CROSS BRITAIN WAY
Addendum: July 2022
GENERAL
Please do not attach any waymarkers where CBW coincides with National Trails Offa’s Dyke and Glyndwrs Way, in Powys, where signing is not allowed. Staffordshire waymarkers are smaller and rectangular to fit SCC fp discs. Waymarkers in Wales are in Welsh and English. CBW is now shown on O.S. online mapping and on 2019 sheet maps (check before buying). Bear in mind some minor changes are carried out by Councils on an ongoing basis, such as stiles being replaced by kissing gates, which cannot all be covered below so please make allowances.
DETAILED UPDATES IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER (referenced by guidebook page numbers)
P.10 The CBW START sign is finally shown on St Botolphs' notice board in front of the church!
P.24 (Para 2): path to Pickworth; one cross hedge has gone so route directions partly superseded, but path is fairly straight and well-defined on the ground. The last stile, photo P24, is now a gate.
P.25 (end of first para): path to Sapperton: where wood ends on left, DON’T GO THROUGH GAP but turn right in front of hedge, continue with hedge to left, follow yellow posts to pick up diagonal path across field and resume route; tractor ruts reported are somewhat confusing.
P.32 Woolsthorpe: post office is now just village store. Serves hot drinks.
P.33 (end of first para): With verges now fenced off from road, walk through castle car park on left, then continue on the grass away from traffic, then rejoin the road via a gate at the end.
P.34 Stathern: Red Lion currently closed. Good news is the Plough is open ( Sunday carvery)
P.36 (Para after first Note): Hose: Church Lane is in fact Bolton Lane --- apologies.
P.36 (final para): Bridge 37: This canal bridge now has only three feet clearance underneath to towpath; so options are stoop or crawl under it, or use track on right ½ mile after previous Bridge 38, then left on Canal Lane, to rejoin towpath on far side of Bridge 37.
P.42. (Second Para): beyond A60 be ready for new, large and smelly chicken sheds.
P.44 Normanton on Soar: now has a community shop located in the hall opposite the church. Also Note: on left, before church, the ferry across the Soar is open at weekends, April to Sept. If you use this: turn right on far bank; shortly left on signed footpath, cross two fields, merge with green lane from the right and after 300 yds left into Pasture Lane and back on route.
P.47 Diseworth: FOOTPATH DIVERSION; in penultimate para, instead of “go diagonally right across...”, now turn right along hedge to right, up to farm track crossing, turn left over stile and continue, to rejoin lane into village. Note: The Bull and Swan is shut but The Plough is still open.
P.50 Breedon golf course no longer operating --- but the route is pretty much the same. And Melbourne: final Note: these paths are public rights of way not permissive as stated.
P.53. (final para): Calke Abbey: good news; Covid-required changes have been lifted. Use the surfaced path through the woods for the last hundred yards or so of the exit drive if you wish.
P.55 Ashby de La Zouch: (Para2 line7): at “right/left over stream....”, path now becomes a tarmac path serving new housing. Resume directions from: “continue past back gardens....”.
P 56 Moira: Alternative Route: (bottom of first para.) Go through kissing gate onto road but now turn left and follow lane for around 400yds then turn right through gates past Hicks Lodge Country Park signboard. Go over “roundabout” to green finger post and follow path diagonally right signed lvanhoe Way, Moira 1ml. After 400 yds turn right at sign saying Ivanhoe Way, Moira ¾ ml. Continue on winding, allweather track to emerge into unmade car park opposite cottage to turn left through gate signed Newfields Farm/Ivanhoe Way and resume route (top of P57, second line after Note).
P.57 Moira: (second line): unmade track is signed to Newfields Farm, and (line 7) yellow post not now signed Ivanhoe Way.
P.59: Overseal: Robin Hood pub has reopened and does accommodation.
P 60. Grange Wood: (last para line 3) “hedge now on right”; now not so well-defined as that.
