Next walk: Shire Country Park, 12 May

Posted on 18th April 2024 by Boot Women

 

John M, Wikimedia Commons,  Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic

The Shire Country Park is a local nature reserve along the River Cole Valley, with a mixture of wetlands, grasslands, woodland and heath. The park was named to honour the life and work of J.R.R. Tolkien who lived within its borders as a young child. Tolkien’s childhood adventures in the park are said to have inspired some of his later works.

Our 5 km circular walk starts at Sarehole Mill, an eighteenth century watermill. The walking is generally easy and there are no stiles.

As on all of our walks we will stop for a break so bring something to eat and drink.  Dogs are welcome but may need to be kept on a lead.

Sections of the walk may be muddy so wear appropriate shoes or boots!

Contact us for details on how to go to the start of the walk.

We are still collecting for Women’s Aid, and optional donations of 1£ (or more) will be welcome.

Join us!

Posted in Boot Women, Walks | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Next walk: Castle Ring, 14 April

Posted on 30th March 2024 by Boot Women

 

© Stephen McKay, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0

Our April walk is an 8 mile figure of eight loop, taking in Hednesford Hills and Castle Ring.

There are a few inclines and some sections may still be muddy, so appropriate footwear is essential.  Well behaved dogs are welcome, but there is a section where they will need to be on the lead.

Please remember to bring some lunch / drinks and something to sit on.

Contact us for details on how to go to the start of the walk.

We are still collecting for Women’s Aid, and optional donations of 1£ (or more) will be welcome.

Join us!

Posted in Boot Women, Walks | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Visit to Boscobel House, 10 March 2024

Posted on 18th February 2024 by Boot Women

© Richard Croft, Wikimedia Commons, ASA 2.0 Generic Attribution

Over the years, many of our walks have crossed onto the path known as the Monarch’s Way. It is Britain’s second longest trail at 625 miles long. The route follows the journey of King Charles ll from Worcester to Shoreham on Sea and takes in some of the places he hid during that time. Boscobel House is one of them.

A former hunting lodge where the king took refuge following his defeat at the battle of Worcester in 1651. The house and gardens, now fully restored, share the secrets and stories of Charles’s escape from Cromwell’s soldiers and his eventual fleeing to France.

A short stroll from the house and gardens  you can see a descendant of the oak tree in which the king hid for a day.

We will tour the house, gardens and visit the oak tree and then take a break at the tearooms before walking down to the priory. The ruins of the 12th century priory, where the king stayed disguised as a woodsman are approx. half a mile from Boscobel house.

If you would like to join us on our visit to Boscobel House, you will need to book a ticket online.

Please note that 10 March is Mother’s Day.

We are still collecting for Women’s Aid, and optional donations of 1£ (or more) will be welcome.

Contact us for details on where and when to meet us.

Join us!

Posted in Uncategorised | Leave a comment

Next walk: Baggeridge Country Park to Himley Hall, 11 February 2024

Posted on 21st January 2024 by Boot Women

© Mat Fascione, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0

Smooth paths and gentle grades make this a relaxing walk. On leaving our starting point, we cross a field into the woodland following a clear and well maintained path.

We will pass a number of pools which are a linked chain of different shapes and sizes, allowed to grow naturally and teeming with wildlife.  At the final pool, Himley Hall will come into view. Passing the Hall, we will complete a circuit of the great pool before heading back to the cafe and toilets where we will take our lunch break.

Retracing the route back to the car park will complete our 4.5 mile walk.

Contact us for details on how to go to the start of the walk.

We are still collecting for Women’s Aid, and optional donations of 1£ (or more) will be welcome.

The walk is suitable for well-behaved dogs.

Join us!

Posted in Boot Women, Walks | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Next walk: Walsall, 14 January 2024

Posted on 30th December 2023 by Boot Women

© Roger Jones, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0

Our first walk of 2024 starts at Walsall Arboretum. It’s a 5 mile route, including fields, woods, Park Lime Pits Nature Reserve, the Rushall Canal and the arboretum itself. It’s generally easy walking; there are a couple of stiles. There is a short stretch of road walking at the beginning of the walk.

Park Lime Pits can be muddy so make sure you come in appropriate footwear.

We’ll stop about halfway for a break at the historic Manor Arms pub, one of the very few pubs in the country with no bar counter. It is a three-room canal-side establishment, opened as a beerhouse in 1895 within an 18th-century building. The Manor Arms is currently not doing food, so make sure you bring your packed lunch! There is a pub garden for those who prefer to stay outside.

The arboretum itself dates back to the late 19th century, with over 10,000 different species of trees and shrubs.

Contact us for details on how to go to the start of the walk.

We are still collecting for Women’s Aid, and optional donations of 1£ (or more) will be welcome.

Well-behaved dogs are also welcome.

Join us and keep your fingers crossed for good weather!

