Day Hiking in Kinver in the Snow

January 26, 2010

Day Hiking In Kinver In The Snow

Steve Dell of Fizz Leisure organised and led this group Figure of Eight Day Hiking for SPICE, from the lovely village of Kinver, England. The landscape was snow swept which made the hiking a little more energetic than we had planned. Snow continued to fall on the day which made for some dramatic scenes and gave a sense of being in the wilderness. The morning hiking was harder than the afternoon hiking with some of the gradients being steeper because we hiked, or slipped our way, to the peak of Kinver Edge. Both hikes were around 5 miles in length and as usual we took our time so that we could enjoy the scenery.

If you cannot see video, click link to watch on YouTube –> Kinver Day Walk

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Route Description

In the morning of the Day Hiking In Kinver In The Snow trip began by hiking to the cave houses at Holy Austin Rock. After that we continued on to the peak of Kinver Edge. After reaching the top and taking in the views, the top we then hiked along the edge following the Staffordshire Way and through woodland in Kingsford County Park to the hamlet of Blakesall. The full length of Kinver ridge is about 2 miles long but we only hiked along part of it. Our return route used some quiet lanes and bridleways.

At the end of the morning hike, lunchtime, some people went into Ye Olde White Harte pub for a meal or drink. However, we ate our packed lunch on a bench, under the clock in the high street! It was rather cold by the time we finished eating so we went into the pub to warm up for a short while. Some of the morning hikers went home after lunch and some more hikers joined us for the afternoon hiking.

The afternoon of Day Hiking In Kinver In The Snow was the easier of the two hikes. We walked through Kinver village and headed north along the long distance footpath, knows as The Staffordshire Way as far as Enville Hall. We mainly used field paths through farmland and woodland. There were a few gradients but nothing too strenuous. At the end of the afternoon hiking we retreated to Ye Olde White Harte” pub on the High Street, where we enjoyed a drink, a meal and the company of fellow hikers.

Kinver Day Hiking Local Information

Kinver is a lovely village only a few minutes drive from Stourbridge. The earliest recording of Kinver was in 736AD. Back then it was known by the name CYNIBRE which translates as “great hill”. Fabulous mature buildings are plentiful within and nearby the village. The old Grammar School and the Whittington Inn are just two examples.

The River Stour runs alongside the village and is the river from which the town of Stourbridge derived its name. There are 300 acres of national trust land within easy walking distance of the Kinver village. Within that area is the striking Kinver Edge. In times gone by, Kinver Edge was the closest place that the residents of Stourbridge had for a holiday. The less well off walked there and the more wealthy travelled by tram. The tramway used to begin at Amblecote in Stourbridge, passing though beautiful countryside to Kinver village. Alas, like many things from past eras, the tramway was dismantled many years ago.

Views from the peak of the sandstone Kinver Edge are terrific. It’s only several hundred feet high but it provides great panorama views of the nearby countryside. The distinguishing characteristics of Kinver Edge are the many caves and previously occupied houses that were carved into the numerous rocky protrusions. The sandstone is soft and easy to carve and people occupied the cave homes until the 1960′s.

Habitation was recorded as early as 1777 and by the year 1861 there were 11 cave homes. By the 1950′s the caves were declared as unfit for human habitation and the people moved to alternative accommodation. There was still a cafe in the caves until 1967 and rebuilding of key cave houses commenced in 1992.These days you are able to visit a devotedly restored cave house, even with period furniture and fittings from the 1900s.

Note: The Whittington Inn was built in 1310 and is now a stunning pub and restaurant. It was once the home of William de Whittington. Richard (or Dick) Whittington travelled from here to London and eventually became Lord Mayor of London. For a brief period, Lady Jane Grey lived here, and she was Queen of England for just eight days as a child. In addition, King Charles stayed here, during his escape from the battle of Worcester during the Civil War.

I did this hike with my partner Anne whilst on a day hike with Steve Dell and SPICE during January 2010. We drove from our home in Birmingham to the start location of Ye Olde White Harte pub on the High Street in Kinver and parked in the pub car park.