P61 Rosliston: the alternative route referred to in the Note, avoiding Walton Rd, is now accessible and is part of the National Forest Way. So now IGNORE ROUTE DIRECTIONS SHOWN ON MOST OF PAGE 61 and, instead, before leaving Rosliston: Just before Bulls Head, turn left between hedges onto surfaced path. Follow this with fence to left, then right/left over stream. Shortly after, keep slightly right to continue on left edge of field. For the last 100yds, now between fences, the path is fairly overgrown. Go through gate past Redfern Wood signboard, then take left hand of two grassed paths. Soon keep straight on where more main path bears right, to cross bridge over stream by large willow. Continue, then go straight ahead through kissing gate into field on left hand bend. Go straight up short field and through cross hedge ahead then bear right aiming for right hand corner of oblong field and go over stile. Bear left up fenced path then turn right over stile. Now carry on on left hand edge of big field of crop, then through far left hand corner(overgrown), beneath power lines, to cross bridge over mini ravine(!). Aim diagonally up to top right hand corner of long field, go through and continue with hedge to left; soon through cross hedge, and go up next field to stile in overgrown left hand corner. Now go straight up across next field to stile in cross hedge and bear diagonally right aiming for far right corner. Over stile then follow track down right hand edge of field, and finally go through kissing gate to join lane on right, shortly before Walton on Trent. Follow footways into the village, bear right where road joins from left, and carry on down to main village junction. Go across into Station Lane opposite the White Swan PH and resume route directions (ie last two lines of P61).
P64. (line 11) red brick house was being demolished 7/22
P65. Yoxhall Lodge(first Lara): stony track now tarmac, and now no electric fence.
P.67 Hoar Cross: middle para; now, do not continue up hill on road, but at village signboard, opposite tiny lane, turn left off road, if you can negotiate overgrown stile, or go through adjacent gate which threatens to fall over backwards. Then walk across to corrugated iron derelict barn facing. The stile leading round the rhs of the barn is gone, so go round/over metal gate on left into the barn, avoiding detritus, and see stile in far left hand corner. Go over stile, then skirt round to left of pond and go up through trees. (The unsatisfactory state of the right of way here has previously been reported to Staffs CC but to date nothing has been done). Go over stile, then continue along left edge of field, through cross hedge, and continue until the path skirts shelters on left. Emerge over stile into lane opposite Bentilee Farm. Cross into farm drive to resume route (centre of para). Note: a slight change here also so, to clarify: from Bentilee Farm drive, go over somewhat overgrown stile on right into field, then immediately keep left past farm buildings along left edge of field, soon over stile in cross hedge; now aim for new double stile in next cross hedge, further along to the right than previously; after which, veer back towards left hand edge of field and continue down field with trees to left. Recent problems at Bentilee Farm are therefore resolved.
P.69 Abbots Bromley: Accommodation: 1 High St, just before Butter Cross on lhs: self catering 2 bed cottage with 10% discount on production of CBW guidebook; similarly show the guidebook to get a free pudding with your meal at the Coach and Horses! Phone Erica on: 07919 336902. Also, B&B, The Butter cross, Market Place 07793 503013. Also on P.69, (penultimate para): B5013, after Blithfield reservoir, when the footway ends, the next stretch of fairly busy road now has more limited verges, particularly for a the next 200 yds, to use to get off the road if need be. So, before hedgerow restarts on left, CROSS WITH CARE to right hand side where the hedges are more intermittent and PROCEED WITH GREAT CARE along right hand side of road until lane on right into Admaston, when wide verges are available again. Then CROSS WITH CARE BACK TO LEFT HAND SIDE before turn into Steenwood Lane. Also note: Rugeley power station towers have been demolished.
P.72 Little Haywood: General Stores B&B (and two pubs but neither does food). Come off canal at Bridge 72 and turn right for 250 yds. 01889 881579 £85. Also P.72 Great Haywood: High Meadows GH, 01889 882449 £75. Great Haywood also has pub food.
P.72 Shugborough : alternative path avoiding main road. Final para; leaving on entrance drive before A513, at Estate signboard, take well-used path on right to cut out section of busy A513. Follow path uphill through edge of wood. Soon take left fork and continue uphill, then down to cross bridleway at the bottom, up again and continue, ignoring crosspaths. Go through SCC unmade car park, then tarmaced track that bears left downhill to A513. KEEP AS FAR RIGHT AS POSSIBLE TO INCREASE VISIBILITY TO LEFT AND CROSS WITH GREAT CARE! Then continue straight ahead up across grass to merge with parking area and Cannock Chase entrance up to the right to rejoin route, on line 3 at top of P.73. (Courtesy of CBW walker Ken Brockway)
P.73 Cannock Chase: (penultimate para before Note): there is now a sign at the right turn. Also: P 73, last para: signpost on right at bottom of hill was gone 7/22.
P.74 (third line down): “bear left at cross tracks”. This may be misleading. Go straight ahead at first crossroads of paths, then shortly after bear left etc. Apologies if this has confused.
P.77 Gailey: ALTERNATIVE ROUTE; basically ignore the paragraph following the Note. Instead, follow the directions contained in the Note. So, DO NOT turn off the canal at Gailey Tower, but continue on towpath for ¾ mile, to leave at Bridge 78A, turn right on road, go over railway bridge and use Gravelly Way to reach A449, then cross to Crateford Lane to resume the route. Note: the reason for the change is the massive distribution centre approved on land between the canal and the A449, which obliterates the field path carrying CBW beyond Croft Farm.
P.77 Crateford Lane: (11 lines up from bottom): no cut path in evidence Aug 2021.
P.80 (Note halfway down page): boggy section referred to now significantly improved.
P.81 Albrighton accommodation: adj. The Nextdoor Bar, Station Rd, apts: 01902 373465
P.82 (Near end of final para): be careful not to miss the unsigned left turn off lane which is only 20 yds past sharp right hand bend.
P 83 Sutton Wood: (Line 6 of para following Note): slight diversion here. Last section of path up to bungalow now closed off; so go through gap on left, head half left to double white gates visible, go through gap to right and turn left onto track, round right hand bend to resume route.
P.84 Jackfield: DIVERSION: final paragraph: the works to stabilise the hillside approaching Jackfield have finished, so now EITHER carry on past Maws Museum to the right on reinstated Severn Valley Way across newly landscaped hillside until it merges with road, then pass Jackfield church on the right and continue to rejoin route: OR, the better option and not possible at the time of writing the guidebook, if you turn right/left at Maws Museum to continue on the lane alongside, then turn right and immediately left off new access road to the Boat Inn, you can use the reinstated path down to and along the river, then shortly up steps into the tiny Church Lane in Jackfield then pass the front of Jackfield church to soon resume the route where village lane merges with lane from left.
P 86 (12 lines up from bottom): take left fork through kissing gate --- signpost gone 7/22.
P.89 Presthope: at the end of first paragraph before Note; along this SECTION OF B4371, after crossing the junction of the minor road on the right, I think for once here it is safer to walk on the LEFT HAND SIDE of the road. This is because traffic from behind has more advance vision of pedestrians as you approach the crest of the rise than vehicles coming towards you, and there is marginally more scope for stepping off the road, if need be, on the left. TAKE GREAT CARE! Also, lines 5-8 after Note: clarification: take path through left hand edge of first copse, then aim straight towards copse ahead ignoring further clump of trees to left. Also, three lines from bottom, the farm track after the oak on corner seems to have gone.
P90 Longville in the Dale: Sadly, the Longville Arms is no longer open.
P95 Church Stretton accommodation: Brilliant B&B: Birchwood House: it’s on the route as you come down Clive Avenue into the town, on your right. £65 b&b for CBW walkers. Self contained with kitchen. 07906 305950
P97 Bridges: Horseshoe Inn still open but sadly no accommodation for the present.
P99 Stiperstones: Similarly, the Stiperstones Inn open but now no accomm.
P101. Hope: B&B! The Stables Inn (right at first x-roads up hill past church); £70, (£75 Sat)
P103 Middle Walton: REINSTATEMENT OF CORRECT LINE of footpath. Basically, ignore first 12 lines of paragraph following the first Note (referring to the “tricky section”). So, after going through gate off track, DO NOT bear left after 50 yds through second gate, but continue straight ahead across large field with hedge to left. Go over new stile at the end then aim diagonally left towards left end of Middle Walton farm complex up ahead, to join lane and resume CBW.
P103 Welsh Border: Final para: no blue b'way sign at gate and still no cut path through field.
P109 Llanerchydol: (top photo), proposed chicken broiler house here refused. Appeal pending.
**NOTE!** BARMOUTH BRIDGE WILL CLOSE FOR REPAIRS FROM 12/9/2022 TO 12/12/22 when CBW will finish at Morfa Mawddach Station just south of the bridge, from where replacement buses will run, 2-hourly, to Barmouth. More information can be found on: networkrail.co.uk/barmouth. Fairbourne, one mile southwest, can be reached via the Wales Coast path (turn left just before bridge), and also has some b&b options. There is also a ferry at Fairbourne across to Barmouth during the summer.
Should anyone walk the whole 280 miles I can send you a certificate to mark the event! Also, if you are doing the walk over time, check with me at tim.brunton@btinternet.com to see if there are later Addenda available. Finally, GOOD WALKING AND GOOD FUNDRAISING!
ACCOMMODATION: New recommendations courtesy of Malcolm Goff: The Old Bakehouse, Newborough, near Hoar Cross about 1 mile off route: The Dun Cow, Colton: The Talbot, Much Wenlock: Hazeler Lodge, Church Stretton, self catering: Kings Head, Meifod, DEFINITELY OPEN: Dam House B & B, Lake Vyrnwy (NEW):