21/10/25 - West Midlands Way - Stage 10 - Rugeley to Lichfield

Borrow, Cope and Hill

This walk will not be troubling the 2026 "Best of" awards ceremony. Let me count the things that are missing: Geocaches. Pubs. Open Churches. Places of interest.

Even getting out of Rugeley station is a ball-ache. New-build estates, with no means of escape, force double-backs and rerouting. The countryside, when picked up at Chetwynd's coppice, is reasonable, as it winds its way through Upper Longford (pub opens in 6 hours), Farewell (church all locked up) and Elmhurst (no visible evidence of the manor house).

I swear, the entire route was uphill

Dark Lane, closed to traffic around 2010 and reclaimed by nature

Coming into Farewell

Farewell Church - Doors Locked

The guide book, rather foolishly, suggests ending the walk at Whittington, bypassing Lichfield completely. This is stupid. Public transport is needed to return home. And grim mysteries are hiding in plain sight.

City Shield on the Railway Bridge, showing the 3 Slain Kings, Borrow, Cope and Hill

According to local legend, Lichfield takes its name from a grisly episode in early Mercian history — the slaying of three Christian kings named Borrow, Cope, and Hill. The story tells that they were martyred near the site of the present city during the conversion of Mercia, their blood consecrating the ground that became known as Lyccidfelth — the “field of the dead.”

Ooooh... mystery and death! I use YouTube for inspiration on which sites to visit during my couple of hours. They hooked me with "haunted pub".

A walk through the Market—scene of the last burning at the stake in England—on the way to Bird Street and its ghouls.

Dodgy photo, dodging market stalls

The King's Head is the oldest coaching house in Lichfield, dating back to 1408. It is proud of its military history, having acted as a recruiting post during the English Civil War and later as the home of the Staffordshire Regiment. Military memorials and paraphernalia adorn the walls.

The Kings Head, Bird Street

 

My YouTube video discusses three ghosts - George, who lives in the cellar. A young girl killed in a fire, seen at the window, along with flickering flames and the laughing Cavalier. Hacked to bits by Roundheads outside the pub. I was too scared to go in. It is a Marstons house and only sells Hobgoblin.

Instead, I celebrated the end of another stage of the West Midlands way in the ever reliable Horse and Jockey. A Good Beer Guide Regular. I could have lost my Bathams Mild virginity, but had no complaints. The Holdens Golden Glow was in exceptional condition.

Lets not mention the Elephant on the room

Liquid Bliss

There’s a whole world left to explore in Lichfield—not least Borrowcop Hill to the south, supposedly the burial place of the slain kings: Borrow, Cope, and Hill.

I think the locals are playing us.

Walk Details

Distance - 11 Miles

Geocaches - 5

Previous Stages - Stage 1, Stage 2, Stage 3, Stage 4, Stage 5, Stage 6 (Part 1), Stage 6 (Part 2), Stage 7, Stage 8, Stage 9

24/09/25 - Icknield Street - Lifford to Beoley

Roman Roaming

The walk's premise is to trace the line of Icknield Street as it drives, arrow straight, through Birmingham.

Walk 2 from my 50 year old Guide Book

Before we get onto that, I have a simply perfect day, when everything aligns. Sometimes this happens with psychogeography. Unexpected finds and things tying together nicely, small and large. Let's detail the good luck;

• I made the connecting train to Kings Norton with 30 seconds to spare
• Kings Norton Church only opens on a Wednesday/Saturday at 10am. I arrived at 9:58am. On a Wednesday.
• The Coach and Horses is passed. It opens at 11:30am. I arrive at 11:27am.
• Through Geocaching, I find the tale of the only murdered policeman on active duty in Worcestershire. A change to plans, and I have found his final burial spot.

The walk is set to start at Lifford. This is the original name for Kings Norton Railway Station, so I alight there. It takes a bit of time to get through the housing estates of Walker's Heath before I pick up the trail, but there is time to explore the largest collection of Medieval buildings left in Birmingham.

