Walks you can reach from Shenstone by train
MapA day hike is just a simple train journey away — plan your next day of green.
Alternatively, view walks directly from Shenstone.
Alvechurch to Kings Norton (Worcestershire)
1 hour direct from Shenstone.
Towpath along canal with suburban and greenbelt sections. Nearly 1000 years ago Kings Norton was valued five times higher than Birmingham for taxation; canal junction constructed 1796; area incorporated into Birmingham in 1911.
Waterway: three quarters along the Worcester & Birmingham Canal.
Woodland: a fifth under tree cover.
Time: 4h (2h30 walking, 1h30 lunch)
Warnings: Narrow road with fast traffic; dark tunnel to avoid (2.5km Wast Hill Tunnel).
Walk details: Walk Midlands (tips, photos and local insights).
Lichfield Circular via Whittington Heath (Staffordshire)
6 minutes direct from Shenstone.
Golf club, heath, woodland and Heart of England Way.
Woodland: a quarter under tree cover.
Time: 7h (5h walking, 1h30 lunch, 30m break)
2 lunch spots: the Tame Otter (2h15 in), or the Red Lion (2h15 in)
2 end-of-walk rewards: the Horse and Jockey, or the Turnpike
Warnings: MOD firing range — check access.
Adapted from: the Leicester Ramblers.
Sutton Coldfield to Lichfield (Warwickshire)
15 minutes direct from Shenstone.
Varied suburban and exurban and rural terrain. Connects Sutton Coldfield to historic cathedral city of Lichfield via Anglo-Saxon Shenstone and Roman remains at Wall where Watling Street and Icknield Street met.
Time: 6h30 (5h walking, 1h30 lunch)
Warnings: Camp Road has high traffic, tight bends and heavy lorries; M6 Toll, A5, A5148 crossings; low-hanging power lines.
Walk details: Walk Midlands (tips, photos and local insights).
Birmingham to Kings Norton (Warwickshire)
30 minutes direct from Shenstone.
Canal towpath (Worcester and Birmingham Canal). Kings Norton was site of a 1642 English Civil War battle.
Waterway: nine tenths along the Worcester & Birmingham Canal.
Birmingham Back to Backs (National Trust)
Time: 4h (2h30 walking, 1h30 lunch)
Walk details: Walk Midlands (tips, photos and local insights).
Birmingham to Bournville (Warwickshire)
30 minutes direct from Shenstone.
Canal towpath, urban paths and suburban streets. Walk along the Worcester-Birmingham Canal from city centre to Cadbury's model village.
Waterway: four fifths along the Worcester & Birmingham Canal.
Birmingham Back to Backs (National Trust)
Time: 3h30 (2h walking, 1h30 lunch)
Walk details: Walk Midlands (tips, photos and local insights).
Longbridge to Wood End (Worcestershire)
1 hour direct from Shenstone.
Spectacular views to Birmingham and Worcestershire. Ridge lip with fields, woodlands and lanes. Traces the Midlands Watershed Ridge along the Birmingham Plateau lip; route parallels Roman Icknield Street.
Time: 5h30 (4h walking, 1h30 lunch)
Warnings: A441 Redditch Road busy; M42 motorway crossing.
Walk details: Walk Midlands (tips, photos and local insights).
Solihull to Birmingham (Warwickshire)
30 minutes direct from Shenstone.
Mostly towpath along the Birmingham branch of the Grand Union Canal. Canal authorized in 1793 connecting Digbeth to Warwick; modernized in 1930s; freight traffic ceased by 1970s.
Waterway: four fifths along the Grand Union Canal.
Time: 5h (3h30 walking, 1h30 lunch)
Warnings: Some low bridges requiring ducking; steep ramp at end.
Walk details: Walk Midlands (tips, photos and local insights).
Whitlocks End to Birmingham (Warwickshire)
30 minutes direct from Shenstone.
Towpaths and river banks. Urban walk tracing Birmingham's waterpower heritage from suburbs to city center.
Time: 4h30 (3h walking, 1h30 lunch)
Warnings: Busy roads to cross; low bridges on canal sections.
Walk details: Walk Midlands (tips, photos and local insights).
Bromsgrove to Kings Norton (Worcestershire)
1 hour direct from Shenstone.
Pastoral yet industrial terrain of north east Worcestershire into Birmingham. Walk traverses the Worcester and Birmingham Canal (1792-1815), featuring 30 locks at Tardebigge Flight.
Waterway: four fifths along the Worcester & Birmingham Canal.
Time: 6h30 (5h walking, 1h30 lunch)
Warnings: Fast cars on suburban lanes; dual carriageway crossing.
Walk details: Walk Midlands (tips, photos and local insights).
Wythall to Longbridge (Worcestershire)
1 hour direct from Shenstone.
Rural with woodland, fields and suburban areas. Walk traces River Cole source on Severn-Trent watershed; passes moated medieval farmhouse; passes Shire Country Park.
Time: 4h (2h30 walking, 1h30 lunch)
Warnings: Busy main roads; muddy footpath sections.
Walk details: Walk Midlands (tips, photos and local insights).
Lichfield to Tamworth (Staffordshire)
6 minutes direct from Shenstone.
Safe, direct, offroad and beautiful. A safe, direct and largely off-road route following the Heart of England Way, via public footpath and residential road and the A51 into countryside south of Lichfield. A beautifully straight track takes you over the hills before crossing the Tame at Hopwas and following pavement into the town. Follows the Heart of England Way.
Time: 5h (3h30 walking, 1h30 lunch)
Warnings: Follows a busy road for a fifth of the walk.
Walk details: Slow Ways.
Rugeley to Lichfield (Staffordshire)
6 minutes direct from Shenstone.
Great views over the Staffordshire country side and moorland. An easy, level towpath section along the Trent and Mersey Canal followed by undulating field paths over Staffordshire countryside, with a short climb out of Longdon to a viewpoint and a gentle crossing of farmland and a golf course. The canal is firm and easy; the field paths can be muddy in places and are poorly waymarked, with several awkward and overgrown stiles.
Time: 6h (4h30 walking, 1h30 lunch)
Lunch: At Armitage a pub, café and supermarket sit just off the route; Longdon has the last pub before Lichfield.
Warnings: The middle field section is poorly waymarked with several awkward or overgrown stiles, and the possibility of cattle. Some paths are little-walked and hard to locate when crops are high. Refreshments are limited in the middle, so go prepared.
Walk details: Slow Ways.