The Illey Way

4.5 miles / 7.2 km

From Woodgate Valley Country Park to Waseley Hills Country Park, or vice versa, this lovely half day walk takes you deep into the countryside and shows you rare plants, bubbling brooks, remains of historic buildings, ancient woodlands and the changes of the seasons and the farming year, all in four-and-a-half miles.

Green lanes lead you to woods carpeted with Bluebells, Wood Sorrel and Ramsons flowering in spring. Illey meadows and pastures are home to rare flowers such as Common Spotted Orchid, Yellow-rattle, Quaking Grass and Sneezewort, signs that the landscape has been undisturbed for decades. Add to the experience fine views of the Clent and Romsley Hills, and you can't fail to be impressed. Yet there's more. The cool wooded valley takes you to the former railway embankment and Dowry Dell viaduct, finally closed in 1964 due to the building of the M5.  

The ancient woodlands are remnants of the vegetation that covered much of Britain after the last ice age. These woods may not have been felled because the land was unsuitable for agriculture due to the many streams around here.  The woods would have been used for hunting and woodland products. Now they are a great refuge for birds, mammals and insects, as well as plants. Listen out for Great Spotted Woodpeckers drumming in the trees. You may be lucky enough to see a shy Treecreeper climbing up the trunk as it searches for insects, or perhaps a Sparrowhawk or even an owl hunting for food along woodland edges.  

The path climbs back up the hill out of the valley across some fields. As you climb the views stretch out behind you. Eventually you reach a lane, and finish off at Waseley Hills Country Park, where you can get a well-deserved cup of tea from the café.

Route Information:

A pleasant varied walk in the north of the county near Romsley.

OS Map:

Explorer 209  Landranger 139

Request free Illey Way Walkers’ Leaflet or download a copy.  (904.07 KB)

• Countryside Service
• Explore the Countryside
• Off-site Waymarked Circular Walks
• On-site Waymarked Circular Walks
• Waymarked Walking Trails
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