Solihull

Walk Details:
Date: 13/11/2004
Total ascent: 23m/ 75ft
Total distance walked: 1.26 miles
Walk difficulty: 0.5/10
Enjoyment rating: 1/10
Best bits: Spotting a well hidden trig point, a bit of a view (of Coventry, though)
Worst bits: Machinery all over the hill top
Car Parking: A bit tricky; there's a small muddy hole of a layby on the B4102 at grid ref SP 261 846.

Top details: Solihull
Name: High Ash Farm, Meigh's Wood
County top number: 23 of 207
Grid reference: SP 26138 84603 MAP
Height above sea level: 185m/ 607ft
How nice was it?: 1/10 for the top, 0.5/10 for the ascent
Description/Notes: Highest point in Solihull Unitary Authority

The Walk:

From Corley Moor it was just a short drive down the road to Meigh's Wood and the highest point in Solihull. We had our gander up and were in the mood for another "high speed bag", but would have a bit of a hike as we wanted to "collect" a nearby trig point.

Having parked the car in a muddy hole beside the B4102 we set off at a part run, part walk to finish this one as soon as possible. Galloping down the B-road for a few hundred metres we turned right onto a minor road which passed a couple of radio masts and was therefore a candidate for highest point.

Meigh's Wood and High Ash Farm are both situated on a broad plain atop a low hill, and (as has been the case with several unitary tops) the highest point could have been anywhere within the area - all it would take would be a slight bump in the ground. The field to the right of the minor road did seem to rise slightly back towards where our car was situated, and we thought we'd investigate that on our return.

For the moment though we wanted to complete our circuit past the trig point. We stomped past the entrance to the farm and the telephone masts, both surrounded by a jumbled mess of farm equipment. The road began to descend and we turned left on a boggy footpath. This wandered along the bottom edge of a field with brief diversions to avoid a couple of lifeless ponds, and then entered Close Wood. We immediately bore left within the wood to continue following the field edge back up to the B4102.

We knew that the trig was somewhere between the wood and the farm and made occasional forays to the wood edge to see if we could find it. Eventually we did - it's tucked away into the western hedge of the field closest to the road.

Now all that remained was a jog back along the road to the car, with a brief pause outside the front farm entrance to enjoy the view across to Coventry. It wasn't even remotely spectacular, but it was our first viewpoint of the day and we were determined to savour it!

The highest point in Solihull turned out (according to my GPS) to be just a few feet away from where we'd parked the car. But hey, it was our third top of the day in the bag, and we headed off to our next (Barr Beacon in Walsall) in high spirits. On the way we passed through Meriden, a village that claimed to be the absolute centre of England. Unfortunately, by the time I'd realised this and thought "ooh, I wouldn't mind stopping there" we were already out of the village and on to the next stage of our quest.

Conclusion:

Another one for county top completists only, I'm afraid.