Kenilworth Circular Walk - Castle and Abbey Fields

1.6 miles (2.5 km)

A short circular walk around the Warwickshire town of Kenilworth, visiting St Mary's Abbey, Abbey Fields and Kenilworth Castle. It's a delightful area for a stroll with historic ruins, the Finham Brook, a pretty lake and attractive parkland.
Start the walk from the castle car park where you can pick up footpaths taking you around the ruins and the Elizabethan Gardens. In the gardens you will find a marble fountain and an ornate aviary with great views towards the Castle Keep.
You can also explore John of Gaunt's 14th century Great Hall which played host to medieval monarchs and Tudor kings. The 18 metre climb to the tower gives great views over the site and the surrounding town.
After exploring the castle grounds the walk then heads east into Abbey Fields Park where you can pick up a footpath along the pretty Finham Brook, a tributary of the�River Sowe. The route then heads to St Nicholas Church and the Abbey of St Mary. Near here you will pass a�museum�charting the history of the�abbey, located in the old�barn. The abbey dates from the 12th century with the ruins of the ancient gate house, cloisters and barn the highlights.
After exploring the ruins you can follow nice footpaths along the lake before returning to the car park.
To extend your walk you could continue east along the Finham Brook and visit the nearby Kenilworth Common Nature Reserve. Here you will find gorse, heather and two waymarked trails where you can look out for kingfishers on the brook.
Another good option is to pick up the long distance Warwickshire Centenary Way which runs right past the castle. Following it south will take you through the countryside to Warwick where you can visit the picturesque Warwick Castle.
Three other long distance trails also run through the town. You can pick up the Midland Link, Coventry Way or Warwickshire Millennium Way to further explore the countryside surrounding the town.

Postcode

CV8 1NG - Please note: Postcode may be approximate for some rural locations

Kenilworth Ordnance Survey Map - view and print off detailed OS map

Kenilworth Open Street Map - view and print off detailed map

Kenilworth OS Map - Mobile GPS OS Map with Location tracking

Kenilworth Open Street Map - Mobile GPS Map with Location tracking

Walks near Kenilworth

Midland Link - Enjoy lakes, canals, woodlands and historic villages on this waymarked walk through the Worcestershire and Warwickshire countryside.
The walk begins at the Forehill picnic site, just outside Birmingham, and heads to Tanworth-in-Arden on country lanes and footpaths
Coventry Way - This walk circles the countryside around Coventry taking you through some fine Warwickshire countryside and a series of interesting villages.
The walk starts at Meriden and heads towards Kenilworth with its impressive castle - described by architectural historian Anthony Emery as the 'finest surviving example of a semi-royal palace of the later middle ages, significant for its scale, form and quality of workmanship'
Warwickshire Centenary Way - Starting at Kingsbury Water Park (video below) in the north of the county this lovely walk takes you through the River Tame Valley, Atherstone Ridge, Nuneaton, Coombe Abbey Park at Coventry (video below), Kenilworth, Warwick, Leamington Spa, Burton Dassett Hills, Avon Dassett, Edge Hill, Shipston on Stour and Ilmington Downs.
Warwickshire Millennium Way - Follow the Millennium Way through the Warwickshire, Worcestershire and Northamptonshire countryside from Pershore to Middleton Cheney
Warwick - A circular walk around the town of Warwick, visiting the castle, the River Avon and the Grand Union Canal.
Balsall Common - This village near Coventry is surrounded by some lovely countryside with a major long distance trail running right through it.
Berkswell Circular Walk - This village near Coventry has a number of good waymarked footpaths to try
Coventry - This long circular walk uses a mixture of waymarked footpaths and minor roads to take you to some of the highlights of the city
Hampton in Arden - This West Midlands based village includes a train station, a good 17th century village pub and a pleasant local nature reserve for easy walks.
Leek Wootton - This Warwickshire village is located near Warwick,Kenilworth and Leamington Spa.
Baddesley Clinton - Enjoy a circular walk through the delightful grounds surrounding this moated manor house near Warwick
Stoneleigh Abbey -
Meriden - This West Midlands village is located in the Solihull area of the county.

Further Information and Other Local Ideas

Just to the west of Coventry there's the villages of Berkswell, Meriden, Hampton in Arden and Balsall Common to visit. The former is particularly noteworthy with its Norman church, Grade II listed 16th century inn and the Berkswell Windmill which dates back to 1826. The epic Heart of England Way can also be picked up in this area.
Just a mile to the east of the town there's Stoneleigh Abbey to explore. The 16th century abbey estate includes some beautiful landscaped parkland, lovely gardens and river views.
For more walking ideas in the area see the Warwickshire Walks page.