The weather had now turned wintry and cold since starting this walk earlier in the month in a prolonged late summer. This Saturday morning dawned clear and frosty, however, and the perfect weather for walking at this time of year. I got up at normal work time and packed my bag with drink and sandwiches, donned my fleece and set off in the car to meet Lindsay and Graham at Berkswell where they would finish for the day and leave their car. After getting a little lost I arrived at Berkswell just about on time, around 9.30am. Lindsay and Graham arrived and parked their car and then I drove us to Church End, where Lindsay and I had left the Way on the previous Friday.

I took a photo of Lindsay and Graham outside the 14th Century, St Cuthbert's Church, which, like most churches in the area, is built of red sandstone and then we set off at just before 10am.

After walking along and through this pleasant wood we emerged onto a lane and turned right. Eventually we came to a large ploughed field complete with burnt out car in the gateway. This is a huge field, and, as a lot of the earlier fields had been, was quite heavy going as the mud was just damp enough to be sticky after rain during the week. You end up carrying lots of extra weight on your boots in such conditions! This field was also a gentle climb upwards, but rewarded us with some good views towards the top, back out across the Tame Valley as far as the hills by Hints, which I had traversed on day 2 of the walk.

After cleaning our boots of most of their acquired mud we set off across pastureland interspersed with woodland, and looking left, saw a lovely large herd of fallow deer; several stags and lots of does. Although Muntjacks are a regular sight in the woods around here, I was really pleased to see such a large herd of fallow deer. We stood and watched them for a few minutes before they made their way back into Parson's Wood. We joined a lane at the top of the field and turned left along it, passing Collier's oak Farm with fabulously large stone chimneys, and a lane off to the right. We then turned right over a stile and followed several more field paths. We came to a grassy bank in the sun and decided to sit and have a snack stop. Out of the gentle breeze the sun was really warm. Having rested for a while we set off again, having to cross a field of cows just being let out for the day, and then as we crossed a field adjacent to Solomon's Temple Farm had to put up with a mad farm dog, which was all bark and no bite thank goodness. We crossed a lane and then more fields to another lane at Green End, the dull roar of the M6 already audible. More field paths lead to another lane at Barrat's farm and then we crossed the noisy but fairly unbusy M6. Looking north along the motorway from the muddy farm bridge, there were fine views of the city centre of Birmingham and beyond. Having crossed, the path rose gently, and towards the top of the rise more fine views were to be had.

We crossed the main Fillongley to Meriden Road, and then entered wooded fields to join another small lane, turning left along it for about a quarter of a mile. Just after Ivy House Farm we entered a field near a lonely looking gable end of a once whole red sandstone building. We sat on a fallen tree by the hedge and finished off our packed lunches, though it was a bit chilly in the slight, but cold breeze. We followed more field paths to some woods called Meriden Shafts, so named because of past surface mining in shallow pits rather than actual deep shafts.

They were mainly sweet chestnuts and one had fallen, but the others were still standing. We presumed they had been planted in the grounds of the nearby Alspath House. This was named after Alspath, the original Saxon Settlement here, which was supposedly the birth place of Lady Godiva of Coventry fame. She is said to have provided the first church here at the top of the hill, which was dedicated to the Saxon Saint Edmund. The Church is now called St Lawrence's and there is nothing of the original Saxon church left, and even the Norman replacement has been largely rebuilt. From this high vantage point there were good views out northwards over the new village of Meriden and out beyond that to Birmingham. Although living so near to here all my life, I had no idea that this part of Meriden existed and it was a pleasant surprise, a cluster of beautiful old buildings centred around the church.

After taking photos we followed the lane around the church and then turned left onto yet another series of field paths all the way to the village of Berkswell, which is a Warwickshire gem. We approached the village through a thin strip of woodland and then over the grounds of Berkswell Hall off to the right and entered the churchyard. The church of St. John the Baptist is one of the best examples of the Norman and Early English styles left in Warwickshire, though there are contributions from almost every other period. The Crypt and much of the nave and chancel are Norman, with their classic round arched windows. The tower is late 15th century and there is also a half timbered vestry over the main door, which dates from 1611 and has previously been used as a priest house, village school and council room. Lindsay and Graham had to get back as they were having people over for dinner that night, so I left them at the gate to the church, by the large, square and now empty well of the village name. This was supposedly used in its day by the monks of Lichfield to baptise their first converts.

Gently climbing from the lake and crossing wooded fields I eventually joined a lane and followed this to the busy A452 dual carriageway. This was quite a shock after the very rural nature of the walk since the M6 crossing earlier in the day. I turned left and walked along this busy road for about a quarter of a mile and then dashed across to follow a lane and then drive opposite to more field paths.

These were gently undulating and unremarkable apart from meeting quite a few other walkers going the other way. I would have thought we would have at least met the odd one earlier in the day with it being such beautiful weather? I reached the main road from Balsall Common to Temple Balsall, turned left and walked along it a few hundred yards. I arrived at Ye Olde Saracen's Head pub, which is 13th century, at about 3.45pm. I waited for mum to pick me up and take me to my car waiting back at Church End. It had been a lovely day's walk all in all, with lovely weather, lovely views, villages and lots of woods. So far, on the whole, I am very impressed with Heart of England Way when compared to Centenary Way and I'm VERY nearly half way!