Our cycle trip on the Greenway covered two very different types of track.The first section follows the path of a disused railway line which once ran from Cheltenham to Stratford upon Avon while the second section skirts Stratford on pavement paths then joins the canal towpath to Wilmcote.

Long Marston to Wilmcote
Campsite: Marston Edge, Campden Road, Lower Quinton, Strafford upon Avon. This spacious and well maintained 3½ acre campsite is less than a mile from Long Marston Airfield which hosts a large market and car boot every Sunday.

From the rear entrance of the campsite we turned right and cycled down the quiet Station Road.

After passing a large antiques showroom and disused army barracks, the start of the track will be seen on the right hand side after about a mile.

From here the wide and well surfaced track slowly curves its way through the Warwickshire countryside.

A little past Stratford racecourse, there is a fork in the track which we would return to later to pick up the second section of the journey.

Carrying on toward the town, the track passes close to the River Avon before joining the quiet road system which runs to the town centre.

Continue past the Holy Trinity Church in Mill Lane then take the second turning right into Church Street. After passing the rows of Elizabethan half timbered houses take the second turning left into Eley Street where secure bike racks will be found outside the red brick HSBC Bank building.

There is certainly a lot to see in Stratford and you are almost guaranteed to trip over a well known thespian as you explore the town.

After returning to the fork in the track near the racecourse, we followed the well signed pavement route to pick up the canal towpath.

The canal had been refurbished in the 1980's and it was fascinating to watch the narrow boats negotiating the staircase of locks on their journey north.

Cycling round the quaint village of Wilmcote, it is impossible to miss the half timbered Elizabethan house that was once the home of Shakespeares mother, Mary Arden.

Judging by the numbers of foreign tourists who were exploring the house, it is obviously the place to visit when doing the England tour.

With the return journey to the campsite, this was a round trip of 22½ miles.