Escape to the country-Spanorium Hill

Spanorium Hill view of the Severn Estuary

Summary

A 2.5 to 3 hour walk up to the pleasingly named Spanorium Hill and great views of the Severn Estuary and Bridge. The walk starts off in urban Henbury but quickly takes you into woodland and open country. I There is a tiny section alongside the M5 but it's a small price to pay for the peaceful meadows around Berwick Lodge and the view from the top of Spanorium Hill.

Distance: 6.86 km

Time: 2.5 to 3 hours

Total ascent: 127m

Start point: Henbury, Station Road  grid ref: 565 795

ViewRanger app: search "Spanorium Hands On Active"

Overview of the route

Start

From the bus stop on Station Road, walk back the way the bus has just come and you’ll see a smaller road running parallel (Greenlands Way) with a triangle of grass between them. Take the right turn at the end of the grass and then turn left to follow Greenlands Way around

At the end of Greenlands Way, cross straight over up to a track

Follow this track up and when you come into the field, go diagonally left to a track going straight uphill

The hill continues up and you’ll come out in a field with a stand alone gate, follow up past the gate and around to the left following the left field boundary.

Signs start to appear here for “Spanorium Skyway”.

Follow the path signs along the edge

 Follow the footpth signs along the field boundary until you come into the wide open clearing of Mount Skitham. Make a beeline straight across the centre of the space and you’ll see a gap in the hedges.

Follow this for a short distance and when you come out into open, take an immediate right and downhill and you’ll soon see a sign for Spanorium Skyway.

Just by this post, don’t carry on downhill, the path contours around to the left without really dropping height

Then by next marked post the path turns right and downhill

You come out onto a lane with houses and turn left. This lane brings you out at the main road, cross and turn right under the bridge. Just after the end of the bridge, cross back over and take the footpath on the opposite side

Follow this footpath, it stays fairly flat then at the end of the field drops down to the right (all signposted)

Follow the path along the M5 for a short distance, then it climbs back up to a gate, signposted into a field just in front and to the right. Go into the field and follow the left boundary down, it turns 90 degrees to the right, keep along the boundary and you will come out by Berwick Lodge, follow Spanorium arrow on gatepost to go straight on past the lamp post that looks as if it’s in narnia!

Follow the road that leads towards Berwick Lodge, you'll see a sign for Spanorium Skyway, this will lead you past a building towards a little bridge with gates on either end. Go accross the bridge and turn left into the nice open field.

Follow the path along the edge of the field and it will bring you to the highpoint of Spanorium hill itself. Drink in the peace of this wide open meadow!

Once at the highpoint, go through just into the start of the next field and over to the left is a great view of the estuary and bridge.

Enjoy a snack, chill out, then retrace your foot steps to the point where you are by the bridge with 2 gates. Instead of taking this, just continue to follow the right hand field boundary around and you will come to a gate. Don't turn down the mud track, keep going in the field!

Once through the gate, turn right onto the track and follow it down to a road, go left over the bridge and follow this road all the way downhill. Once it flattens, you can either: 1) take signposted footpath on right just past the first house on the right, opposite a farm/house on the left. This path goes through a few fields (all signposted) to take you back to the first field after leaving the houses of Henbury and then re-trace your steps to the start.

2) Carry on the road until you can turn right(still on the road) this will take you onto Station Road and back to the start.