Coventry & District

Campaign for Real Ale

Campaign for Real Ale

Real Ale Rambles

REAL ALE RAMBLE 331 Saturday April 13

RIVER AVON 3 miles & 1 pub

COMMENTS: this will be muddy unless it has dried up substantially. The busy A5 had to be crossed.

This time we are going to visit the point where the River Avon enters Warwickshire. Over the years we have traced the route of the Avon through the county and all of its tributaries. Having completed the Avon valley in future years, we have to explore the other drainage system, the rivers that flow north towards the River Trent.

We meet at the STAG AND PHEASANT in the village of Newton, north east of Rugby. As with last month, probably the best route from Coventry is going to the M6 to junction 1, then towards Rugby on the A426. At the second roundabout go left, signed for Newton and Clifton on Dunsmore. This road takes you through the suburb of Brownsover. After emerging into countryside you come to a crossroads with the St Thomas Cross pub on the right and the road to Newton left. In the village the Stag and Pheasant is on the left, a large whitewashed building with a thatched roof.

We meet at the Stag and Pheasant at 12 noon and set off at 12.30. We go right out of the pub and walk through the village as far as Little London Lane on the left. This takes us past old cottages in the village back street until we come to some allotments. Here there is a gate on the right. Through here we go downhill, diagonally across a field to a footbridge over a stream. Then across a narrow field with wasteland on the left we come to the next gate. From here we go left to the next gate in a hedgerow. Right after this we follow the hedge uphill. We go straight on through the next gate and walk alongside the compound for a company called ‘Peri’, a scaffolding business. We emerge onto a lane and go left, walking up to Watling Street, the A5. Here we cross this busy trunk road, so please be very careful. From her we can walk down to the old Dow Bridge.

Dow Bridge was the place where the Roman Watling Street crossed the River Avon. On the north side of the bridge once stood the ‘Three Shire Stone’, on the west side of which was cut ‘Leicestershire’, on the south ‘Here ends Warwickshire’ and on the east ‘Northamptonshire’. The whole of the present road bridge, being to the west of the old bridge, is in Warwickshire. The respective parishes that meet here are Newton (Warwickshire), Catthorpe (Leicestershire) and Lilbourne (Northamptonshire).

John Leland in the sixteenth century wrote ‘Where this bridge is there were two smaller ones, the wider for carriages, the lesser, evidently Roman, for foot passengers and horses.’ the bridge was rebuilt around 1776 or the toll road, consisting of five arches, and was rebuilt again in 1838, incorporating the old bridge. It became disused in the 1930’s when the modern road bridge was built.

In recent times the old bridge has been much neglected and our approach to it depends on my ability to cut a path to it through the brambles. The approach has also been used as a dump by road makers, so that state of the old bridge contrasts with the better preserved old bridges at Marton and Stoneleigh for example. I

f we can’t approach the old bridge we can simply walk through a field to the new bridge which allows a glimpse of the old one through its arches. Then we retrace our steps to the allotments, where we go right and left to enter a field through a gate. Across this field, bearing left we return to the village street near the STAG AND PHEASANT again.

FUTURE EXPEDITIONS

All meeting times are 12 noon, unless specified otherwise.

May 18 STOKE BAKERY Meet at Twisted Barrel

June 15 SOUTHAM

July BIRMINGHAM SOUTH

Aug LADY LANE CLUB etc

Sept SUTTON COLDFIELD

Oct FULBROOK

Meets for these walk are always 12 noon for a 12.30 start. Copies of the walks are available at Beer Gonzo, Earlsdon.

SUNDAY LUNCH WALKS

These walks all start at 12 noon. Copies of these walks can be obtained from Beer Gonzo in Earlsdon, or for more details contact moc.liamg@ttekculfg>

SUNDAY LUNCH WALK 131 Sunday April 7th

NORTH BROOK 3 miles & 2 pubs

3 miles & 2 pubs

COMMENT: It was very wet and muddy when I surveyed this walk in mid February. There are some stepping stones made from upturned plastic crates, where you will need to be sure-footed.

