Walk Description: the walk starts from the National Trust carpark at Baddesley Clinton, B93 0DQ. and is approx. 7.5 miles long. The walk follows two alternative routes for The Heart of England Way which make a circular walk.
Leave the carpark as if visiting the Manor House, keep to the left of the ticket office and turn left just before reaching a wall, the HoE Way is signed, walk down an enclosed path to a gate leading to the churchyard, pass to the right of the church to a gate opening on to a wide track. Just past the gate go right through another gate into a field and proceed along the left-hand edge of the field, when you arrive at a fork in the path keep to the left following HoE Way signs and make sure the hedge is close on your right.
Continue ahead through gates and across fields until you reach a road by Lyons Farm, turn left along the road for some 600 yards then take a footpath on your right, the stile is hidden in the hedge so look carefully, it is signed. Follow the footpath across the middle of two fields aiming to the left of a clump of trees in the second field, after the clump of trees keep the hedge on your right to a stile. Over the stile go straight ahead across the middle of the field to a hedge corner which protrudes into the field, at the corner keep going ahead with the hedge close on your left for about 50 yards then look for a stile in the hedge on your left. Cross the stile and across the corner of the field to a second stile leading to Rowington churchyard, go through the churchyard keeping to your right and through a gate onto the Old Warwick Road. Cross the road and turn left to a track which leaves the road on a sharp left-hand bend, the HoE Way is well signed here. Proceed along the track going over a canal bridge, just after the canal bridge turn right along a path at the edge of a field (not the canal towpath).
Follow the path with a hedge on your right to the corner of the field then turn left and keep a fence/hedge close on your right until you reach a concrete track running parallel to the motorway, turn right along the track climbing to a motorway bridge, cross the motorway and continue along Finwood Road for about 1/2 mile through Finwood to Lowsonford. As you enter Lowsonford, turn right at the canal bridge onto the Stratford Canal towpath. Proceed along the towpath for some 2 miles to Kingswood Junction, there turn right and then right again to go along t he link canal towards the Grand Union Canal. When you reach the Grand Union, turn left over a bridge and walk along the Grand Union towpath for a short distance, leave the canal at the first bridge and turn right along the road going past the Navigation public house. Just past the Navigation turn left onto a farm track clearly signed HoE Way, at the bottom of the track go through a gate and diagonally across a yard in front of a huge stable barn to a fenced bridleway across the middle of a field. Proceed down the fenced way to a gate leading to pastureland, go ahead through two pastures and gates keeping the hedge close on your right until you reach a field leading to Baddesley Clinton driveway, aim for the gate diagonally opposite. Turn right on the drive back to the carpark.
