Packwood welly walk
There are lots of things to see along the way and if you are with children some nice distractions, such as building dens in two of the four play glades, woodland hoopla, tree xylophone, sitting down and picnicking on log tables and chairs (that you can arrange yourself!).
Map
Start:
Packwood car park
1
Start your walk after coming through reception, turn left and walk along the York stone and crushed brick path. Shortly you will come to a finger post that points in the direction of the start of the Welly Walk, look out for the large wooden archway on the edge of the meadow.
2
At the entrance to the Welly Walk turn left and follow the pathway. After about a couple of minutes walk you will come to the first of four play glades. This is a good place to sit and rest, build a den or simply linger and listen to the birds.
3
Continue on the path to glade two, when wet the going gets a little tougher, why not try and see if you are good at balancing on our woodland stepping stones to avoid the puddles!
4
Continue along the path, past the woodland shelter until the footpath branches after some wooden stepping stones. Keep to the right where the ferns are growing and soon after you will pass through two gate entrances.
5
Just after exiting through the second gate you will come to play glade three where the family can engage in some friendly competition with the woodland hoopla or perhaps be tuneful on the tree xylophone.
The tree xylophone
All ages will enjoy making music here.
6
After another short leisurely stroll you come to play glade four and the end of the Welly Walk. This is a great place to stop and rest or have a picnic. At this point you are about halfway round the walk.
The oak avenue
If the children are feeling tired you can walk back along the chestnut avenue to your left just after you exit the Welly Walk. This will be a short cut back to the house and car park.
7
Passing the two ponds on your right you enter Gorse Wood over a narrow wooden bridge.
8
Following the path to the woodland edge on your left you will discover a circular 'deer brash' hedge made by the Ranger and his volunteers to protect a newly planted hazel coppice. Passing through the gate you enter the Gorse Woodland extension. This area opens out to give lovely views of the Warwickshire countryside.
9
Follow the wooden sign over the board walk and continue as the pathway slopes down to two gateways breaking through a recently planted hedgerow. Once past the second gate follow the direction of the wooden sign and skirt the field past the large fallen oak to the wooden sign and gate beyond to the left.
10
As you exit the gate you will skip over a small ‘ditch’ bridge. You are now in Bow Meadow with views back to the car park and café. Please follow sign to your left and in the distance you will see a small group of oak trees near an old fence boundary. Head for this hugging the edge of the field with hedgerow and later woodland to your left hand side. After about five minutes you will come back to the halfway point of your walk and rediscover the oak avenue on your right.
11
Head back along the avenue towards the house. You will find a short avenue of horse chestnuts some of which have come to the end of their life. On a summers evening sitting on some of the old tree stumps and just taking in the scenery is shear magic and really gives you an idea of the extent of the Packwood estate.
Garden Kitchen cafe
In the winter the new café with plumes of smoke rising from its chimney is very enticing indeed. Maybe you’ll fancy popping in after your walk for a well-earned cup of tea and a piece of home-made cake! Just head for the familiar finger post that started you on your walk.
End:
Packwood car park
