On Friday 19, Peter and I, this time joined by another Ashford Carbonell resident, Elliot Ashley, set off to practice what will in fact be the final leg of the walk. The plan was that we would take two cars to Worcester, the destination. Chris Parry, our trusted 'ferryer', took Peter and Elliot, while I followed in my car. We parked my car in the car park of one of the swimming pools in Worcester, which is not far from the finish line, then Chris took the three of us to Knightwick, from where we set off on foot.
We walked a little of the Worcestershire Way heading south, before turning left and taking a footpath a across some fields and along by the river. After a short while we went wrong, ending up (not for the first time) walking through a farm, when we should have gone round it. However, yet another friendly farmer set us
straight.Emerging from the farm in a little hamlet called Lulsley, we then were on the road for a while before turning off onto a bridleway.
This was a very clear path (see left), which took us twice over a dismantled railway and through some truly beautiful countryside.The bridleway went as far as Brockamin, whereupon we re-joined the road and walked the short distance to Leigh. Here we stopped for lunch at the lovely St Edburga's Church (see picture, right and map). I immediately sensed an affinity with St Edburga as her feast day is on June 15, my birthday.
From Leigh we continued down the road to Bransford, where we turned off the road and onto a footpath which took us back a bit closer to the river and eventually brought us out onto Bransford Bridge, which takes the A4103 over the River Teme. Here is a view of the river taken from the bridge (left).
We then walked along the side of the main road for a short while until being able to turn off again onto a footpath just beyond a lay-by. This took us fairly close to the river and across an in-use railway line (see right). Unfortunately there weren't any trains passing by, which would have made a better photograph! After the railway line the path took us through a farm, where an army of workers were engaged in the seemingly back-breaking work of picking peas and beans.
The path then took us to Upper Wick, where, after a little bit of road, we were soon back on a footpath and heading towards Powick, site of one of the first battles of the English Civil War. Now entering the outskirts of Worcester, we went under the A4440 and the A449 and joined the Monarch's Way. Here we could see the imposing site of Worcester Cathedral in the distance (left).
Nearing our destination we made an amusing, but at the time, frustrating mistake. At one point, the river makes a very large loop and the footpath simply goes across the top of the loop. We however, went all the way round the loop, thinking all the while that the seeming change of direction of the river was in fact the confluence with the Severn.
Having realised our mistake we finally and triumphantly reached the point where the two rivers meet (see right) at around 4 pm. Then we turned left and headed up the Severn to find the car. We drove back to Knightwick where we enjoyed a refreshing pint at the Talbot, before heading home.
So on to Saturday, and this time it was the Ashford Carbonell to Tenbury section, though done in reverse, as it seemed sensible to end up at home, rather than somewhere else. Also our band was swelled - as well as Peter and Elliot we were joind by Elliot's mum Alison and her husband Jonathan, and two other Ashford Carbonell residents, Tim and Sue Phipers. They had their two dogs, I had Brae and Peter had Milly, so we were quite an army.
Sue and I ferried the team in our cars and parked by Tenbury Wells Church. We set off on a path just to the left of the church, which took us through some housing and soon out into the countryside. This took us up hills, through fields and woods - all the while we were quite a way above the river, and it was hard to see it most of the time. The footpath eventually took us through the Nursery of Frank P. Matthews Limited, which grows trees under the brand name of Trees for Life. It was fascinating to see the many hundreds of trees, some in pots, and some in greenhouses.
On emerging from the nursery, we were then on the road for a while. At Little Berrington, we feared that the whole walk would be scuppered, as urgent repairs were being undertaken to a bridge over a little brook, and the road was closed, even to pedestrians (see left). The workmen were adamant that we could not proceed, but did indicate that should we try crossing when they had gone home, that was up to us. "So when are you going?" we asked. "Why don't you have a little break for a few minutes" they said, and sure enough, just as we sat on the grass to eat our apples and drink from our water bottles, they packed up and went. We all successfully negotiated this hurdle (don't tell anyone, will you?), and we were soon on our way again.
There was a bit more road before footpath took us to Little Hereford, where a bridge took us across to the church (right). Back across the bridge, and a relatively straightforward path took us to the bridge at Little Hereford, where we had hoped to pop into the Temeside Inn for a drink, but unfortunately it was closed. A short walk on the A456 and we turned off again onto a bridleway with which many of us are familiar, which took us back to Ashford. Once there, Jonathan took Tim and me back to Tenbury to pick up our cars.
And so the last practice was complete. I must say a huge thank you to all my companions, especially to Peter who has done so much of the walking with me, and to Chris who has ferried us around. Now there is only a week to go until I set off for real. I am very much looking forward to it, and feel that having done the whole route already, I am well prepared. So don't forget to log on next Monday evening to see how day one went!
