가장 멋진 명소 20곳

One of the highlights of this part of the Geopark Way, rather better than walking through Stourport.

John Corbett Way

Watch out for walkers around some of the locks. Few blind corners.

Incredibly muddy - wear wellies!

The nature reserve is approximately 35 hectares (86 acres) in size. The dominant habitat is heath and acid grassland, surrounded by oak and birch scrub. The acid grassland has been surveyed by many professional bodies, and Natural England rated it as the best quality acid grassland in the county. Wildlife on the site is typical for what you would expect on a heathland site, while reptiles are scarce due to the levels of disturbance from the public; however common lizard, grass snake and slow worm have been seen. There are many notable species of solitary bee and wasp which make use of the bare sandy soil, as do unusual heathland specialists, the green tiger beetle. The open areas are also utilised by a variety of ground feeding birds such as green woodpecker and as nesting sites for rarities like woodlark. There are a few small pools on site; one in particular supports a good breeding population of smooth newt, common frog, various dragonflies, damselflies and great diving beetle. Although traditionally a heath, this has given way in the main to gorse and broom scrub. There has been an increase in the density of rare grey hair grass after scrub clearance carried out in previous years. The area has an interesting history, with the site being used as a World War II American Army training and hospital camp. All that remains from those days are concrete paths, and some foundations from the original buildings. Much of this has been highlighted along a way marked ‘History’ trail. The website 'Burlish Camp' has more on the history of the site. In addition to the history trail, there are 3 other trails around the site, including 2 easy going routes, which take advantage of the sites historical concrete tracks, and a heathland circular, which also incorporates much of the Rifle Range SSSI. Source: Wyre Forest District Council

The ‘Old Railway Line’ cuts through the red sandstone bedrock. These sandstones are Triassic in age, belonging to the ‘Sherwood Sandstone Group’ of rocks. The Sherwood Sandstone Group, the older Permian-aged Bridgnorth Sandstone and the younger Triassic-aged Mercia Mudstone Group have one thing in common; they were deposited in a vast rift basin, called the Worcester Basin. The Worcester Basin was north-south orientated and formed during the Permian period. Its western edge, in the Geopark area, followed the line of a major fault-line, the East Malvern Fault. In the present day this fault line is most clearly marked by the Malvern, Suckley and Abberley Hills. The eastern edge of the Basin followed the line of another major fault-line, the Inkberrow Fault. Into this basin a great variety of different sedimentary rocks were deposited and formed. Some were windblown deposits, others were despotised by streams and rivers, evaporate deposits also formed in lakes and the other significant deposit was alluvial fans that formed along the edge of the basin. Each of the rocks represents the changing environments experienced in the basin through the passage of time. The rocks seen along the ‘Old Railway Line’ belong to the Wildmoor Sandstone Formation, part of the Sherwood Sandstone Group of rocks. They are around 220 million years ago and comprises soft, weakly cemented, pale red-brown, micaceous, sandstones. The well-rounded, evenly sized grains suggest reworking of windblown sands that were deposited the Worcester Basin during the Permian period. Source: geopark.org

Architecture and engineering fans delight - so many rural scenes to discover along the Worcester and Birmingham Canal.

Tardebigge Locks or the Tardebigge Flight is the longest flight of locks in the UK, comprising 30 narrow locks on a two-and-a-quarter-mile stretch of the Worcester and Birmingham Canal at Tardebigge, Worcestershire. Well worth checking out... and realising that travelling on foot or bike it a lot quicker than travelling by canal boat!

