THIS is an undulating walk among magnificent scenery. Little-used paths make it an interesting journey.

The journey:

TAKE the Warslow/Elkstone road opposite the pub and, after 100 yards, turn right to follow the Hamps Way sign through The Lumbs farmyard.

Pass through The Lumbs farmyard. This used to be an old gliding field.

Exit by the stile to follow a line 20 yards to the right of the electricity poles.

Go through Feltysitch Farm yard, reached over a stile keeping to the building's left.

Exit by the farm gate and turn right.

The source of the River Hamps is just above the farm and the young stream passes to the left of the farm buildings. After about 100 yards, cross a stile and stone wall and head towards Stone Bank Farm. The path goes between the left of the house and the right of the buildings.

Exit onto a track, but turn slightly right to cross a field towards Brindley Croft Farm.

The path crosses the farm drive over two stiles, across the field to the farm's left.

The path crosses a field accessed by a stile and to the right of Royledge Farm.

On leaving the farm, turn right to pass over a stile in a wire fence and then follow the waymarked sign to the left. The path crosses several fields keeping to the right of New York Farm.

Exit the field by a farm gate on to a track at Lower Green Farm and continue straight, leaving the track to cross fields.

After passing a large pool, head downhill then uphill towards Manor Farm.

Before the farm, cross to the left under some electricity lines and exit into a field through a waymarked farm gate.

Cross a further four fields, keeping straight and following the waymark signs.

Exit over the stile and wire fence into Moxon Mines and pass straight ahead. Follow the track. The path keeps left of stone buildings and house, indicated by a stile and then a gap in stone wall.

Exit the track to go to a house by a stile and you'll notice a large old military gun rusting by the track side.

At that point a fingerpost indicates a footpath to Butterton to the left.

Leave the Hamps Way trail at this point to follow that path for about 50 yards to a gate in a wooden fence.

Bear right here after the gate downhill and go through a small conifer plantation, to a stile and gate.

Cross the two small fields diagonally downhill as indicated by the waymarks to cross the River Hamps over a footbridge.

Follow the path uphill and to the right to pass through a stile on the hilltop.

Cross the field, keeping close to the right of the wire fence which leads to a stile.

The path bears right to exit through a small wooden gate onto a track leading to the yard of Black Brook Farm.

Walk to the farmhouse's front and pass through the gate at its left corner.

After about 100 yards, the path crosses a small stream and through a gate.

Follow the direction indicated by the waymarked sign and exit the next field through a gate to climb a set of steps.

Keep the deep ditch and wire fence on your left, pass over a stile and continue to follow the fence to Breech Farm.

There is a junction of paths at this point, but continue due north by passing to the left of the house and farm buildings.

Exit the farmyard through a gate and then over a stile still heading north.

Keep close to the hedge and fence on the right of the field and cross a stile in that fence just before Under Hill Farm.

Now keep to this path until the fence is on your left and proceed through two gates and past the left side of the farmhouse to exit on to a track which leads directly to Upper Elkstone.

The track reaches the Blakemere/Warslow road at the highest point in the village – to view the village with its unusual church, turn right to walk down the bank for a few hundred yards, follow the road around to the right, passing the Old Inn Cottage, continue ahead here into Church Lane, just by a spring at the side of the road, to seek out the church before retracing your steps back to the highest point of the village.

Having retraced your steps to the junction of the track with the Blakemere /Warslow road, climb the road for a mile to the junction at the hilltop.

Throughout that distance the views of the moorland on the right are superb and on reaching the hilltop the Mermaid Inn can be seen ahead and to the right.

At the T-junction, the road bears right and continues straight and flat for a further mile to the Warslow/Elkstone road.

At that road junction, turn left to walk the last 200 yards to the Mermaid Inn.

Contributed by George Shufflebotham, of Staffordshire Area Ramblers' Association.