Studley
Circular Number 42 (8.25 Miles)
Walk Overview
This lovely walk is across glorious open countryside with a few gentle inclines, along riverside and through woodland with a short section along quiet country lanes. Suitable for dogs. The walk incorporates sections of the Millennium Way, where you will be guided by the distinctive black and white waymarkers.
Walk Details
- Start:Bell Lane, Studley, B80 7AR
- Start Grid Ref: SP073 639
- Parking: Roadside near Bell Lane, Bell Mead , or in Gunners Lane
- Refreshments:
- Bell Inn, Studley (01527 857655)
- Barley Mow, Studley (01527 854386)
- Maps: OS Explorer 220 or OS Landranger 150
- Distance: 8¼ miles
- Time: 4 hours
- Stiles: Only 1, so very 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 August 2022
Walk Instructions
Section A
Park on the roadside near Bell Lane, Studley. Walk down Bell Lane to reach the T-junction with Castle Road. Go directly across road to walk between the bollards and then along Gunners Lane between houses. ( You could also park here. ) At the end of the road (cul-de-sac) go left to enter a narrow passageway between wooden fence and hedge. Emerging from the passageway take the wooden kissing gate on right then go ahead following river on left. Shortly the river bends sharp left. Continue towards the church and take the footbridge across the River Arrow. Go through a kissing gate to a lane. Go left for 50 paces then turn right into the churchyard. The attractive Church of The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary was built in 1105.
River Arrow
Section B
Go right past the front door of the church and cross churchyard diagonally to exit by wooden gate to lane. Ignore footpath opposite, and instead go left on lane then take metal gate 60 paces ahead where you will have joined the Arden Way. Continue along wide grassy track between hedges. Shortly the track narrows and continues gently uphill. Keep straight ahead passing the side of Studley Castle Warner Centre. Go ahead across driveway ( look right to see castle ) and stay forward on rough track to pass greenhouses and then Wig House on right. Immediately after passing under power lines take metal gate on right into field and walk parallel to the power lines over field crossing under them towards the end. Exit field by metal gate to track then go right along track. After a short while, the track veers to the right by a hidden way post next to telegraph pole. Leave the track here and continue ahead on the Arden Way with hedge left.
Church at Studley
Section C
Stay ahead to take metal gate into next field and go slightly right walking beneath power lines to exit into next field via small metal gate at corner of an orchard. Continue gently uphill alongside power lines keeping orchard on right. At the brow of the hill continue on to take next metal gate ahead. Stay forward keeping close to hedge right. Ignore two gaps right and approx 30 paces before field corner take two metal gates on right (hidden in hedge) into another field. Go diagonally right to walk across field between a line of four large trees finding a small metal gate to exit field. Proceed through small copse to take a kissing gate into next field. Go left along edge of field keeping fence and hedge left to eventually take a kissing gate at top of field. Go right after the gate keeping hedge right and heading up towards building ahead. There is an attractive lake to your right.
Section D
Take the corner kissing gate into gravel area of Manor Farm and almost immediately take further waymarked kissing gate to cross paddock area diagonally and exit via kissing gate at top corner just in front of a modern style farmhouse. Stay ahead to take kissing gate to track passing the house ( Spring Cottage ) on your left to reach road. Turn right on lane, initially passing Morton Bagot Manor on right then Orchard House on left, for about 1/3rd mile to reach a road junction. Turn right and when you reach the crossroads continue straight over in the direction of Shelfield and Wootton Wawen eventually to pass under power lines. As the lane gently rises, go past a way marked footpath on left and continue gently uphill shortly to find a way marked metal gate on right.
Tranquil Fishing Lake
Section E
Here we join the Millennium Way and share this part of the route with both the Arden Way and the Heart of England Way. ( You will be guided by the distinctive black Millennium Way waymarkers). Once though the gate go 1/2 left through small copse and then emerging into field turn right. Go uphill along field edge with hedge right. The path gets gradually steeper but soon flattens out. At the top of the rise take gap right to go over the only stile on this walk and then immediately turn left to follow with fence left to take gate into Bannam's Wood. Follow the path as it winds ahead through the very attractive wood. The path through the wood is waymarked in various places, but the footpath is easy to follow. Stay ahead where a path goes off to the right. The woodland path winds downhill veering left onto an old rough track to reach a gate to the road.