Originally the Mug House was the church ale house, and its history goes back to the Plantagenets and the House of Lancaster. "Brew houses were at one time an essential form of income for the church, for with some 75 feast days to celebrate; it meant money in the coffers of the church." It is known that Puritans closed most of the ale houses locally because of the drunken and lewd behaviour of the populace at the time but the Mug survived. In 1638, the Constable of Claines had closed six filthy public houses in Claines, in an attempt to quell the plague, but again not the Mug House! "Our poor are provided for, the highways repaired, riot we know none, gamesters we know none, drunkenness none." The name “Mug” is said to be connected with the old time Communion plate, or possibly also associated with clinching a deal over a “mug” of ale. The Mug House was the venue for the parish “Vestry” meetings. In the 1784 Vestry meeting 2 shilling and 11d was spent on a new cloth for the Communion table, whilst the ale bill for the same meeting was £3 15 shillings! Claines Parish records recall  "if it shall be necessary at any time to have a Church Ale for the maintenance of the said church, it shall be lawful for them to have the use of the whole House during their Ale” The proceeds of the ale were devoted to Church repairs, provision of service books, communion plate and vestments. The Mug House contributed to the riotous festival wakes which featured in Claines Churchyard in medieval times, which included bull and bear bating, dancing and “drunken roystering”. In 1750 a number of parishioners bound themselves under a penalty of 40/- to attend and endeavour to halt the evil practices. The original location of the parish stocks was between the Church and the Mug House, last used in 1853 when “a cowman occupied this instrument of public disgrace for being paralytic drunk.” By the time of the early censuses, the early innkeepers were women: in 1841 Ann Mansill aged 60 and living with her, Henry Mansill, 40, possibly her son, who was a merchant. By 1851 Ann is still there, listed as a victualler, now in her early 70s and has the support of Sarah Russell from Hartlebury who was a house servant. Around 1855 Sarah Williams (29) took over as victualler and in 1861 she was living there with her brother Elijah R Williams, who was a clerk at the Post Office. Earlier Elijah had lived at home with his parents James and Elizabeth who were the schoolmaster and schoolmistress at the National School House, Claines. Then men took over: firstly Joseph Knott in 1871, he is listed as Innkeeper aged 62, from Astley, Worcestershire, and his wife Mary, 54, from Watford in Hertfordshire, but by 1879 and through to the 1881 census, Frank Evans (29) and his wife Mary Jane (30) ran the Mug and lived there with their baby Amy. By the 1891 census, Charles Daniels (28) and his wife Florence (25) had taken over. Interestingly Charles who had been born in Bourton on the Water, had previously worked as a footman at Brockhampton Park, good training for a licensed victualler! Florence also had a good background, as her father John and mother Ann were Innkeepers at the Fox and Hounds Beer House, at Stogursey, a small village in Somerset, near Bridgwater. There was a Somerset link too, in 1901 when John Minton (40) from Hereford and his wife Bessie (36) from Yeovil in Somerset took over, but by 1905 Albert Beck was in charge and then in 1911 George Hobbs. (Albert Beck left the Mug to become a farmer and dairyman at Chatley Villas, Droitwich Road, Claines. He was found drowned in the river at Bevere Lock in 1915) George and his wife Mary had lived in Coachmaris House, in Minto, Roxburghshire. Mary herself was from Kinlock in Perthshire, though George was originally from St Johns, Worcester. In 1901 they had two sons George and Cameron and father George was a coachman. Being in service, was probably good training to run a pub! In 1911, son George (24) was living at the Mug and working as an Engine Fitter, whilst George was listed as the Licensed Victualler aged 53 and Mary his wife was 49. Wally Trow was possibly the longest serving landlord, from the the 1930’s to the 1980’s, serving over 50 years. He was followed by Geoff and Barbara, John Crabb and then in 1990 by Judy Allen who has kept up the excellent traditional local presence and hospitality of the Mug House. In 1947 renovations were taking place at the Mug and within a wall, the silver head of a medieval bishop's crook, a crosier, was discovered. It is a mystery of why it was secreted away in the Mug House but could have been hidden with the rest of the Church Silver during the reformation. It is now used every year by the Claines Boy Bishop. In the 1950s the vicar told the publican of the Mug: "You fill my church and I'll fill your pub" ! He did and more than one service was “piped” down to the Mug to ensure no one missed it. The Mug House and the Church share many customers and live healthily side by side. Generations of Bell ringers, choir members and parishioners have frequented the Mug House and continue to do so today. The older children of the Church Sunday School meet at the Mug, every Sunday, they are "God's Own Pub Club"!

Lovely quiet place good for break.

An important area of lowland heath, Burlish Top Nature Reserve is 86 acres (35 ha) and a lovely place to ramble around. Grassland, oak and birch scrub provide a vital habitat for insects, reptiles and rare plants. If you look closely, you'll see concrete roads and the odd building foundation here, remnants from the reserve's former occupation as an American army camp during the Second World War.

Great series of locks, reasonable surface in the main and plenty of width to pass walkers without too much bother. Away from the locks towards Droitwich things can get muddy at times.

Nice towpath for a relaxed gravel ride

Chaddesley Woods were probably mentioned in the Domesday Book as the ‘wood of two leagues’ and we think that parts of the site have been wooded since the Ice Age 6-10,000 years ago.  The presence of ancient woodland indicator species support this – flowers such as yellow archangel, herb paris and dog’s mercury as well as trees like small-leaved lime and wild service trees. Visitors to the eastern half of the nature reserve will find themselves in ancient woodland that is predominantly mature oak with hazel coppice.  The understorey also contains holly, rowan and other berry-bearing shrubs that are popular with winter thrushes such as fieldfares.  Midland hawthorn thrives here – a rare shrub that is identified by the two seeds in its berries as opposed to the normal one.  Open glades are important for invertebrates and encourage shrubby growth, which provides nesting cover for birds.  Some old and dead oaks are retained for hole-nesting birds, fungi and invertebrates.  At the right time of year the wood is full of birdsong and lucky visitors may catch a glimpse of the elusive woodcock. There are also two areas of meadow, although these are only accessible on special open days.  Hockley Meadow and Black Meadow are old pastures with wildflowers such as knapweed, dyer’s greenweed, pepper saxifrage and adder’s-tongue fern.  The meadows are grazed to maintain their floral interest. The western half of the reserve is a largely planted woodland of broad-leaved species and extensive areas of conifer.  The conifers wouldn’t normally grow here and we’re gradually clearing these and replacing them with native hardwoods that are more suitable to the local geology and attract summer migrants like chiffchaff and blackcap.  Crossbills sometimes breed in the conifer plantations – their unusual beak structure of crossed tips allows them to feed on the seeds.  A Worcestershire speciality, land caddis, occurs at Chaddesley Woods.  A national rarity, this is the only one of almost two hundred species of caddis fly that spends its entire life-cycle on land.  It burrows in leaf litter and adults only live for a couple of weeks in autumn.

Make sure you've got the right tyres on your bike. I was riding my tourer and the tyres needed to be a bit more aggressive for the muddy tow path.