LIFETIME of WALKS by DEREK HARWOOD

I parked my car in Packwood House National Trust car park (property closed.) We walked around the edge of the estate so Ken could show us the volunteer work he had been doing, clearing the paths etc, and not forgetting the bridge he had built. There were lots of shelters around built following the Millennium by youngsters. We continued along the avenue of trees to Netherwood and Chessetts Wood Road. We turned left along the lane past Cheswood Grange to Chessetts Wood Farm lane entrance. It was good to walk on snow-free solid ground and hear the melodic sounds of the nearby railway. Turning left into Farm Lane, we passed the farmyard entrance to horse paddocks, where a couple of ladies were attending to their horses in the very muddy, snowy paddocks. We crossed one paddock to a bridge over a stream and the ground was extremely boggy all over the field. Poor horse, what a life! We crossed two more fields, with much firmer ground, to Packwood Road by Packwood Farm. We walked straight across the lane towards St Giles Church by Packwood Hall, then through the churchyard to the church. It was very dark inside, especially at the western end of the church by the tower, with its visible eight bell ropes. From the church we walked around the outer edge of the moat surrounding the northern side of the Hall. It was difficult to see the Hall due to the trees and bushes around the moat. At the lane we turned left down Glasshouse Lane. Most unusually we were pleased to walk on the tarmac because the snowy fields were so heavy going. At the southern end of Glasshouse Lane we reached the Old Warwick road B4439, where we turned left for a few yards to a field gate. Care was required on the busy road. We climbed over the stile alongside the LHS of the gate to a long narrow field, passing a very deep pond which lead to the driveway of Malt House Farm, leading to Grove Lane. We crossed over the lane to the National Trust property of Packwood House, across the estate, following the numerous closely spaced posts, to Pratt's Pit Wood. The House lake is clearly visible across the estate. There the snow on the tree branches was particularly beautiful, which motivated me to take lots of photographs. We walked along a fenced path past the property to Packwood Lane and two Alsatians charged over to us menacingly. We were pleased the fence separated us from the dogs. At the lane we turned left and immediately left again at the fork towards Packwood House. I couldn't resist more photos of the snow laden topiary of the House gardens. The well-trimmed conical shapes looked wonderfully manicured. We walked on to the car in the car park, to end another wonderful walk in the snow with the boyz.

Location Map: - www.streetmap.co.uk
Packwood House

Hazards: None.