On your bike! - Redditch Borough Council - Worcestershire Hub

Walk in the
woodlands
TAKE a walk off the beaten track and enjoy what Redditch has to offer this
spring.
Foxlydiate Woods is situated at the top of Brockhill Drive. And while many of us
may drive past the woods on a regular basis on our
way to Bromsgove, few of us probably
realise there is an ancient
woodland there waiting
to be discovered.
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Start:
Foxlydiate Woods car park
in Brockhill Drive.
Length: About two miles
taking about one hour
depending on how fast you
walk and whether you stop for a picnic.
Terrain: Uneven and hilly. Wear a pair of
good walking boots or wellies as it can
be muddy.
1 Go through the gate on the right
hand side of the car park and walk
up the steps into the field. Go past
the Small-Leaved Lime tree before
turning right and walk around the
edge of field.
2 As you reach the top of the hill, look
back for magnificent views across
Hewell Grange, Brockhill Wood and
the new Brockhill estate. On a good
day you can also see the Malverns.
3 Keeping the Bromsgrove Highway to
your right head down the hill. To your
right you will see young trees and
native shrubs which have been
planted by volunteer groups to
encourage wildlife.
About halfway down the hill, take the
left hand path where there is
developing Hawthorn shrubland, as
well as Oak and Ash trees. You can
also see conifer trees including Scots
Pine, Larch and Corsican Pine.
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4 Enter the woodland for a short period
before coming to a tarmac path. Go
through the fence and turn left. Walk
20m along the tarmac path and turn
right by the native Wild Cherry Tree.
5 Follow the path. As you walk, the
wood begins to narrow between Pine
Tree Close and Bromsgrove Highway.
6 It then widens into a small natural
ancient woodland where there has
been continuous planting of trees
since the 1600s. As the track widens,
the wood begins to fill out allowing
you to see Yew, Hazel, Birch and Oak
trees. Many of the hazel shrubs have
been managed in the past by a
method known as coppicing.
7 You have made it to the halfway
point and picnic stop with a
number of benches.
8 Turn left and head down the hill on
the gravel path (alternatively heading
right takes you towards Pitcher Oak
Wood). At the large Oak tree turn left
(straight on will take you to Pine Tree
Close) and cross two wooden
bridges. In this area you will see Hazel
and Holly as well as lots of Ivy. Go
across another bridge, turn right and
go back through the narrow part of
woodland.
9 At the tarmac footpath crossroads,
go straight ahead through the
squeeze gap by the metal fence. We
are now on the homeward leg.
The route now takes you through a
section of Foxlydiate Wood where
various conifer species of trees have
been planted, including Scots and
Corsican Pine. Cross one further
wooden sleeper bridge and proceed
straight along the main path and up
the hill towards the car park, where
the walk first started.
Redditch Borough Council Redditch matters 29