28/7/18 - Heart of England Way - Stage 16 - Temple Balsall

Distance - 5.5 Miles
Geocaches - 1
Previous Stages - Stage 1, Stage 2, Stage 3, Stage 4, Stage 5, Stage 6, Stage 7, Stage 8, Stage 9, Stage 10, Stage 11, Stage 12, Stage 13, Stage 14, Stage 15


A lovely stretch of the Heart of England Way.  No hills, no complex route finding, just a simple jaunt in the Warwickshire Countryside, timed perfectly for when the heatwave took a day off.   We even took rain jackets.

We battle our way through Knowle, wondering if it is just us or is the place getting slightly shabby and start the walk at the Orange Tree in Chadwick End.

The HOEW is picked up immediately over the road and after a strange route behind some ramshackle garages we are out into the Warwickshire countryside.   With temperatures below 20 degrees and proper wind, its a joy to be out.

Heart of England

Farmer has been busy

From an interest perspective the walk has an historical highlight at the midpoint.  Temple Balsall is home to a Knights Templar hospital, church and manor house dating from the 12th Century.   Come on a Sunday between 2:30 and 4:30pm and you can buy tea and cake.

No cake available on Saturdays

The walk back provides the sole Geocache.  The HOEW is sharing paths with the Millennium Way, so the area has been well mined for treasure.

Walking Partner has snuck up on me.

2 hours from setting off and we're back at the Orange Tree pub, which isn't as successful as the walk.

The Orange Tree, Chadwick End

You can tell from the "Hoof, Fin, Feather, Fur and Flour" motif that this is going to be full on gastro but you have to ask, how can a menu offer 10 different types of pizza and not a single sandwich?