16/04/22 - Centenary Way - Stage 9 - Brinklow

Distance - 7 Miles

Geocaches - 1

Pub - Bulls Head, Brinklow

Previous Stages - Stage 1, Stage 2, Stage 3, Stage 4, Stage 5, Stage 6, Stage 7, Stage 8

Another leg of Warwickshire Weirdness on the Centenary Way. Brinklow is the starting point. A village that you can instantly feel its antiquity from the buildings that align Broad Street. A limited amount of research points to Roman origins and a Motte and Bailey Hillfort.

Heading South West, I find myself walking a narrow corridor between abandoned mineral working.  Grim pits, muddy tracks and a clogged up conveyor belt.  The Centenary Way throws up surprises, not all of them pleasant. 

Abandoned Mineral Workings

Industrial apocalypse but at least the footpath remains

To counteract the grimness the CW serves up Coombe Abbey - A National Trust, former monastery, now hotel and Go Ape family friendly destination. It's weird rambling amongst families doing Easter Egg hunts but it at least offering something easier on the eye.

Chateau..... 

..... Warwickshire Style

Route finding is not the easiest.  The OS Map shows the path going straight through the centre of the hotel.... before disappearing completely.  On the ground, a circuit of the pools is required before a well signposted "permissive path" leads to my exit.

Follow the (permissive) bear

Agricultural walking on the Coventry Way to return to Brinklow and refreshment.

Where there is a choice of 3.  The Raven, a Marstons, family pub.  The White Lion - unsure of its pedigree but WhatPub states it serves Greene King and Landlord.  1 out of 2 ain't bad.

Instead on choose the Bulls Head - despite all the signs indicating avoid.  A children's adventure playground to challenge Croombe Abbey's Go Ape setup. Cask Marque certification has its distractors, but I probably should have taken this as a warning.

Sign of cellarmanship quality

A short measured, on the cusp of ropiness, Oakham Citra providing confirmation. No sandwiches on the menu, but all was no lost. There is a chipper over the road. 

Oakham Citra in the Sunshine.  Chips to follow.