Alcester

A 14 mile hike from The King’s Head in Aston Cantlow through Little Alne, Alcester, Little Britain, Red Hill and back to Aston Cantlow, this route follows sections of  The Monarch's Way and The Arden Way and takes walkers through some of the finest landscape in Warwickshire.

This walk of 11 miles leads to two National Trust properties, Coughton Court and The Kinwarton Dovecote, and follows the lovely River Arrow for some of its length.

The walk starts at The Throckmorton Arms (Coughton Hill, A435, Alcester, Warwickshire B49 5HX) and passes along the frontage of Coughton Court which is an imposing Tudor house set in beautiful gardens. Coughton Court is the home of the Throckmorton family who have lived at Coughton since 1409. John de Throckmorton, Under Treasurer of England to Henry VI, acquired Coughton in the early 15th Century through his marriage to Eleanor de Spiney. Their descendants have held it for 600 years and, although the National Trust has owned the house since 1946, the family still live here.  The origins of Coughton Court lie in pre-conquest times: the present building was begun in the 15th Century. The walk also passes two beautiful churches in the grounds.