The Grammar School and Kings Norton Church

Doors open to admire the Medieval Effigies

Icknield Street is a 2000 year old Roman Road that ran from Glevum (Gloucester) to Templeborough (near Rotherham).  In Birmingham, it linked Alcester and Studley, through Kings Norton and onward to Sutton Park. Previous Birmingham AZ Walks had shown me the Roman fort at Metchley

Plotting the walk proved much easier on an AZ Street Map than the OS Map. The arrow straightness becomes obvious and it's still called Icknield Street (and occasionally Ryknild Street) for the entire route. Its surprisingly car free and although completed on tarmac, a better walk than I could have really hoped for.

Street name

And it looks like this today

The Good Beer Guide perennial, the Coach and Horses is bang on route. First through the door and actually served 3 minutes before regulation opening hours. I have a named beer to compliment the walk. 

Country drinking at the Coach and Horses

Named Beer

A bit of local colour

Even the guide book states this is not necessarily a walk for the connoisseur, claiming the walker's first impression will be one of "surprise and disappointment". A geocache offers an alternative piece of local history for those interested in the macabre.

Lying on the side of the road is a simple memorial, containing initials and a date. There is no doubt I would have missed it and even if by some miracle I had spotted it, it would have meant nothing without the geocache to explain.  

JD 1885

PC George Davis holds a grim distinction – the only Worcestershire policeman ever killed on duty. In 1885, patrolling Icknield Street near Redditch at 3am, he challenged a man he suspected of poaching. The encounter turned deadly: Moses Shrimpton drew a knife and cut him down, leaving Davis bleeding in the road. Caught and tried, Shrimpton was condemned, and in 1886 he went to the gallows as the last man hanged at Worcester Gaol. Even that end was botched – the hangman misjudged the weight to drop ratio, and Shrimpton’s head was torn from his body.

Moses Shrimpton - with his head

Quite the tale. And imagine, a February night at 3am in the morning and there is a policeman actually patrolling. When was the last time you saw a policeman patrolling? At any time?

A little in-the-field research and I can slightly amend the route to find PC Davis' final resting place at Beoley Church. Located not far off route and atop a hill. Finishing the walk here avoids going through Redditch, which is something that should always be encouraged.

Beoley Church

The only murdered Worcestershire Policeman

A fitting location to complete the walk. With a nearby bus stop, I am whisked to travel connections in Redditch. Since my last visit - the Good Beer Guide Wetherspoons has closed. The Black Tap is still as bizarre as ever. 

It's best to return to Birmingham.

Walk Details

Distance - 9 Miles

Geocaches - 13

Walk Inspiration - 50 Weekend Walks Near Birmingham, Walk 2

Previous 50 Weekend Walks - Walk 1

08/09/25 - West Midlands Way - Stage 9 - Penkridge to Rugeley

The Prince of Poisoners

Stage 9 of the West Midlands Way. I wouldn't be surprised if this is classed as "the best section", once complete. A nice bit of symmetry at the start and end. The ancient towns of Penkridge and Rugeley. Canals, divided by a long section of the Staffordshire Way through Cannock Chase and into the Shugborough Estate. The Staffordshire and Worcester Canal to begin, the Trent and Mersey to end.

Let's show the walk through photographs;

Penkridge Church - with an inscription of 1578 carved into the sandstone wall

Autumn begins on the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal

Deer in Teddesley Park

Hadrian's Arch - one of the many follys in Shugborough

Shugborough House

Having completed my research, I was keen to discover the mystery of The Shepherd's Monument, another of the Shugborough follies.

