Hillingdon

 

Sunday 10th September

Nine of us travelled up to a Premier Inn near Hagley, just south of Birmingham, to find out from John Morris what these un-heard-of Clent Hills were all about. We stayed in the small out of town hotel with a Beefeater Restaurant alongside, where our meals and drinks were served.

Day 1 Monday 11th September - Clent Hills to Waseley Hills

Walk length 12 miles

 

Photos:- Large photo.... Outside St. Kenelm's Church

Top right ....At the top of Windmill Hill in the Waseley Hills Country Park

Middle right....A sunny spell near Romsley

Bottom left...In the Clent Hills

Bottom middle....The Four Stones Folly in the Clent Hills Country Park

Bottom right....A view from the Four Stones. Another of Lord Lyttleton's follies is in the near distance.

We set off after breakfast and parked just 5 minutes away in one of the Clent Hills car parks owned by the National Trust. Starting off downhill we soon came to St. Kenelm’s church and by chance met one of the church wardens who gave us an interesting chat about the history of this ancient church. St. Kenelm was heir to the King of Mercia. A jealous elder sister had him murdered in 819 AD. When his body was eventually discovered a spring burst from the ground near the location where the church was built. The healing properties of the water led to this being a place of pilgrimage and mentioned in The Nun’s Tale of Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. Continuing on under grey but mostly dry skies we arrived at Windmill Hill and enjoyed a 360 degree panorama. Lunch was at a farm shop where a power cut was restored just as we arrived allowing us to have teas and coffees. 

 Our return route took us through rolling hills and woods, over Walton Hill with more extensive views, the village of Clent and a stop to see The Four Stones Folly in the Clent Hills. More panoramic views were enjoyed from this spot. The Four Stones Folly is a popular visitor destination and despite appearing megalithic and of great historic interest were actually erected in the 18th century by Lord Lyttleton of Hagley Hall. He erected other follies around his estate.

 We were starting to realise that this area had a vast number of stiles of all shapes and sizes. We mostly all dined together in the evening and started to work out the intricacies of the Beefeater Meal Deal!

 

 Day 2  - Tuesday 12th September - Kinver Edge and Rock Houses.

Walk length  10 miles

 

Photos. Large picture.....inside Nanny's Rock cave system

Top right.....Lea Castle Gatehouse

Middle right.....Amazing wood carving from a fallen tree 

Bottom left.....A field of inquisitive ponies who came to say hello

Bottom middle....Half brick, half cave. One of a series of such properties now used as a educational facility

Bottom right.....Back along the canal near the end of our walk

A wet day was forecast today so it was full wet gear on from the start but in the end it wasn’t as bad so layers soon came off again. The first point of interest on todays walk was the gatehouse of Lea Castle. This is all that remains of the old Lea Castle that was built in 1762 from the profits of the local iron industry. It is an impressive building even so. We soon joined the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal for short distance and then encountered a most impressive chainsaw carved monster fashioned from a fallen tree near the village of Wolverley.

After passing a steep sided field of inquisitive ponies, our walk then entered a large wooded area known as Kinver Edge. This is famous for its rock houses. The red sandstone rock made enlarging natural caves in the hillside relatively easy and over the centuries people have lived in these caves. Some have had brick fascias added and tiled roofs to make them more comfortable. We explored one of the largest caves called Nanny’s Rock which made a very unusual place to have our morning snack.

We continued on through Kinver Edge woods visiting the site of an Iron Age hill fort and gradually made our way off through rolling farmland before arriving back at the canal again. A seemingly out of place large factory by the river and canal puzzled us but we eventually found out that it was a large steel wheel manufacturer. Before long our cars were in sight again and we set off back to our accommodation.

Day 3 Wednesday 13th September - Clent Hills and Belbroughton

 Walk length 13 miles

 Photos:-  Large photo.....Enjoying the magnificent views near Walton Hill

Top right....Heading up to the Obelisk on Wychbury Hill

Middle right....Coming down from Wychbury Hill

Bottom left....Hagley Hall 

Bottom middle....Catching our breath near Walton Hill

Bottom right....One of the roadside waterways in Belbroughton

 

The sun shone with blue skies for our last day of walking. Now down to six of us, we started from our hotel car park and soon were off the busy road heading for a hilltop with an Obelisk. A rather gruesome story was associated with this location involving the skeleton of a woman called Bella found hanging in a Wych Elm tree by four children in 1943. Her identity and subsequent place of burial remains a mystery. The graffiti on the Obelisk questioning who put her there is now preserved along with the Obelisk. Coming off the hill, we had a look at the impressive Hagley Hall. This is a Grade 1 listed 18th Century house owned privately. Lord Lyttleton, who had several follies constructed on the estate used to live here. We continued on in bright sunshine weaving our way through the Clent Hills to arrive at a delightful little village called Belbroughton.  This village had once been a world renowned centre of scythe and cutting tool making and many of the 25 water mills around this village were devoted to this industry driving drop hammers and grinding wheels for blade sharpening.

The village has a fine Deli now where we sat in the garden in the sun and enjoyed the fresh made sandwiches and goodies. Our route back to the hotel took us along ridges with magnificent views bathed in the afternoon sunshine. 

As with the previous two days, the area seems to offer a wide variety of stiles, some rock steady, others like a ladder and others very wobbly and slippery. We walked back to our hotel where it was good to put our feet up at the end and enjoy a coffee at our Beefeater Restaurant.

Over dinner, we thanked John for all his effort and uncanny sense of direction in the area, rarely referring to any map over the whole of the three days.

 

 And finally....

 Left:- Our impressive leader first to enter the caves to make sure no bears were in residence

Right:- Caroline's exercises to limber up for Clent Hill high stiles!