Meadow Brown, Oldwood Common.

Tenbury Wells is situated on the edge of wonderfully peaceful countryside and makes an excellent starting point for many fine walks.

This one includes four commons, of which Oldwood Common is by far the largest.

The other three are tiny roadside commons and it's remarkable that they've survived in the modern world. Though they are mostly grassland, Salling's Common is fringed by trees and includes a two-acre wood at its eastern end.

FACTFILE

Start: Start: Tenbury Wells, grid ref SO595682.

Length: 12 miles/19km.

Maps: OS Explorer 203, OS Landranger 138.

Terrain: Pastoral and arable farmland, with some gentle slopes.

Fine views: The scene at Haws Hill.

Footpaths: Mostly problem-free. Paths across two arable fields have been over-cropped but alternative routes are available. There are nettles in places.

Stiles: 18.

Parking: Palmer's Meadow car park.

Buses: Yarrantons' 758, Monday-Saturday; www.worcestershire.gov.uk/bustimetables or Traveline 0871 200 2233.

Refreshments: Tenbury.

DIRECTIONS

1 Walk along Market Street as far as Shamraj Restaurant then turn right on Berrington Road. Turn left at Bog Lane, walk to a T-junction, turn right and take the first footpath on the left. Bear left across a field, descending into a valley. Before you reach the bottom you'll see a stile in the fence ahead. Cross this and follow a trodden path through three meadows. Go to the right when the path eventually forks, crossing a brook at a footbridge and then picking up the path again on the left. Follow it across a meadow to the far left corner and turn left on a bridleway.

2 Take a footpath on the right after a few metres. Cross three meadows, ignoring a path branching right. Pass Manor Farm and follow the farm track onto Oldwood Common. Stay on the track until it bends left then turn right on a track to Spring Cottage. After this point, you'll find plenty of well-trodden paths crossing the common. Head for the far left corner by any route you like, eventually crossing another track to reach the corner, where there's a pond and a sculpture. Turn right beside the road then left on a footpath just before St Michael's Church. Pass the church and adjacent college, enter parkland and go to the far right corner.

3 Turn right and walk along Cinders Lane until you can join a bridleway on the left, going towards Wilden Farm. Pass the farmhouse then turn right through a gate and bear left. Once you've left the farm buildings behind the bridleway turns left into another field. Walk to a dead tree then turn left across the field, past a sheep trough. Go through a gate and turn right, then keep straight on through fields. The path is easily followed until you come to a field where it has been over-cropped. To keep to the right of way, you should head across the field towards two trees on the skyline. If you prefer to use the field-edge path instead, turn left to reach the same point. Keep straight on through another field then turn left to Weston Farm.

4 Turn right through the farmyard to a field. Again, the path has been over-cropped: the right of way goes diagonally left, but you may prefer to turn left along the edge. Cross an overgrown footbridge in the field corner, then bear right into another field. Follow a good path across it to a road junction. Go straight on, towards Romers Common. Follow the lane round to the right when you reach the common, or walk across the common itself. It ends at Romers Farm but before long you'll come to Middle Common, which extends most of the way to a T-junction. Turn left here, either on the road or on Salling's Common, which extends to the next road junction.

5 Turn left and walk to Kyre Green. Pass Whitelands Farm then take a bridleway at Firs Farm. Walk through the farmyard, through a barn and on along a well-defined track, soon forking left through a green gate. Go straight on when the track enters a field, and then continue across two more before passing through a gateway and turning left to walk along the right-hand edge of another field. Go straight on in the next field and at all junctions, including one by a ruined building - make sure you pass to the right of it. Cross the next field and along the edge of another to a gate in the corner. Turn right, then right again into a wood.

6 Take a path which descends through the wood - it's faint and overgrown at first, but soon improves. Enter a field and keep on down the edge towards Frith Farm, then follow the blue arrows to the left, avoiding the farmhouse and following the driveway to a lane. Turn right, then soon right again to Pool House Farm. Pass the farmhouse then turn left, crossing a footbridge into a field. Cross to the far right corner and continue along a short track then along the edge of another field. Go through a hedge gap to find a half-hidden stile giving access to the adjacent field. Turn left to continue in the same direction as before.

7 Turn right where waymarked and go to the field corner. Cross a footbridge and walk through another field, passing to the right of a cottage (don't cross the stile by the cottage). Continue across the next field then turn right on a bridleway. Follow it to a junction with another bridleway and turn left, then keep straight on along a lane which leads to the main road near Tenbury. Either turn left beside the road for the most direct route, or turn right, then soon left on a footpath which follows Kyre Brook into Tenbury.

PLEASE NOTE: This walk has been carefully checked and the directions are believed to be accurate at the time of publication. No responsibility is accepted by either the author or publisher for errors or omissions, or for any loss, accident or injury, however caused.

9:32am Tuesday 10th July 2007

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