Practice No.2

On Friday 22nd May, Peter Stretton (who is a churchwarden of Ashford Carbonell) and I set off to practise what will be the second leg of my walk along the River Teme.

Christine Parry, another resident of Ashford Carbonell, very kindly drove us to Leintwardine (along with Peter's dog Milly and my dog Brae). We turned left just before the bridge, and drove along Rosemary Lane to find a footpath which goes off to the right from the lane. We set off walking at 9am, and crossed a couple of fields, passing a stile that was curiously all on its own (see picture). After about 20 minutes we re-joined a lane and remained on the lane to take us to Downton on the Rock.

Just after 10am we arrived at Downton on the Rock Church, a glory that I had not previously visited (see picture). Built in 1862 to the design of Samuel Pountney Smith, it replaced the medieval church which had fallen into disrepair. It's a fine example of high Victorian architecture, though strangely situated a little way out of the main village settlement. After looking in the church we had a little snack in the churchyard before continuing on our way.



Not long after we left Downton we were able to leave the road and take a footpath which led us across a field and down to the river. Soon we emerged at the delightful Bringewood Forge Bridge, built in 1772, and underneath it a semi-circular weir in the river (see picture). From here there was also a superb view of Downton Castle in the distance up river.



We continued along the river and before long emerged into fields. Here we got slightly lost as it wasn't clear exactly where the footpath went in amongst the crops. However, by locating some landmarks we established where the path must be, according to the OS map, and were soon relieved to find a stile and a yellow arrow pointing us in the right direction. A couple of fields later and the reassuring sight of Bromfield Church came into view (see picture). By now it was about 12.30 and so we stopped in the churchyard for lunch.


Setting off again at 1pm, we took the bridleway which goes through the Oakly Park estate and then through Priors Halton and on to Ludlow. Once in Ludlow we took the path which goes along the river, from Dinham Bridge to Ludford Bridge, affording great views over the rooftops of Ludlow (see picture). Arriving at Ludford Bridge at about 2pm, we stopped for a cup of tea at the Charlton Arms.

At about 2.30pm we started on the final leg of the walk. Crossing over Ludford Bridge, we walked along Temeside as far as Steventon and then walked a little way along Tinkers Hill, before turning off onto a footpath which took us through Tinkers Hill Wood. This in turn took us onto Saltmoor Lane, and then on into Ashford Carbonell.

Saying goodbye to Peter, I arrived home at 3.45pm, feeling a little tired but exhilarated at completing the walk and at the wonderful countryside I had experienced. Brae was also a little tired! This leg is much more interesting than the first, which is mostly on roads. The new boots and special walking socks did me proud, for I did not even have a hint of a blister.

The next practice will be on Wednesday 3rd June, when we will tackle the Tenbury to Knightwick leg, followed on Saturday 6th with the relatively easy Ashford Carbonell to Tenbury leg. Watch this space for further updates!

Next practice coming up

I had a lovely week in the Wye Valley, walking parts of the Offa's Dyke Path, the Wye Valley Walk and the Three Castles Walk. The new boots are now well and truly broken in and proved to be very comfortable. Also my feet stayed nice and dry and warm even though the weather was rather wet.

Just a reminder that my next practice is this Friday, 22nd May. I will set off at 9am from the bridge in Leintwardine, and walk to Ashford Carbonell (see map). If anyone wants to join me, I'd be delighted to see you.

Watch out for another blog post after Friday to see how it went!

More preparations

Today I visited the Cotswold store in Brecon and, with the assistance of a very helpful member of staff, tried on various walking boots before buying a pair made by Berghaus ready for the trek. I also bought a pair of walking socks. A week's holiday next week in the Wye Valley will give me plenty of opportunity to wear them in.

Other good progress has also been made today: overnight accommodation at my final staging post has been confirmed, so I now have somewhere to lay my head at the end of each day. The complete schedule for the walk will be as follows:
Monday 6th July: Source of the Teme to Leintwardine, staying with Fr Neil Crawford-Jones, former Vicar of Romsey Abbey, Hampshire, now retired to Leintwardine;
Tuesday 7th July: Leintwardine to Ashford Carbonell, staying at home;
Wednesday 8th July: Ashford Carbonell to Tenbury Wells, staying with the Revd Claire Lording, Team Rector of Tenbury Team Ministry;
Thursday 9th July: Tenbury Wells to Knightwick, staying with friends of a friend at nearby Alfrick;
Friday 10th July: Knightwick to Worcester ... and hopefully a car ride back home!

I'd be really glad if people could join me on a section of the walk ... if you'd like to, please get in touch and I can let you know rough timings of when I hope to be at certain points.

My next practice will be on Friday 22nd May, when I will do the Leintwardine to Ashford Carbonell leg. I'll be leaving from the bridge in Leintwardine at 9am, and if anyone wants to join me, you'd be more than welcome.

Practice No. 1!

Welcome to the first blog post of the River Teme Trek blog. I have now started my sponsored walk along the route of the River Teme, from the source in the Kerry Hills in Powys to the confluence with the Severn at Worcester.

I'm raising money for the St Paul's Church, Knowbury, Restoration Appeal. We are raising £75,000 to repair the roof, redecorate the interior and repair the organ. The church is pictured here.

Preparations for the walk are now complete. On Saturday (2nd June), I did a practice of the first stage, from the source to Leintwardine (see map). I did the practice with my mate Shaun, who is also director of music at Ludlow Parish Church. The plan was to drive to the source, then some friends who live at Leintwardine would take us back to pick up the car.

Saturday was a gorgeous day - just right for walking, if a little hot. We set off at about 9.45 am from a point on the B4355 at OS grid reference SO125828. We continued along the road towards Beguildy, where we stopped for a short break. We continued along the road until we got to Wernygeufron, where we turned onto a public footpath that crossed a field and then took us over a bridge, across the river and into Shropshire. Here we were able to rest for about 20 minutes and have some lunch. Then we rejoined a road, which took us through Llanfair Waterdine and on into Knighton, picking up the Offa's Dyke path for the last part, where we cross the river again and so re-enter Powys.

By now it was 3 pm and Shaun was feeling a little weary, so he decided to get the train back to Ludlow. I pressed on towards Leintwardine along the A4113 for a little while before crossing Stowe Bridge (back into Shropshire!) and getting as far as Bucknell. By now it was 5 pm, and although I felt able to carry on to the destination, I realised that by the time I got to my friends, had a cup of tea, was taken to the car and drove back to Ludlow, it would be rather late - and I still had things to do!

So I phoned my friends who came and picked me up from Bucknell. It was a great day, and an excellent practice. The upper Teme Valley is beautiful - and it is striking how remote some of the houses seem, perched all on their own. The next day my legs were fine, but I had blisters - so I need to get some better walking boots. I was also a tad sunburnt, so more effective sun block will also be important for the real thing. But the omens, I think, are encouraging!