Posted in Boot Women, Walks | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Next walk: Birmingham Canals and Christmas Market, 10 Dec 2023

Posted on 19th November 2023 by Boot Women

Our final walk of the year will be a relaxing 2-3 mile exploration of the canals around Birmingham city centre. A visit to the Christmas Market on Victoria Square will conclude our walk.
Towpaths might be a bit slippery so please ensure you wear appropriate footwear.
Please note that this walk is not suitable for dogs.

Contact us for details on how to go to the start of the walk.

We are still collecting for Women’s Aid, and optional donations of 1£ (or more) will be welcome.

Join us!

Posted in Uncategorised | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Next walk: Chasewater, 12 Nov 2023

Posted on 1st November 2023 by Boot Women

Join us in November for an autumnal Chasewater stroll.

The route is an easy flat 3-6 miles through a reclaimed historic mining landscape. Depending on weather conditions and how we feel on the day we can opt for the shorter or the longer version. The path is mainly dry but there could be a muddy stretch so please wear appropriate footwear.

This is the walk that has it all: Heathland and water, wildlife and birds, 2 cafés, crazy golf if you fancy it, a heritage railway, sailing and water-skiing and even the chance to see real life deer up close!

Please remember to bring some lunch / drinks and something to sit on.

Well-behaved dogs are also welcome.

Contact us for details on how to go to the start of the walk.

We are still collecting for Women’s Aid, and optional donations of 1£ (or more) will be welcome.

Join us!

Posted in Boot Women, Walks | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Next walk: Harborne Walkway, 8 Oct 2023

Posted on 10th September 2023 by Boot Women

Our October walk is a varied urban walk which starts and ends in Birmingham City Centre, taking in 2 canals and the old Harborne Railway, now a city ‘greenway’. It involves some street walking (across Edgbaston to Harborne) and we will also walk through the new Canalside development ‘Port Loop’. The walk is flat, other than 12 steps up to street level at Somerset Road and a very short but quite steep incline from street level up to the Harborne Walkway.  Underfoot it is mostly surfaced canal tow path, pavement or good paths. Please note the first 20 minutes is a busy stretch of canal path so we will need to walk 1 or 2 abreast much of the time.

We will first follow the Worcester canal past the University to Somerset Road. We then cross leafy Edgbaston to Harborne and join the Harborne Walkway. This brings us out at Summerfield Park. From the park exit we have a short stretch of road again (Icknield Port Road) then walk down to the Wolverhampton Main Line Canal via the interesting new Port Loop development. We cross the canal and walk back into the city centre.

Two extensions are possible for those who want a slightly longer walk: a stroll around Edgbaston Reservoir, or the 1 ¾ mile Soho Loop (the older Birmingham – Wolverhampton Canal) which passes Winson Green Prison and the Birmingham and Black Country Wildlife Trust before rejoining the Mainline canal.)

Please wear suitable shoes / boots and remember to bring some lunch / drinks and something to sit on.

Well-behaved dogs are welcome but will need to be on a lead.

Contact us for details on how to go to the start of the walk.

We are still collecting for Women’s Aid, and optional donations of 1£ (or more) will be welcome.

Join us!

Posted in Boot Women, Walks | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Next walk: Manor Farm Park and Bournville, 10 Sept 2023

Posted on 24th August 2023 by Boot Women

Our September walk will be a history walk through Manor Farm Park and around Bournville in Birmingham. It will also be a celebration of Gill Coffin’s 80th birthday!

The park, which dates back to medieval times, includes a restored lake with three islands, wooded sections, Griffin’s Brook and waterfalls. After exploring the park, we’ll walk through a patch of woodland and around a boating lake to Bournville, George Cadbury’s planned suburb, where we will find out about the interesting history of this part of Birmingham. We will end up at the Quaker Meeting House in Bournville, where Betty and Gill will provide teas, coffees and cake!

We will then return to Manor Farm Park.

Bring a packed lunch – we can use the meeting house to eat our lunches in.

The route is an easy 7km, mostly on pavement or on good pathways. There are no hills and no stiles.

Well-behaved dogs are welcome but will need to be kept on lead throughout the walk. They will not be able to come into the Meeting House, but there is a garden with a bench just outside.

Contact us for details on how to go to the start of the walk.

We are still collecting for Women’s Aid, and optional donations of 1£ (or more) will be welcome.

Join us!

Posted in Boot Women, Walks | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Next walk: Sutton Park, 13 August 2023

Posted on 16th July 2023 by Boot Women

 

Our August walk will be a nice, relaxing stroll through Sutton Park.
The route is an easy 5km on good pathways. There are two gentle inclines.
On our walk, we will take in the Jamboree Memorial Stone, Keepers Pool and the Visitor Centre.

Our walk will finish by 1pm. Those who have pre-booked will then proceed to have Sunday lunch.

Well behaved dogs are also welcome. Please note that you may need to keep them on a lead when we encounter other walkers and cyclists. If you are going to join us for the pre-booked lunch, you won’t be able to bring your dog into the restaurant.

Contact us for details on how to go to the start of the walk.

We are still collecting for Women’s Aid, and optional donations of 1£ (or more) will be welcome.

Join us!

Posted in Boot Women, Walks | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment