Distance: 6.8 miles
Difficulty of the terrain: medium
Get the route via: Ordnance Survey Maps or download the GPX. file from Dropbox
Rural and suburban walk west across the Meridan Gap from Berkswell to Solihull town centre in the eastern part of West Midlands county.
The Story
The Walk
Getting Back
Does West Midlands’ Largest Town Not Want to be a Town?
With a population these days of slightly under 130,000 people, Solihull dukes it out with Walsall and Dudley for the title of the largest town in West Midlands county now that Wolverhampton is a city.
Like Walsall and Dudley Solihull gives its name to a larger borough, the smallest in population terms in West Midlands county, and outside Solihull and its smaller satellites Shirley, Dickens Heath and Castle Bromwich, unusual in West Midlands in being largely rural. The only settlements of note being large suburbanised villages like Dorridge, Hampton-in-Arden and Meridian. The latter after which Solihull’s rural hinterland separating it from Coventry, the Meridian Gap, is named.
Solihull as a whole is suburban. The borough’s motto translates from Latin as “town in country”, giving you a sense of the aspiration. And Solihull is all aspiration. It is tricky to argue that the town’s growth and modern form as a (largely) affluent outgrowth of Birmingham, would have been possible without the second city’s growth and industrial prowess in the 19th and 20th Centuries.
To this day Solihull and its satellite little suburban towns and villages function as dormitories for its larger neighbour, although there is a business district of sorts dating back to the mid-20th Century ringing the town’s pedestrianised shopping centre. Shopping centre being the right word, as it has been largely subsumed and dominated by the 1960s Mell Square, and 2000s Touchwood malls, one outdoor in the fashion typical of 60 years ago, the other entirely enclosed and climate conditioned as is today’s want. Separating Mell Square from the Touchwood Centre is Solihull’s high street, here a few vague traces of the town’s pre-suburban past as a north Warwickshire market town remain, frozen in aspic, like a department store’s window display or those rustic items which are bought by pubcos by the job lot to decorate a mid-level gastropub trying to disguise the fact it is part of a chain with thousands of outlets.
The edges of Solihull are home to new business parks, like Blythe Valley (named for the modestly sized river which runs more or less right down the centre of Solihull Borough) handy for the motorway network. Steadily, as the town continues to be substantially more affluent and “desirable” in estate agent terms than is typical in West Midlands, Solihull and its satellites continue to expand. The schools and its sixth form college are good. I attended the latter, which sucks in students from Birmingham where the alternative for those pursuing A-Levels is often a grammar school sixth form.
As this overview suggests, Solihull feels like it should be in southern England. A satellite of London perhaps in Surrey, Berkshire, Sussex, or eastern Hampshire, not unlike Basingstoke. Albeit fated to eternal orbit and feed off its far larger, infinitely more significant neighbour, the place where most of its residents started out: Birmingham.
The Walk
Get the route: via Ordnance Survey Maps or download the GPX. file from Dropbox
I create the Walk Midlands routes via Ordnance Survey Maps Explorer enabling me to take them on my phone. Subscribe yourself via the banner above.
This walk from Berkswell to Solihull begins from the churchyard of St. John the Baptist, Berkswell’s Anglican parish church, which stands just beyond the village green.
Berkswell is currently not served by any bus services, but has half hourly trains through the day from Birmingham to the north and south from Coventry and London, which call at Berkswell Railway Station just south of the village’s core.
Upon entering the churchyard of St. John the Baptist walk straight past the church and the old rectory adjacent to the churchyard.
Past the church turn left, crossing the back of the churchyard.
Here there is a wooden gate leading down a walkway towards a stand of trees just outside the churchyard.
Continue walking through another gate, through the stand of trees onto a boardwalk.
The boardwalk runs across boggy ground on the edge of Berkswell Hall’s grounds. It is an interesting, surprisingly expansive landscape on both sides.
At the end of the boardwalk you continue into a small patch of woodland on the edge of farmed fields. At the top of a rise you can see the works for HS2 running up towards the West Midlands conurbation from London.
Soon off to the right, next to a fence line. there is a path running through trees towards a lake. Turn right and walk along this path.
