14/01/16 - Millennium Way Summary

Number of Stages - 44
Start - Pershore, Worcestershire on the 1st June 2013
Finish - Middleton Cheney, Northamptonshire on the 14th January 2017
Total Distance Walked - 268 Miles
Geocaches Found - 244

The Millennium Way Short Walks

The Millennium Way was brought to my attention through Geocaching Alerts. I was on holiday in Norfolk and received email notification that a new geocache trail had been laid along Stage 32.  If you look closely at the above picture and you can see the Geocaching Symbol against a couple of stages.  The cache listing pointed me to their web site, where I found that Peter Travis had painstakingly detailed 44 short walks that took in the full length of the Long Distance Path.

I'm always looking for walking inspiration, so it was a no-brainer to complete this.  In June 2013, I vowed to complete one walk per month, starting at Pershore and doing the walks in sequence until I reached Middleton Cheney - three and a half years later.

The walking routes are perfect in every way.  A nice map, directions, indications of items of interest and most importantly, nearly all of them finish at a pub.  Absolutely perfect for my needs.

Thank you for the maintenance of the web site and way markers on the ground.  Route finding could not have been easier.

Highlights - Of course, there were many.  Pershore to Henley in Arden are on my doorstep and I have walked the areas extensively but it was always good to be back in the area and discovering new paths.  The areas around Berkswell and Meriden provided some fascinating history and if anything, we went further back in time when walking around Warwick and Kenilworth - with their castles providing a fine photographic backdrop to the walks.

Warwick Castle from the Millennium Way

Lowlights - I was looking forward to discovering Royal Leamington Spa but found it a real dump.  A dump where if people do clean up after their dogs, they tie the poo bags onto the trees.  The Top 10 County Pub was also closed at Lunchtime.   A minor distraction - don't let this put you off :-) Unfortunately, my trusty side kick - Molly the Labradoodle - didn't quite make it to the end.  I'll forever be in her debt for getting me into walking in the first place and changing my life so completely.

Kicking off the Millennium Way in 2013 with a 10 year old Labradoodle

Finishing off the Millennium Way in 2017

Each Stage was individually blogged.

Stage 1 - Pershore, 9m
Stage 2 - Stoulton, 7.5m
Stage 3 - Stoulton, 6m
Stage 4 - Crowle, 7m
Stage 5 - Upper Snodsbury, 3m
Stage 6 - Flyford Flavell, 7.5m
Stage 7 - Flyford Flavell, 4.5m
Stage 8 - Inkberrow, 4.5m
Stage 9 - Inkberrow, 6m
Stage 10 - New End, 5m
Stage 11 - Alcester, 6m
Stage 12 - Coughton, 6.5m
Stage 13 - Studley, 8m
Stage 14 - Henley-in-Arden, 5.5m
Stage 15 - Henley-in-Arden, 5.5m
Stage 16 - Kingswood, 7.5m
Stage 17 - Hockley Heath, 4m
Stage 18 - Packwood, 4m
Stage 19 - Heronfield, 7m
Stage 20 - Barston, 4m
Stage 21 - Balsall Common, 5m
Stage 22 - Meriden, 9m
Stage 23 - Berkswell, 4.5m
Stage 24 - Berkswell, 4.5m
Stage 25 - Burton Green, 7m
Stage 26 - Burton Green, 6m
Stage 27 - Kenilworth, 7m
Stage 28 - Leek Wootton, 7m
Stage 29 - Warwick, 5m
Stage 30 - Leamington Spa, 5.5m
Stage 31 - Cubbington, 6.5m
Stage 32 - Offchurch, 7m
Stage 33 - Hunningham, 4m
Stage 34 - Long Itchington - 6.5m
Stage 35 - Long Itchington - 5m
Stage 36 - Napton, 6m
Stage 37 - Napton, 5m
Stage 38 - Priors Marston, 5.5m
Stage 39 - Hellidon, 6m
Stage 40 - Upper Boddington, 5.5m
Stage 41 - Lower Boddington, 5.5m
Stage 42 - Cropredy, 8m
Stage 43 - Chipping Warden, 10m
Stage 44 - Middleton Cheney, 8m

The Millennium Way Flickr Album



So now it's finished, what's next?  Well, I did discover the Heart of England Way on this walk.  The official guide book shows it can be completed by 32 linked circular walks.

It shall be done by 2020.