Distance: 3 miles
Difficulty of the terrain: medium
Get the route: via Ordnance Survey Maps or download the gpx. file from Dropbox
Walk along the first rural stretch of the southern part of the Midlands Watershed with panoramic views across north Worcestershire towards Clent, and the Shropshire hills, including The Wrekin; beyond.
The Story
Route Notes
Getting Back
Looking Left Towards The Wrekin
There is a famously characteristic West Midlands conurbation phrase “right around the Wrekin” or sometimes “all around the Wrekin” which means taking a long, roundabout way to get somewhere, or just something taking a frustratingly long time.
The Wrekin is an isolated, so therefore highly prominent 407 metre tall hill in Shropshire between Telford and Shrewsbury. It is the north easternmost limb of the Shropshire Hills National Landscape. The hill has a highly varied geology, including tough ancient rocks which are 680 million years old, and far newer (relatively speaking) limestone typical of upland areas around the Midlands.
Because of its prominence The Wrekin can be seen from as far south as Cleeve Hill in the Cotswolds, and as far north as the upper storeys of Beetham Tower in Manchester and Winter Hill in the Lancashire Pennines. It is a prominent landmark on the Black Country horizon looking north and west, whether from Wolverhampton or the top of the Midlands Watershed Ridge, but can it be seen from Birmingham?
Tall buildings in Birmingham city centre aside, the best place in the city to get a view of The Wrekin is right on its southwesternmost edge. From here, in the rural salient right on the boundary with Worcestershire between Kitswell and Bartley Green to the north and Frankley to the south, it is possible to see The Wrekin far to the north above the Black Country. Looking due west it is possible to see Brown Clee (Shropshire’s highest peak) and Titterstone Clee Hill in the southern part of the Shropshire Hills National Landscape.
Just outside Birmingham, inside Worcestershire, but surrounded by the city on three sides, there are even better views of The Wrekin from the summit of Frankley Beeches, a distinctive 256 metre tall hill, highly prominent in its own right that forms part of the Midlands Watershed Ridge. From here looking north The Wrekin’s steadily sloping back is readily visible above West Midlands county looming on the horizon.
Route Notes
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 Kitwell to Frankley begins from the bus stop where the X22 from Birmingham city centre calls immediately prior to the site of the Kitwell itself.
Upon alighting the bus walk straight down Kitwell Lane past the site of the Kitwell itself.
Continue passing the side entrance for Frankley Services on the M5 immediately to your right. This is an unusual location where you can readily enter a service station on foot should you wish to do so.
Past the service station you enter the countryside, crossing into the greenbelt around Birmingham. The pavement entirely peters out, but there is a wide grass verge, so taking care, there is a decent amount of refuge from the large volume of cars which use this road along the south western edge of the West Midlands conurbation.
Keep on straight along this road called Ravenhayes Lane for some distance. The scenery alternates between woodland and rural scenery, the Midlands Watershed Ridge tapering away steeply to your right, and providing a spectacular view across the north Worcestershire countryside towards Clent and the south Shropshire Hills beyond.
Presently you reach the little village of Frankley Green the bulk of which slopes steeply downhill down the ridge towards the M5 on the Severn side of the Midlands Watershed, while to the left on the Trent side of the divide a land runs down towards St. Leonards church and Bartley Reservoir.
Turning right next to the turning for the village you begin to ascend towards the wooded summit of Frankley Beeches.
As you climb the hill, crossing to the larger grass verge on the left hand side of the road, there are spectacular views to the north behind you towards Birmingham city centre, across the Black Country as as far north as The Wrekin hulking on the skyline to the north.
As the summit of Frankley Beeches follow the footpath sign to the right to enter the woods.
There is an old trig point on the left hand side of the wood looking towards the Waseley and Lickey Hills.
After having a look around Frankley Beeches wood, pick up the footpath to the right of the trees heading downhill across a field towards Frankley Hill Lane.
Upon reaching Frankley Hill Lane follow the road, taking care as it is fast and can be busy, around past a farm.
Beyond the farm you start to descend towards Frankley. Soon you come to a quiet road off on your right past an old farm converted into housing.
Just beyond this old farm there is a footpath running downhill towards the edge of Frankley.
Follow this path downhill until you reach a boundary ditch which divides the southernmost edge of Birmingham from rural Worcestershire.
Upon reaching the ditch follow the path around to the right.
Presently you reach a bridge over the ditch and then turn left, following a path down towards the first houses inside Frankley.
Soon you head right onto a path which leads to a cul-de-sac. Once amongst the houses turn left and follow the twisting cul-de-sac around until you reach the Bolyen Road, the main road through this part of Frankley. Turn left here and continue until you reach the bus stops.
This is where the walk ends.
Getting Back
From the bus stop on Boleyn Road (at the time of writing in January 2026) the 63 bus ran back towards Birmingham city centre. It goes via the Bristol Road (A38) stopping near stations on the Cross City Line (between Lichfield and Sutton Coldfield via Birmingham city centre to the north and Alvechurch and Bromsgrove to the south) as well as intersecting with the route of the 11 Outer Circle in Selly Oak. The Boleyn Road stop was also served by the far less frequent 202 bus, which ran more or less hourly from early morning until late afternoon, between Bromsgrove and Halesowen.