Near Birmingham lies one of the most idyllic autumnal treks
The perfect 6-mile autumn walk around an English Tudor country house(Image: ©NTPL/Robert Morris)
There is perhaps no better time to get out into the countryside than the autumn. Golden leaves, with the heat of the summer behind us and the cold of winter still weeks away, Birmingham is surrounded by picturesque routes for all levels of walker.
Beside Alcester in Warwickshire, Coughton Court is a grand Tudor manor house roughly 20 miles south of Birmingham. Managed in partnership with the National Trust, the area is also known for its famous circular route.
This is the Millennium Way Circular, a 6.75-mile loop that takes about 2.5 to 3 hours and combines sections of the Heart of England Way and Arden Way.
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Millennium Way Circular
The route circles out from Coughton into the quiet countryside around Spernall, passing historical points of interest like the former Church of St. Leonard and Throckmorton Catholic Church.
The walk consists of gentle pastureland, small footbridges over the River Arrow, and tree-lined paths skirting Alne Wood, with stile-free kissing gates along most of the trail.
Windmill Hill Trail
For a shorter route, this gentle 1.5-mile circuit offers a quick, accessible loop directly on the estate grounds, taking around 45 minutes to an hour to complete.
Starting near the main house, the trail crosses the River Arrow before making a short, steady climb up Windmill Hill through a line of trees.
At the top, walkers are rewarded with panoramic views across the Tudor mansion and surrounding Warwickshire farmland before the path loops back down through Timm’s Grove woodland.
Coughton Court and Kinwarton Dovecote Trail
The longest option is an 8-mile heritage trail that takes roughly 3.5 hours to walk through the landscape of the ancient Forest of Arden.
Leaving the estate via field paths and quiet country lanes, the trail incorporates three historic parish churches and sections of the Monarch’s Way before reaching Kinwarton Dovecote, a rare surviving 14th-century circular dovecote managed by the National Trust.