Shugborough Hall, near Stafford, is an 18th-century stately home built for the Anson family, whose naval hero Admiral George Anson brought back great wealth from his circumnavigation of the globe. The estate is famed not only for its elegant Palladian mansion and landscaped grounds but also for the enigmatic Shepherd’s Monument, erected in the mid-18th century. Beneath a carved relief of Nicolas Poussin’s painting The Shepherds of Arcadia, an inscription of seemingly random letters—“OUOSVAVV” framed by “D M”—has baffled historians, cryptographers, and codebreakers for over 250 years. Theories range from Masonic secrets and religious messages to hidden references to the Holy Grail, but despite numerous attempts, including by wartime codebreakers at Bletchley Park, the true meaning remains unresolved.

The National Trust gatehouse was unguarded and the blog needs more dodgy photos to bring the mystery to life.

Risk Taking in Shugborough

Must mean something to someone

Onwards with the (lengthy) walk;

Over Essex Birdge, a C16th Pack Horse Bridge with 14 arches...

... to pick up the Trent and Mersey Canal all the way to Rugeley

Another story awaits in Rugeley. A place detailed in the Domesday Book and most notable as an Industrial Revolution mining town. Its most infamous resident - William Palmer, the Prince of Poisoners.

William Palmer, known as the “Prince of Poisoners” was a Victorian doctor infamous for one of the most notorious criminal cases of the 19th century. Born in 1824 in Rugeley, Staffordshire, he qualified as a physician but quickly gained a reputation for greed, gambling, and mounting debts. Between the early 1850s and his arrest in 1855, a series of mysterious deaths surrounded him, including his wife, brother, and several associates, though he was only ever tried for the murder of his friend John Parsons Cook. Cook died after falling ill at the Talbot Inn (now the Shrew) in Rugeley, where Palmer was suspected of administering strychnine. His trial at the Old Bailey in 1856 drew national attention, and after being found guilty, he was hanged outside Stafford Prison that same year, cementing his reputation as one of England’s most infamous poisoners.

I spent a little time plotting the locations of his dastardly deeds before finding out that an Adventure Lab Cache had done all the work for me;

The Palmer Family Home

Grave of John Parsons Cook - Gambler, bon vivant, Palmer victim

Formerly the Talbot, where Palmer administered poison to Cook

Palmer's final home - where he may or may not have poisoned his own children

A first - the blog turns "true crime". Let's get back to its original purpose. Pubs.

I had every intention of investigating the Talbot/Shrew but thankfully I was saved from myself.... this, a subset of an online review.

At the rear is a dance floor, karaoke with loud music and disco lights...

Best to stick with the Good Beer Guide recommendations, of which there are two and only the Vine open on a Monday. Although, I have never seen a pub look less open. Nearest door to the street closed and barely a light on inside to show proof of life. 

A mobility scooter further down the street gave hope

There is am eponymous brewery attached. If they sell any of their beers elsewhere, I haven't stumbled across them. A choice of at least 4, with the grapefruit IPA turned down in favour of the stout.

The pressure on with the Untappd checkin.... once I start my typing, I am told the head brewer is sat next to me. At least he is on the stout as well.

It was that good, I stayed for two.

Mobility, Hi-Viz, the pub is alive with life.

Walk Details

Distance - 15 Miles

Geocaches - 23

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

26/08/25 - Sheepwalks with the Ramblers

The Templar Mysteries of Enville

Normally a Ramblers walk, led by an 82 year old with no map and much disregard for the niceties of Public Rights of Way, would not warrant a blog. This is not a missive on "biting your tongue". I wanted to offer advice but realise it is a short step from that to be a walking leader. No, this is more about a little bit of local knowledge passed on from one of the 11 on the walk.

Which was a familiar beauty - the Staffordshire Way, over some rolling hills known as the "Sheepwalks". The views stretching across the West Midlands, where the Netherton flats can be mistaken for a Medieval tower. The English countryside at harvest-time.

The Walk Start - Enville Church

Ancestral Home of the Earls of Stamford - Enville Hall

The poor harvest of 2025

The conversations on route piqued my interest enough to ignore the temptations of The Cat (the best place to experience Enville Ale) in favour of the Church.

The academic world seems to be split on the origins of three graves on the roadside of the Churchyard. 

