Known as ‘The Kissing Gate ‘ walk because of the very large number of the old style, iron railing type, kissing gates you will encounter.
[1] Walk along B4209 towards Upton for about 300 yds to footpath sign on right to Gilberts End. Follow this path for about 700 yards through five kissing gates to minor road. Turn left, ignore first footpath on right to Hanley Hall, and follow road for 200 yds to footpath sign on right. Follow this path for about 500 yards, initially on a tarmac driveway, past Hanley Hall Farm and continue down green lane to stile. Over stile bear right over timber bridge to two buildings, one being Tuck Mill on right. This Mill is dated 1841. Follow track gently uphill on stone access track past the electricity sub station down to minor road.
[2] Turn left along minor road for about 700 yds and just beyond Pigeon House Farm which is on your right go through gate on left. Continue forward keeping to the left of hedge and turn left at end of field to soon find a track and farm bridge over stream on your right. Follow track with hedge on your left to road and footpath sign.. Do not go onto road, but turn more than 90 degrees back across field aiming 150 yds to right of oak tree and to gap in far hedge.
[3] Go through the gap, turn left and follow hedge to kissing gate. Go through and head for the diagonally opposite corner of the field but, in the centre of field under the power line, turn right along the faint track from Lodge Farm to right corner of same field. Go through field gate, down hedged track, with three more gates, over Merebrook to reach minor road. Turn left along minor road and in about 200 yds, just after road junction, turn left again up gravelled private drive, past Burley Mill on left and over stile. The site of Hanley Castle (A) and its Moat are on the left. (Look out for the black swans).
In the 12th century the heavily forested area became the seat of administration of the Malvern Chase, a royal hunting area. There was once a Norman castle built as a hunting lodge for King John in 1207 near the present day village of Hanley Castle. By the end of the 15th century it had been mostly demolished, and the tower was finally removed in 1795. However, a few traces still remain including a dry moat and a mound. Nash states that the castle was a large square structure with four towers, surrounded by a moat, with the keep in the north-west corner. The masonry of the only remaining tower is said to have been removed in 1795 by Thomas Hornyold to repair the bridge at Upton upon Severn. The line of the moat is still visible.
[4] Go over another stile, turn right over earth bridge and stile by gate and forward through kissing gate. Turn left and follow left edge of field to another kissing gate into churchyard. Go forward round right hand end of church and leave churchyard by gate near War Memorial to go past the Three Kings Public House (B), (famous for Real Ale) on left.
Records from the 17th century of the Three Kings village inn at Church End show the property as owned by the three King brothers who sold it to the Lechmere family in 1710. The inn has been run by its tenants, the Roberts family, since 1911. In 1993, the inn received the first prize of CAMRA National Pub of the Year award, and was runner up for the prize in 1998.
[5] Past the pub, continue forward down track to go through kissing gate into sports field. Follow the left hand hedge to further kissing gate, and then along fenced-in path to another kissing gate and minor road. Cross road, go through kissing gate slightly to your left and follow hedge on right in field until you can see kissing gate and farm gate onto road to your left front. Cross road, go over stile and follow left hand hedge to next stile and then half right up hill to reach another stile next to gate into wood. Go over and forward along a track through woodland (The Gorse) for about 500 yards to a hedged lane. Turn left along lane for about 400 yards, ignoring footpath over a stile to your right to reach a gate and into a field. Continue forward in field with hedge on left to a further gate and into another wider hedged lane.
[6] Follow lane for about three quarters of a mile, past the entrance to Broadacres Farm, and the old Council incinerator on right behind the farm. Just before reaching building on right, turn left over a stile by a gate. Go forward uphill to cross a concrete track and continue with hedge on your right, passing an old trig point partly hidden in the hedge at the brow of the hill. Continue down to stile then on across a footbridge.
(C) Look for a red Canadian Leaf memorial plaque by the tree at the end of the footbridge. This records the deaths of seven airmen and one survivor after the mid air collision of two Wellington bombers in August 1944.
[7] Go up the next field to stile near a gate about 20 yds from left hand corner. Continue forward with hedge on your right to road. Now turn right along road for 500 yds to starting point.