Quiet Woodland Paths
Section F
Here we leave the Arden Way & Heart of England Way and turn right up the road to continue on the Millennium Way. Where the wood ends continue along road to pass under power lines and keep a sharp look out for a waymarked gate hidden in hedge on left. Take gate and continue along edge of field with hedge right. At the field corner take metal gate then go diagonally left across next field to exit via wooden gate. Go right on wide grassy way parallel with power lines on far left and stay forward to brow of hill ahead. At the brow go down slope to the bottom to take wooden gate adjacent to start of hedge. Go ahead for 80 yds to reach waymarker post ( ignore gap right ) and stay forward with hedge right & fenced paddock left, then continue with hedge right to exit next field via corner gap. Go diagonally left on an ill defined line heading towards an oak tree to the right of a pole with an old rusty transformer. On reaching field edge, with hidden waymark post, turn left for 30 paces and then proceed slightly left down grassy track towards pylon, past house with skylights (often with securely contained barking dogs) to find large pylon with overhead cables. When you draw level with large pylon do not continue to road, but go right between wooden fence and hedge right to find metal gate. Take gate and cross driveway to take further gate. Go ahead, eventually to pass under power lines to the right of the pylon and past a solitary waypost to far corner going through sometimes very muddy passage to find metal gate.
Section G
Take gate (here we leave the Millennium Way) and go diagonally right to pass between two large trees then through a narrow corner gap. Continue on with wire fence and stream on your right. At the field corner take metal kissing gate and go right down track. After a few yards you will notice on your far right the Studley Castle Warner Centre. Stay on the track which eventually swings right to a large gap on left. Take gap and go forward to follow yellow waymarker directly ahead rising gently to a brow where you pass a couple of trees and small low-lying pond (heavily overgrown with reeds) on your right. Continue past the pond and the path gently descends to a gap with solitary waymarker pointing forwards. Follow the Heart of England Forest sign with hedge left. Stay along path to take wooden gate into graveyard and exit by another gate to lane. Go left on lane following round right at the corner to continue past the church on your right. Stay on lane to reach a road junction. Go left on Hardwick Lane and a little way ahead where the lane turns sharp left go straight on through a metal kissing gate and take the left hand path going diagonally left across field. (Here you are crossing the remains of an old priory - note the typical ridge and furrow topography).
Studley Castle Hotel
The Bell Pub
Take the metal kissing gate in the field corner and stay diagonally left across next field eventually meeting and continuing to follow the River Arrow on your left. Shortly we need to take the metal kissing gate left and the bridge across the river now walking along a fenced path with river right. The path soon swings sharp left and continues with tall conifer hedge on left to reach a kissing gate.
Take gate to reach surfaced track and go right to reach the main road in Studley opposite the Barley Mow pub. Turn left along main road which soon brings you back to your starting point opposite The Bell Inn.
Points of Interest - What to know and what to see...
by Andy Botherway
Studley
A large village with rather more than the average number of pubs per head of population (17 within 1 sq. mile), Studley is also known for being the site of a sewing needle and surgical needle making industry. This specialisation started when Elizabeth I permitted a number of Huguenot refugees to settle here, bringing this rare craft with them. Studley became a leading area in this craft, gaining a European and even worldwide reputation.
One of the streets in the village is named "Crooks Lane", ostensibly because the crooked needles from the original factory were dumped at the end of this lane.
Priory Farm
An Augustinian Priory was founded here in the 12th century, but dissolved by Henry VIII. Some fragments of the original medieval stones are incorporated into Priory Farm, which is passed early in the walk.
The parish church of The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin has fine surviving examples of opus spicatum or herringbone masonry and a medieval rood screen.
A 16th century house called Old Studley Castle, which can be seen behind the parish church, occupies the original medieval castle site. Studley Castle was never a castle, but a Gothic Revival mansion built in 1836 for Francis Holyoake. It is now a Warner Leisure Centre.
Bannam's Wood is a SSSI, important for its invertebrates (264 varieties of moth recorded).
Priory Farm
Holy Trinity Church
Morton Bagot
Although a slight diversion from the Millenium Way, the charming church of Holy Trinity is worth a look.
John Burman, in ‘Warwickshire People and Places’ noted that the church was lit by candles and this is still true today giving Winter services a very individual spiritual feeling.
Behind the church there are earthworks which are believed to be the site of a castle or fortified manor house. The size and depth of the earthworks suggests that this may be a small ring-motte.