バルサルの湖・トップ15

Although the route suggested by Komoot was good there were some problems in the wooded section between the two railway crossings. The path was closed and therefore needed to find a detour.

Abbey Fields is set in the dramatic valley of the Finham Brook and enjoys views of the historic town and Kenilworth castle. Grassy slopes, a lake, historic buildings and veteran trees recall Abbey Fields’ past as the farmland of St Mary’s Abbey, whose ruins adjoin the park. Because of its important heritage, Abbey Fields is a Scheduled Ancient Monument.

A lovely place for a walk

Closed up nothing really to see apart from the building

Lovely park with a great view over lake in the centre of old Kenilworth

The Blythe Valley Countryside Park is 87 acres in size. The circular path includes several small lakes and a bird hide. The site is like a cross between New Hall Valley Country park in Sutton Coldfield and Plantsbrook in Pype Hayes and is home to a mixture of conservation woodland, 38,000m² of new woodland, grassland, hedgerows, streams and wetland. The 3.5km path is be great for cycling and running, too. Work on the business park commenced in August 1998 and was a joint development between Solihull MBC, Doughty Hanson & Co Real Estate and Liberty Property Trust. The River Blythe has been designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and there are local damp willow woodlands, emergent reeds and wet grassland. In a rare UK approach, storm water from the built up area is cleaned by several processes en route to the river.

The engine house is Grade II listed and was built to contain the original beam engine that pumped water from the reservoirs up to the higher level of the feeder river. It has been in continual operation since 1823, though in 1936 the beam engine was dismantled and replaced by the electric pumps. You can see the in-fill brickwork where the chimney was removed, marking the arrival of electricity. The building is typical of an engine house; one tall narrow room for the beam engine and lower storey ancillary rooms surrounding it. For this particular engine house the lower storey extension was added post 1846, when the canal was taken over by the Great Western Railway Company due to the decline of canal usage. This is telling in other details such as the workshop bench made out of railway sleepers and the reclaimed platform edging bricks on the stairs. The wooden beams for the upper floors are visible in between the brickwork and you can also see the structural ties that were added after construction, as the building needed more support to cope with the vibration of the machine.

The Earlswood Lakes were constructed in the 1820s to provide water to the Stratford upon Avon canal. Construction took nearly 5 years to complete, and the labour force included prisoners of war from the Napoleonic wars.The cost of construction was £297,000. There are three lakes. Terry's Pool lake cover 20 acres (8.1 ha). The lakes are fed by tributaries of the River Blythe, and in turn outfall into that river also.