car park at Packwood House or roadside
- Refreshments: Packwood House
- Maps: OS Explorer 220 or Landranger 139
- Distance: 4 miles
- Time: 2 hours
- Stiles: 10 (dog friendly)
- Download: Walk GPS (GPS Exchange Format, GPX)
- GPS and GPX explained
- Find a mobile app on the Apple App Store or Google Play
Updated November 2022
Walk Instructions
This delightful circular walk starts from Packwood House, a well known National Trust property. The walk will give you a flavour of The Millennium Way taking you across mostly flat countryside. The car park at Packwood House opens from 10.30am to 5.30pm all year.
Section A
Turn right out of the National Trust car park down road to pass Grove Lane on your left then, after 110 paces, take the kissing gate left (at side of farm gate) into field following the black Millennium Way waymarker, to go over centre of field to take gap by kissing gate under power lines. Go ahead with hedge left for another 50 paces, then follow waymarker to go diagonally right to power pole in corner by trees. Take wooden kissing gate leading into churchyard of St. Giles Church and go ahead to find main arched door of church.
Pass to left of church, then pass tower door to exit churchyard via kissing gate to car park (here we leave the Millennium Way until later in the walk). Go immediately right to take car park corner gap in wooden fence, then take kissing gate. Go ahead on path between scrub to find field corner gap. Take gap and go ahead with hedge right, ignore mid field kissing gate on right, but continue to field end to take kissing gate to road..
Packwood House
St. Giles Church
Section B
Cross road (take care blind bend) then through kissing gate opposite into field continuing ahead with hedge right to exit field by two stiles / footbridges. Go ahead with hedge right then through metal swing gate to next field then ahead with wire fence on left. Take corner stile and footbridge then go slightly uphill between fenced horse paddocks, to reach gravel path which becomes a track leading towards house directly ahead. Go through two metal gates then ahead across gravelled area keeping house on right, then bear right on driveway keeping pond right, up towards the road. On reaching the road turn left and after 100 yards take Chapel Lane on your right, signposted Chadwick End. Continue down Chapel Lane for 600 yards, passing over the railway line, ignoring the first hidden waymarked path on right, then turn right into Valley Lane where you rejoin the Millennium Way.
Section C
Continue down Valley Lane ignoring road on right, staying ahead between tall hedges. Follow drive around past the stone pillars and immediately before the private entrance to Valley Farm go through kissing gate left into field. Turn right with hedge right to find corner field wooden kissing gate. Then ahead to take the next wooden kissing gate and stone bridge, over stile to field. Maintain same line ahead with hedges left to follow the distinctive Millennium Way waymarkers over several stiles, through scrub and a gate to take a large metal kissing gate then through short passage to arrive at road.
Section D
Go right on road gently uphill to cross bridge over railway line, then immediately take driveway on right (The Grove). Go down drive and, just before house gate, take passageway right to kissing gate then go with hedge left to take further kissing gate to driveway. Go right then after 10 paces go left through kissing gate into field and continue with hedge left to exit field through gate to road. Go right on road passing driveway on right (signed to Wisemans Motor Services) then after some 20 paces take kissing gate left into the National Trust Packwood Avenue. Go along lovely avenue of trees, then through metal gate and down a few steps to Packwood House. Turn right at road which brings you back to the National Trust Car Park.
Points of Interest - What to know and what to see...
by Andy Botherway
Sermon on the MountPackwood House
Packwood House
Packwood House The house began as a modest timber-framed farmhouse constructed for John Fetherston between 1556 and 1560.
ts interiors were extensively restored between the First and Second World Wars by Graham Baron Ash to create a fascinating 20th-century evocation of domestic Tudor architecture.
Packwood House contains a fine collection of 16th-century textiles and furniture, and the gardens have renowned herbaceous borders.
The famous Yew Garden containing over 100 trees was laid out in the mid-17th century by John Fetherston, the lawyer.
The clipped yews are supposed to represent "The Sermon on the Mount".
In 1941, Ash donated the house and gardens to the National Trust.
Packwood Church
Packwood Church - The earliest record of Packwood, southeast of Solihull, is in a deed dated 1190 witnessed by Walter, chaplain of Packwood and is evidence that there was priest and no doubt a church. The present Church of St Giles dates from 1270-80 and stands secluded in peaceful fields, with Church Farm and Packwood Hall as its nearest neighbours. It was at St Giles' church on a June morning in 1706 that a Lichfield bookseller, Michael Johnson, came to marry Sara Ford. Their son, born in 1709, grew up to become Dr. Samuel Johnson of literary fame. The registers actually date back to 1668 and are kept in the church safe.
Packwood ChurchSt Giles
The first stone church dates to 1270-80 and consisted of a simple rectangular nave and chancel. The west tower was added in the late 15th century by a penitent murderer. The story goes that the lord of Baddesley Clinton, Nicholas Brome, came home unexpectedly to find the local priest 'chockinge' (chucking, or tickling) his wife under the chin. Assuming that the pair were having an affair, he slew the priest in a rage. Brome had powerful friends and he was able to gain a full pardon from both the King and the Pope, but as an act of penitence he built towers for the churches at Baddesley Clinton and Packwood. The tower has ever since been known locally as The Tower of Atonement.
The most interesting interior feature is a partial wall painting on the north side of the chancel arch, where you can make out a fragment of a Doom, or depiction of the Day of Judgement. The painting dates to the 14th century and was uncovered during restoration in 1927.
Packwood Hall to the west of the church is largely a modern building, facing west, but retains an east wing of 17th-century timber-framing.