[A] The village of Meriden is famous as the traditional centre of England, though coastal erosion, boundary changes, improved mapping and arguments over how to define the centre, mean this is probably not true. The name means 'Mirey valley'. The modern B4102 road was a major turnpike road and Meriden was once busy with inns serving the coaches and horses passing through. The walk starts at the Queens Head, Meriden's oldest surviving Inn, which sits at the far east end of the village under the shadow of a large embankment built to ease the slope up the hill for stage coaches leaving the village towards London.
[1] Climb the steep steps opposite the pub car park leading up to the B4102. Cross the road, go through the gate opposite and follow the path straight ahead as it goes uphill keeping to the left edge of fields to enter the church yard. Keep left in the church yard to find a gate leading onto the road next to an information board and bench erected by the Heart Of England Way Association.
[B] Meriden Church has beautiful extensive views to the north and west. You can see Barr Beacon and the Clent Hills, with Birmingham City centre in between. The original village centre was up here before the turnpike business caused the village to drift down to the valley leaving the ancient church and beautiful surrounding buildings as a quiet oasis. The church is normally locked but is open on summer Sunday afternoons when they serve teas.
[2] The route ahead is along the footpath opposite, but it can start unpleasantly through a muddy farmyard churned up by cows. If, on the day this is the case, turn left along the road until it bends left and find a waymarked permissive path up a short track on the right leading to a large gate into a field. Head for the far right corner of the field to rejoin the right of way at a gate leading onto a track. If the farmyard is not too bad, continue in a straight line to the gate mentioned above. (For the next stretch, the route is well waymarked with Millenium Way signs.) Follow the track ahead. When the track starts approaching a wood ahead, look for a metal kissing gate next to a larger gate on the left. Go through it and head half right across the large field to a waymarker post a little to the left of the right end of the trees opposite. (Note that some field boundaries marked on the 1:25000 map around here have disappeared.) At the Waymark turn sharp right heading for the left edge of Spring Wood. (If, as sometimes happens this path is deeply ploughed continue ahead, keeping the wood on your left hand side, to the fields edge and follow the boundary of the field to meet with the original path). Go through a gate in the field corner and over a small bridge. Turn right for 20 yards then swing left uphill following the track into a second field where it continues ahead with the hedge to the left. Eventually the track swings left then right to emerge on the road by large brick buildings on the left.
[3] Turn left along the road for a quarter of a mile. Just after passing under electricity wires take a path on the right opposite the drive to Oak Farm. Follow the path to the far left corner of the first field, and again, to the far left corner of the second field, where a short track leads out to the road. Turn right, ignore the first path on the left, and take the second one to the left immediately after Charity Cottage. After 25 yards go left through the hedge and turn right along an enclosed path. A kissing gate on the right returns you to a field. Turn left alongside the hedge to the next field. Here, the Millenium way heads off sharp right, but our path heads diagonally right aiming straight for the nearest pylon. Go through a large gap in the field corner and follow the right edge of the next field to a gate. Go ahead between hedges to a T junction. Turn right and follow the path to a road.
[4] Turn left along the road. Pass Victoria Farm,which has its own bus stop. Immediately after the drive to Meadow House take a path on the right which follows a tiny stream on the right to a kissing gate. Go through the gate, cross the concrete bridge and turn left with the stream now on the left to a kissing gate under a large oak tree. 50 yards after the gate turn right on a cross path. Cross a small plank bridge and continue ahead via another gate to a longer plank bridge over muddy ground. Go through the gate at the end of the bridge and turn sharp left following the left hedge as it swings left to a road.
[5] Turn right along the road, which has a good path alongside it. At the first road junction, turn left down Baulk Lane. Follow this to the drive to Ram Hall and turn right up the drive to the Hall.
[C] Ram Hall is a beautiful old Grade II listed 16th Century Manor house. The Hall has become famous in recent times for producing its own Ewes milk cheese. So you may see sheep rather than cows heading for the milking parlour here!
The path goes straight ahead through the farm buildings, to the left of the large grey steel barn. If there is livestock in the way or it looks too muddy, you can use an alternative permissive path by crossing a stile opposite the front door of the Hall and walking anti-clockwise around the steel barn to rejoin the right of way at the bottom of the farmyard.
After the farmyard, follow the right field edge downhill. In the next field go right for 20 yards to the field corner then left with the hedge on your right. In the next field corner go through a gate on the right and turn left, continuing in the same direction downhill and with the hedge on your left. Continue ahead through kissing gates and under a brick arch to the road and over to Berkswell village green on
the right.
[D] The village green, with its pleasant grassy area and benches, has long been a popular resting spot for Ramblers and Cyclists, especially as the post office does teas and sells ice creams. The strange five holed stocks on the green have resulted in many a tall story told about a one legged drunkard living in the village, but the odd hole is more likely to be a result of restoration work done on the stocks after they fell into disuse.
The village name derives from Beorcul's Well, with Beorcal probably being a local Saxon of some importance. You can see his large well on the left as you approach the church from the green. It is believed that full immersion Baptisms were once performed in it.
The church, with its large wooden porch is one of Warwickshire's best. Its most special feature being the 12th Century Norman crypt which can be entered by going down steps inside opposite the main door. Do go down and have a look. Also worth a closer look is the strange war memorial in the corner of the church yard. It is actually a little chapel.
Next to the church is a nice red brick Georgian building, formerly the rectory, now called the Well House. Maud Watson, the first Wimbledon Ladies champion, lived here.
[6] The route now follows the well waymarked Heart of England Way all the way back to Meriden.
From the village green head towards the church and immediately after the school turn right along a waymarked footpath that goes along the right edge of the graveyard. Continue between fences to a road. Cross the road to a path on the other side and turn left for about 200 yards. Turn right up a drive which is tarmaced at first but soon becomes gravelly as it swings left then right and past the fine buildings of Blind Hall Farm. The drive ends at a small brick cottage with green gables on the right. Go ahead to a gate into the next field. Turn half left, angling away from the left hedge to a waymark post on the far side by a pond. Go ahead through a gate, over a small bridge and along the left edge of a field to a track, which continues in the same direction to a road.
[7] Cross the road and go straight down the drive of The Byre. When the drive swings sharp left go straight ahead through a kissing gate and head to the far left corner of the paddock. Go downhill across the next field to a large gate. Go through it and down the right edge of the next field. Go through the gap in the corner and half left across the following small field to a kissing gate. Continue with the hedge on the right through two more fields. Just before the end of the next field angle left away from the hedge to a gate in the hedge leading to a road. Turn right, back to Meriden church, and enter the churchyard at a gate by some steps, which are a mounting block to help people get on horses. Retrace the route taken at the start of the walk back down to the Queen's Head.