Enville to Kinver - your big winter walk?

This is a lovely walk in its own right, but combine it with the previous walk (click here) and you can get a 9/10 mile walk which could be done on Boxing Day or New Year's Day.

It passes though the Enville Estate's sweeping parkland, much of it designed by William Shenstone.

I started this section in Enville,  - you can park near this shop

I went up to look at the church - it's one of my favourites, because of this lovely stone work on its tower

Sandstone churches are fairly rare - and sandstone does erode easily, as the worn door decorations showed

I walked past the post office

...and on into Enville Hall's grounds

There's a glimpse of Enville's church through the trees.

Past Enville cricket club's scoreboard 

...and the impressive stables.

A horse dashed up to meet me. Enville is famous for its point to pointers.

Looking back towards the hall

The last of the Autumn leaves were still clinging on

The pool by Home Farm

This walk is mostly on the Staffordshire way, and is easy to follow (and to walk)

There are good open views back across to the Million (the woodland from the previous walk)

It's easy to miss the old ice house.

The higher land aheasd is Kinver Edge

The path continued to the very edge of Kinver, 

...where I turned right along a road for about 100 metres, then left into the next woodland (still on the Staffs Way)

The path brought me to Windsor Crescent, 

...where I looked towards Kinver Edge, with its famous rock houses.  I decided to leave them to another day. (They are worthy of a blog all to themselves)

Instead I followed paths between the houses. (They all lead to the next so it's difficult to go wrong). Here, at Compton Gardens, I turned down Stone Lane and into the village

Kinver's sandstone church is on a rocky outcrop high above the village

The windows were decorated ready for Christmas

This route is very easy, and very worthwhile to walk. It's just over 3.5 miles. You can use two cars and walk it one way, or do it as an out and back route of 7.2 miles
Or you can combine it with this route (click here)  Then all you need to do is walk an extra mile along the canal to the Stewponey Lock. This combination makes a 10 mile round trip. Suitable to walk off the Christmas calories on Boxing Day? Or to walk on January 1st to start a New Year's resolution to get fitter/walk more? Of which, more anon....

Today's walk: 3.5 miles, easy walking. Park in Enville. (Visit the church first - lovely views) Then follow the Staffordshire Way through the Enville estate and on to Kinver. On reaching the road in Kinver, walk in a straight line between the houses, until you reach Compton Gardens and its junction with Stone Lane. Turn left down Stone Lane and right at the bottom onto Kinver High Street. Cafes, restaurants and pubs galore here. My current favourite is the Olde House Tea rooms