Level with the lake you leave the trees and come out onto a well worn path uphill across a field.
Continue along the path uphill across the field.
At the top of the hill continue along the path heading downhill towards woodland.
Walk through a gate into the woodland (the path here was very muddy when I walked the route). On the other side continue through the stand of trees.
Soon you come out onto the side of an open field. Keep walking along the well worn path straight ahead.
Presently you reach the top of a slight incline. Here you reach the side of the works for HS2.
Carry on walking straight ahead along a clearly defined path beside the HS2 works.
Presently the path runs through a gate into woodland, and curves around a pool.
On the other side of the woodland continue to carry on along the path besides the HS2 works.
Presently you reach a junction, heavily defined by tall metal security gates keeping passers by off the HS2 works. Here you leave the Millennium Way which you have been following. Turning to the left.
Upon turning left you walk across the HS2 works. There are numerous places along the 120 or or mile long building site where these cut throughs have been created to maintain rights of way. They are fairly well fixed and presumably will be replaced with footbridges or tunnels once the railway line finally becomes operational some time around the year 2030.
On the far side of the HS2 construction site you walk through a gate into a field next to a farm, which is probably now unoccupied. Once the railway line is completed it’ll be right on it.
Out in the field walk to the right approaching a driveway running through the farm.
Exit through a gate onto the driveway. Here turn left and pass through another gateway next to a short row of cottages which do remain occupied.
Once through the gateway continue walking down the drive until you reach the side of the busy A452, which runs between near Birmingham Airport and Kenilworth.
At the side of the road, when safe to do so, cross straight over.
On the far side head left along a narrow but distinct path across a wide grass verge.
This leads out onto a lane. Begin walking straight along the lane.
Presently after some distance you reach a bridge across the existing West Coast Mainline.
Walk beneath the bridge then turn right.
Continue a little further until the bottom of the lane.
At the bottom of the lane there is a footpath leading into a thicket of trees. This leads into the Packhorse Bridge Nature Reserve. Carry on straight along this footpath. It is on two levels, both quite narrow, surrounded by swampy type trees on either side.
Presently you reach the Packhorse Bridge, a centuries old narrow structure now only used by pedestrians, which crosses over the River Blythe. The Blythe rises near Baddesley Clinton just over Solihull Borough’s southern boundary with Warwickshire, and runs north to join the River Cole, and then the Tame just north of Coleshill.
On the far side of the River Blythe carry on along the path, whether on the lower level or a somewhat rickety raised boardwalk (I would advise against walking on sections of it, in fact) until you reach the Packhorse Bridge Nature Reserve car park.
Upon reaching the car park there is a wide path off to the left into a thicket on the western side of the nature reserve. Turn Left here, then almost immediately right to follow a narrow, but very well worn path through the undergrowth.
Soon you reach a gate on the edge of the nature reserve which leads out onto a field.
The field, which stands in a place called Marsh End, was incredibly sodden with a lot of standing water when I walked the route in February 2024.
Follow the path straight across the field, and keep going, passing through a series of fields, steadily approaching a thin limb of houses on the edge of the large village of Hampton-in-Arden.
Upon reaching the edge of Hampton-in-Arden the path turns into a snicket running between two houses, which presently turns into a narrow driveway serving a small number of properties.
At the top of the snicket-cum-driveway you come out at the end of a cul-de-sac. Here, turn left and walk a short distance.
You soon come to a footpath running up a short flight of stone steps to your right. Turn right and climb these steps and walk straight ahead for a little distance.
After a very short distance off to your left there is a metal gate leading onto a wide, but clearly defined between a hedge and a fence, footpath running uphill.
Follow the footpath uphill.
At the top of the hill there are impressive views towards the south and the east. To your right there is a metal gate which you pass through.
On the far side of the gate walk a little way uphill towards the southern edge of Hampton-in-Arden. Look out on your left for a metal gate which you pass through. Then walk a short distance on the far side of the gate towards another metal gate which you also pass through.
Having walked through the gate, turn right and follow a path slightly uphill parallel across the field towards the end of a terrace of red brick cottages.