This month we meet at 12 noon at the BROOKLANDS pub on the corner of Kingsbury Road and Forfield Road, Coundon. We are going to see the latest part of the ‘rewilding’ of the River Sherborne valley. So far we have visited the new marshland in Lakeview park and the work on Radford Brook, a tributary of the Sherborne, between Naul’s Mill Park and the city centre. Today it is the rewilding of the upper reaches of North Brook, another tributary stream of the Sherborne.

We depart at 12.30 and walk along Kingsbury Road to enter Coundon Wedge. We follow the Sherborne north for a few yards until it turns west towards Allesley. Here North Brook joins the Sherborne via a pond. Past the pond we continue to follow the brook upstream, we cross over a footbridge and go diagonally across a field.

At the opposite hedgerow there is a footbridge with a gate at both ends. This bridge crosses a dry watercourse. This is the previous course of the North Brook. The brook originally flowed at the bottom of its valley through water meadows. Then, at some time in the past, it was diverted to follow the hedge line, leaving a large pasture in a dry valley. In the last few months part of the rewilding project has been to return the North brook to its original course recreating the lush water meadows. This has necessitated building a new footbridge where the brook now cuts across the footpath. There are now lovely views of the stream winding under the bridge and through meadows.

From the new bridge we can walk straight to Northbrook Road, or walk through fields uphill to the road at Coundon Court School. A short way along the road we come to the ancient settlement of Coundon Green. This was the original village of Coundon and the NUGGET was a little beerhouse that served the rural community. It was replaced with the enormous edifice that stands there today in order to serve the large housing estate that was never built on Coundon Wedge!

After half an hour we set off again along Hollyfast Road, which becomes a footpath between the schools. Here stepping stones have been created using upturned plastic crates. The path has been diverted through a right angle to pass between Coundon Court School and its playing fields. It once carried straight on here, but that route is now impassable. When we come to a T-junction with another path we turn left. This leads us to a woodland, which was planted 20-30 years ago, so that all the trees are the same age and uniform. Since all neglected land in this country eventually reverts to woodland, I don’t really see why people need to plant woodland, but there you go!

We walk a semi-circle round the woodland and emerge onto a field. Through this field leads us back to the first footbridge above the pond and so back to the BROOKLANDS.

SUNDAY LUNCH WALK 132 Sunday May 5th

BRANDON WOODS 3 miles & 1 cafe

This month we will hopefully see a carpet of bluebells in the woods. Following the demise of the Roseycombe we will meet at the CAFE IN THE PARK, just off Birchwood Road. This was closed in March, as the lady who runs it was on holiday, so I’m hoping it will be open in May. I understand that her holidays can be somewhat extended as she returns home to Nepal!

We meet at the Cafe at 12 noon and set of at 12.30 through the park to enter the woodland. We turn right and follow the edge of the wood in an anti-clockwise direction, keeping to the broad, well trodden path. We curve round to the southern boundary of the wood. Eventually we pass small fields used for sheep rearing and then the woodyard associated with Brandon Wood.

Next a house can be seen through the trees. Coming to the eastern extreme of the wood the path turns north and soon we pass a woodland pond and bench. There are some attractively carved benches on this walk, and this is perhaps the best, with an owl at one end and a hedgehog at the other.

Then we reach the northern edge of the wood and continue with the housing of Binley Woods on our right. We pass garages, blocks of flats and then allotments before returning to the park and CAFE. Here we can rest with tea and perhaps some Nepalese samosas!

FUTURE EXPEDITIONS

All meeting times are 12 noon, unless specified otherwise.

Sunday June 1 GARDEN OF HOPE Meet at the Phantom Coach, Fletchamstead Highway

Sunday July BEDWORTH Meet at the Mayor's Cafe in the Miners Welfare Park

Sunday Aug COUNDON AND RADFORD COMMON Meet at the Holyhead, Holyhead Road