I'd use the A441 as it's lovely and smooth and fairly easy to climb with even the most basic of gears if you take it steady. I've been commuting for a couple of months from Hawkesley to Redditch town centre and found it fairly easy, starting out with a 30 year old Raleigh Wayfarer with 3 gears, and now on an entry-level hybrid. I go down the lanes to get to Hopwood, then use the A441 to Hopwood island, turn right towards Alvechurch, 2nd exit at the next roundabout, then through Alvechurch village, rejoining the A441 at Bordesley roundabout. Then for Moons Moat, left at Bordesley Garage lights, follow the bendy bits and then right at the crossroads at Icknield Street (the wide bit), left onto Ravensbank Drive and onto whatever bit of Moons Moat you need to get to. Alternatively you could continue at Bordesley Garage to Sainsbury's roundabout, go down Forge Mill Drive to Abbeydale, then follow the bus lanes all the way to Moons Moat.
I built my stamina by taking it as easy as possible to start with. On my test run to work I pedalled as little as I could in a "what's the longest it's going to take" attempt, and took 43 minutes to Redditch. On my journey, stamina builds up (and still does) with the return, as there are some sections that just have to be worked. I find that as I'm running out of energy, I'm also running out of hill, as none of the steeper gradients are that steep for that long. Wast Hill Lane is the only "hard" bit on my return home. A441 is easier but an extra half mile for me!
May start varying my route for variety of wildlife. Rabbits are guaranteed, and buzzards, kestrels, yellowhammers, ravens, badgers, foxes, muntjac, squirrels and hedgehogs have all been encountered so far. Even rescued a hedgehog that was in the road after it curled itself up when cars went past.... they're very prickly, don't you know!
Good luck.
