Earlswood Lakes and Clowes Wood, Warwickshire

By Car - From the Portway island (junction 3 on the M42) take the exit immediately before the eastbound M42 slip road, signposted Forshaw Heath and Earlswood. Turn right when you reach a 'Give Way' sign at Forshaw Heath. Just before a motorway bridge turn left onto a fairly narrow lane which eventually, after crossing the railway, brings you to the built up section of Malthouse Lane. In the built up area go past two turnings on the left, Cloweswood Lane and The Maltings. The car park is at the end of the next turning on the left, just after a telephone box. There is a 'Car Park' sign on Malthouse Lane but it is easily missed. At weekends the area is popular with anglers and the car park is often busy. There are alternative car parks on Wood Lane.

By Train - The Lakes station has an hourly train service on the line from Birmingham Snow Hill to Stratford upon Avon. The Lakes is a request stop. Passengers should tell the conductor in advance that they intend to get off here, and travel in the first carriage. On the return journey they should signal to the driver of the approaching train.

[1] Take the footpath leading to Malthouse Lane from behind a small tree at the southern corner of the car park (along the side away from the recreation ground). Turn right along Malthouse Lane and look out for a footpath on the left hand side, just after the drive to number 94.

Alternatively, if you are starting from The Lakes station turn left and walk down the built up section of Malthouse Lane and look out for a footpath on the right hand side after 500 metres.

Walk down the footpath and cross a small bridge. Windmill Pool, one of the Earlswood Lakes, is on your left. Go through a gate and turn right onto the path running round the lake. Disregard the lakeside path running in the opposite direction.

You will usually see anglers along the lakeside and they share Windmill Pool with a sailing club. More wildlife can be seen at the third lake, Terry's Pool, which is a nature reserve where angling is not permitted. There are seats by Windmill Pool.

After walking along the southern end of Windmill Pool turn sharp left to keep on the lakeside path. Disregard a footpath heading straight on as you make the turn. Continue along the eastern side of Windmill Pool.

[2] The lakeside path brings you to the narrow road that runs along the dam at the north-eastern end of the lakes.

The first of a series of information boards about the lakes is positioned here.

Walk over the dam, past a causeway on the left which separates Windmill Pool from Engine Pool and on to the corner of Engine Pool.

Be aware of cars approaching from behind. Traffic is surprisingly frequent on this very narrow road.

(A) Just past the end of the dam you can see the brick built engine house, now sadly disused and shuttered. This housed a Boulton & Watt steam engine to pump water from the Lakes into the canal feeder for the Stratford canal, which crosses under the road..

Turn left to follow the lakeside path along the north-western side of Engine Pool.

This route lies within the historic county of Warwickshire, but along the north-western side of Engine Pool you are on the boundary of the area ceded to West Midlands county.

50 metres along the north-western side of Engine Pool, turn onto a path to the right at a small metal bridge if you wish to take the alternative route here to visit the Craft Centre. Go through a car park and turn left onto Wood Lane. Follow the road until you reach the Craft Centre entrance on the right. Go up the main driveway, ignoring the turning to the car park.  After visiting the centre, return to Wood Lane and turn right. Look for a sign posted footpath on the left, just after a trio of bungalows. Go 10 metres down the drive then take the narrow path on the right. The footpath returns you to the lakeside path near [3].

[3] When you reach a causeway (with a metal bridge) which separates Engine Pool from Terry's Pool, do not cross it, but continue to the right along the lakeside path with Terry's Pool on your left.

At a path junction marked by two wooden bridges take the path on the right which leads into the Warwickshire Wildlife Trust Clowes Wood Reserve.

(B) Clowes Wood is an ancient woodland. All the evidence suggests that there have been trees here ever since the time when the area was part of the Forest of Arden. The wood has been made a Site of Special Scientific Interest in view of the rare species that can still be found here.  The northern part of the reserve is known as New Fallings Coppice, but the word 'new' should not be taken literally as the name is first recorded in a legal document dating from 1377.

There are many paths through the wood but the principal paths have, for the most part, a surface made of pebbles and your route keeps to these. Just inside the reserve the path forks and you should take the right hand fork, with the edge of the woodland close by on your right.  Continue on the pebble reinforced path which is easy to follow (but can have many muddy patches).

[4] Turn left at a path junction by an information board near a small Wildlife Trust car park. The path takes you into a small valley, over a wooden bridge and straight on up the other side. Once again the principal path is easy to follow, until you reach a small clearing where the path forks indistinctly. Look carefully ahead and slightly to the right and you will see the railway bridge.

The left hand fork leads back to the west end of Terry's Pool and waypoint 9, but your way continues straight ahead.

Cross a footbridge over the railway. On the far side you have a choice, the footpath runs outside the wood but you could also turn left over a plank bridge and follow a track just inside the wood.  Both routes lead to a path junction at a stile and kissing gate at the western end of the wood. In wet weather the route inside the wood is very muddy.

[5] Turn left and follow the path that runs outside the western edge of the wood. Cross a plank bridge over a stream, go through a gate and follow the boundary round to the left, going through another gate to the left after only 25 metres. Follow a waymarked footpath through meadows to the south of the wood, with gates at each hedgerow. Finally go through a wide gap in a hedge then take the path ahead through a gate into a wood which is actually the railway embankment. The path then climbs a slope to the left to emerge at a level crossing over the railway.

Look out and listen for trains before crossing. You could have less than 3 seconds warning of trains from the right.

Descend the far side of the embankment and follow the footpath across one more field to reach a path junction after a stile.

[6] Go ahead through a kissing gate and over a bridge. Turn right onto the lakeside path running around Terry's Pool. Follow the path until it reaches the junction with a path coming from the causeway to your left. Turn right, go through a kissing gate and follow the tarred track to the car park.

To return to The Lakes station from [6], turn right at the stile at the path junction and follow a footpath gently uphill (take care here as it is narrow and generally nettle infested). The footpath leads to Cloweswood Lane which continues in the same direction. Turn right at the junction of Clowesood Lane and Malthouse Lane. The station entrances are a short distance ahead on the right hand side.

The Earlswood Lakes were constructed in the 1820s to supply water to keep the Stratford upon Avon canal from running dry. The canal runs less than a kilometer north of the lakes. There is feeder canal running out of the lakes near the Engine House, but unfortunately there is no public access along the feeder.

In the early years of the twentieth century the lakes became a popular destination for day-trips from the Midlands towns. The owners of the Reservoir Hotel even promoted Earlswood as "The Scarborough of the Midlands". The railway through the area opened in 1908 but the nearest station was to the north of Clowes Wood. It was only in 1936 that the station on Malthouse Lane was opened.

Much further back in history the whole area was part of the Forest of Arden. Earlswood gained its name as an area of woodland belonging to the Earls of Warwick.

The paths around the lakes are reasonably well maintained. The woodland sections do have some parts made up with gravel as described, but there are frequent sections of the woodland and meadow paths which are muddy in wet weather. Particularly bad is the option through the wood from the railway bridge to [5].  

Refreshments available in Earlswood, close to [2] and at the craft centre, which also has public conveniences.