Three and ancient

Edward Dyas, an amateur historian from Stourbridge, claims they are one of the most significant Templar graves in the country. The rest of the academic world disagrees. His basis? The Templar Cross on the right hand grave that certainly has the most visible markings.

A broken Templar cross on the bottom stone

All very interesting in a warrior monk, Indiana Jones kind of way and certainly adding extra detail to an already fine walk.

And the length of time it would have taken me to enjoy a pint spent perusing the "Doors Open" church.

St Mary’s Church in Enville is a mainly medieval building with origins in the 12th century, though much of its present appearance reflects later additions and restorations. The church retains Norman stonework in its walls, while the tower, a dominant feature of the village, is largely fourteenth century. Inside, there are examples of fifteenth-century woodwork, monuments to the Grey family of Enville Hall, and Victorian stained glass from the nineteenth-century restoration

Nice tiling and stained glass windows. No snob screens.

C19th Font 

Carved Head on the North Wall

Should you be interested in discovering for yourself, use the map below carefully. It's easy to see where the walk leader had us doubling-back in enclosed fields. Less so, where we were off the Public Rights of Way.

Walk Details

Distance - 6 Miles

Geocaches - 0

28/07/25 - Geocaching, Ghosts and Timothy Taylor Landlord

Mysteries of Mercia Folklore

Back into the Wyre Forest, where the Forestry Commission have been laying more ammunition can geocaches. Familiar paths, from the Visitor Centre, down to Dowles Brook and back for the bus in Bewdley Town.

A Forest

Dowles Brook

My next guidebook for walking inspiration is going to be from Hugh Williams. He has two Mysteries of Mercia books and one Magic of Mercia. They are not walking books but detail the locations in the Midlands that are shrouded in folklore. Exactly the sort of thing to tide me over until the Worcestershire Section of the Good Beer Guide gets its annual September update.

Two reasons have stopped a purchase. A) I am still working through several guidebooks and the shelves are rather groaning. B) Hugh posts some detail on the locations on Facebook, telling all you need to know.

This week's post was about St Andrew's Church, located where Dowles Brook meets the Severn and on the route home today.

Date unknown - before demolition in 1956

There is no sign of the Church today, but the gravestones remain in an overgrown wood. This is a truncated version of the text from Hugh, detailing a ghostly vicar and a horned lady.

A lost graveyard and ruined chapel, hidden deep in the Wyre Forest near Bewdley—peaceful or spooky? I stumbled upon this overgrown site on a long walk. Gravestones barely rose above the undergrowth, leaning as if in surrender to nature. Only an arch and fragments of wall remain of St Andrew’s, or Dowles Church.

I’ve seen a few abandoned churches, but this one felt different—maybe it was the wild garlic scent or the green cast over everything. Beneath a great yew lay something chilling: what appeared to be a mortsafe, a metal cage once used to stop grave robbers. This one was only a metre long—possibly for a child.
Local folklore adds to the eeriness. A ghostly vicar is said to pace the path by the ruins, vanishing at the gate. Brave campers have reported flying bricks, groans and ghostly shouts. One grave, belonging to Susan Wowens—rumoured to be a witch—was said to grow horns she removed each year. A local supposedly mounted one pair in silver and sent them to the Ashmolean Museum—who deny any record. More likely, she suffered a fungal condition, later mythologised.

Very Michael Jackson Thriller

The Mortsafe - a foil for grave robbers?

Some find the place spooky, and although I am unsure whether I would spend the night there, it does make a quiet spot for a sandwich break. Just ask the Ramblers - they took me there a few months ago.

Folklore itch scratched, it's time to engage in my usual hobby. It's a toss-up between the mug house for TT Landlord or the Horn and Trumpet for Bathams. Choice decided by the place that is open on a Monday lunchtime.

The riverside Mughouse

For first-class Timothy Taylor

Walk Details

Distance - 6 Miles

Geocaches - 3

Walk Inspiration - Hugh Williams Mysteries of Mercia Facebook Post