Circular Walk around Tardebigge (Worcester & Birmingham Canal)

Tardebigge Court

Tardebigge Court

Tardebigge Court Cafe

We are staying here today and just as well as when we got up this morning it was raining.  It had stopped by mid-morning so we went out for a walk.  As we stepped out of the boat, it started raining, typical!!  It was only a light shower so we walked along the towpath to the tunnel then up onto the road.  We saw on one of the maps we have that there was a craft centre on that road so we were off to find it.    We walked for about 30 minutes and came to the craft centre, Tardebigge Court made up of several independent shops including music shop, hair salon, pine stripping and a bowls shop to name a few and also a café.

The Tardebigge Pub

We had a look around then went in the café for a coffee.  We walked back down the road and stopped  for a drink at The Tardebigge pub which is a fayre and Square pub with a wacky warehouse alongside as it started to rain but it was only a shower and didn’t last long.  This pub is in a lovely building which was originally built as a local village hall in 1911 and has also been a hospital.

HMP Hewell Grange Farm Shop

We walked back along the road and there was a sign saying HMP Hewell Grange Farm Shop so we went to take a look.  It is a nurseries run by the inmates of the open prison.  The prison is about a mile away and has a farm next door to it.  They rear the animals there and then send them to slaughter and then the inmates are taught to butcher the meat, make sausages and burgers etc. and they sell them in the farm shop.  They also grow fruit and vegetables.

Tardebigge Church

We bought some fresh tomatoes, a cucumber and a lettuce that had just been cut.  We also bought some Stilton and Asparagus sausages and some Beef Burglars (that’s what they were called on the label!)  This shop and the craft centre were really good places and well worth a walk up from the canal.

Tardebigge Church

On the way back we made a detour off the main road to Tardebigge church, Saint Bartholomew’s Church and it was open so we went it.  It is rather unusual in that one end of it is round and it is really lovely inside.  We then took another footpath and went back to the canal another way which brought us out at the bridge at the top of the flight of locks we came up yesterday then we had a short walk along the towpath back to the boat.

Inside Tardebigge Church

Inside Tardebigge Church

It was a nice circular walk we did and as we have never ventured off the canal here before it was nice to find new things especially as we have always thought that there was nothing here to see or visit, how wrong were we!! We are staying here again tonight then chugging on tomorrow.