Starting from the Wesleyan Reform Church, Cross Lane
1. Walk along Cross Lane and Kiln Hill to Drury Lane. Take the footpath on the right which leads into Prospect Road. Proceed to Ferndale Road. Turn left and then right to follow the service road along Eckington Road. Cross at the end of Firthwood Road and by the 40 mph sign cross to the opposite side of the main road. Turn left into Owler Car Lane.
2. Follow the lane to the gate leading into Owler Car Wood. Enter the wood and turn right along the top path. Leave the wood and cross the field to pause by the ‘Rotary Seat’. Turn left and go straight down the field to Dowey Lumb (a butterfly sanctuary). Turn right before the stile and follow the edge of the field to join path/bridleway which meanders along the edge of the Moss Brook. At the wooden footbridge cross the stream and continue to the second footbridge. Forward again to join Owler Car Lane by the bridge and ford.
3. Cross the bridge and proceed uphill to Povey Farm. Skirt the farm and pass through the gate to join Hazlehurst Lane. Turn right and follow the lane past Hazelhurst Farm. After passing the duck pond on your right, look for the fingerpost on your left. Cross the stile and proceed downhill to another stile and footbridge. Turn right after crossing the bridge and through a stile into Newfield Spring Wood. Leave the wood at the end of the path and follow the farm track through two metal gates to reach Hazelbarrow Farm.
4. Turn left, go down the lane and across the next two fields to a (difficult) stile in the far corner. Cross this and a second (easy) stile to enter Long Wood. Go straight down hill to find a wooden footbridge. Cross this and proceed uphill through Nor Wood and across a field to join Cross Lane (path 34). Turn right and follow this lane to the caravan site. Turn left beside the caravans (path 36) and cross three stiles to emerge onto Wilson Road. Cross Wilson Road and Cunliffe Street to enter an alleyway which leads up some steps onto Eckington Road. Cross Eckington Road into Stone Road and then take the alleyway on the right, which forks to the left and comes out by the ‘Cross Daggers’ pub. Turn right along Cross Lane to return to the Wesleyan Reform Church.
Note: It is advisable to wear stout footwear for this walk as some parts of the route can be very muddy, particularly on bridleways.