Here at the far side of the field there is a metal gate which leads onto a hedgerow lined, short snicket leading to the end of a cul-de-sac next to a small cluster of allotment type patches.
Once on the road turn right and walk uphill passing the side of a pub and houses of various vintages.
At the top of the little cul-de-sac you come out onto one of the main road through Hampton-in-Arden next to the village’s church.
Here turn left and begin walking downhill along the pavement beside the busy road.
Unfortunately the pavement soon peters out near the western edge of the village. Here you must continue along the side of the road without a pavement. Which is unfortunate as drivers come quite fast and there are some tight bends without great visibility.
In all you continue along the road, the B4102, Solihull Road, for a little over a mile.
Along the way you cross over the M42 wending its way around the West Midlands conurbation towards the eastern Midlands. The M42 is approximately the midpoint on the walk in terms of distance, though the walking is generally much easier going for the final half.
Beyond the M42 you approach the unusually named little village on the edge of Solihull town called Catherine-de-Barnes.
On the edge of Catherine-de-Barnes you come to a large roundabout with trees in the centre of it. Walk right around this roundabout and continue straight ahead to enter the village.
Continue walking along the road through Catherine-de-Barnes.
Presently you reach a bridge across the Grand Union Canal.
Here just before the bridge there is a lane running off to the left. Cross the road and head left down this lane.
Once on the lane, almost immediately there is a flight of steps down onto the canal towpath.
Upon reaching the Grand Union Canal towpath turn left walking beneath a bridge.
Continue down the Grand Union Canal towpath which is handily straight and well surfaced for a little over a mile.
Presently you reach a road bridge with a metal pipe running across the canal in front of it. Here off to the side on the right there is a ramp running up towards the level of the road. Turn left up this ramp.
At the top of the ramp you are in the Solihull suburb of Elmdon. Here turn left and walk across the bridge heading towards Solihull town centre.
Continue along the road through Elmdon for some distance.
Presently you come to a t-shaped junction beside the Greville Arms Sizzling pub.
Here cross over the road to the right via zebra crossing then keep heading to the right past the pub. Once past the pub continue across another zebra crossing straight in front of you.
Once on the other side of the road head right for a short distance.
Soon on your left there is a snicket which you turn down. Walk along this snicket for some distance.
Presently the snicket ends, you cross a quiet residential road and continue straight ahead along a footpath beside a row of mid-20th Century bungalows.
Past the bungalows carry on walk across another road, leading to a snicket approaching an underpass.
Walk through the underpass and along a further section of snicket to reach the side of another residential road.
Straight in front of you and slightly to the left there is a road running ahead of you. Cross over and head along this road.
Soon you come out besides another residential road which runs along the line of the playing fields belonging to the private Solihull School.
Here turn right, cross over by means of a zebra crossing, and walk along the side of the road fringed with the school’s hedgerow for some distance.
Presently on the left there is a snicket running down along the side of the playing field. Turn left and walk down it.
At the bottom of the snicket you enter the edge of the grounds of Solihull Hospital. Keep walking straight ahead along an access road for the hospital.
At the bottom next to a chain pub is part of the ring road system ringing Solihull town centre.
Here to the right there are some traffic lights which you use to cross the road.
On the far side of the ring road turn right and walk a short distance.
To your left there is a road running off to the right up into the pedestrianised Mell Square shopping centre.
At the top in the heart of Mell Square is pretty much the geographical centre of Solihull town centre.
This is where the walk ends.
Getting Back
Solihull is well served by buses running to various parts of Birmingham (at the time of writing in February 2024 the X2 was the express bus between Solihull and Birmingham), the town’s own suburbs, as well as out to locations in Meridian and back towards Coventry. These are typically pretty frequent. There is also a frequent railway service between Birmingham and Solihull provided by both West Midlands Railway and Chiltern Trains. There are roughly four trains an hour, two of which stop at intermediate stations like Acock’s Green and Tyseley. Trains also serve Dorridge and Widney Manor, with others running on to Stratford-upon-Avon. Around two trains per hour (at the time of writing in February 2024) serve Warwick and Leamington Spa (which has a half hourly service north towards Coventry), and many of these carry on south towards London Marylebone.