Silkmore, Rickerscote to Hyde Lea Doorstep Walk

Length of walk: Approx 5 miles

Duration of walk: Approx 2-3 hours

Good place to start: Silkmore Primary School

Notes: Busy roads

1. From the School cross over Exeter Street and walk towards Silkmore Lane. Use the pedestrian refuge to cross Silkmore Lane and turn into Rickerscote Road. Follow the road round to the right, to the shops in Rickerscote Village.

2. From the shops continue along Rickerscote Lane with housing both sides, until you come to open fields on your left.

3. The lane continues, initially as an improved road and then as a country lane which leads through a gate into open pasture. Through the gate the path divides. Take the right hand path diagonally across the field to a stile in the corner, then follow the hedge across another stile to the railway crossing at Gravel Lane.

4. Climb the ladder stile and cross the rail track. From Gravel Lane the walk now cross the Stafford - Wolverhampton road, into Chain Lane. Chain Lane leads into Barn Bank Lane to become a rural lane, after crossing the bridge over the M6 Motorway.

5. After a further 200 meters cross over a stile on your left into a field. The path follows the direction of the sign, diagonally uphill across the field, to another stile. It continues along the hedge to where it becomes a lane.

6. Before reaching the lane our walk now joins another field path which returns downhill across a number of stiles to Grange Farm. Pass through the farm yard and along the farm lane to Ashflats Lane and turn left.

7. Ashflats Lane crosses over the M6 Motorway and at the end of the bridge follow the footpath sign on the right. Steps take you down the embankment. Cross a stile here and turn right to follow the motorway boundary.

8. After another stile, turn diagonally left to a stile in the corner of the field and follow the hedge to the railway.

9. A new footbridge takes the walk over the rail track and through Moss Pit Garage. Follow signs to the A449.

10. After crossing the A449 go over the stile and cross the field diagonally to the farm track. Go straight over the farm track, using the two stiles. Follow the path across fields through several gates and over stiles until you rejoin Rickerscote Lane at point 4. Return to Rickerscote and Silkmore retracing the outward route.