Battling Storm Darragh
Lindsay and George’s Saturday Ramble 7 December
Five courageous members met at Bredon Hill Cafe on Saturday morning to battle Storm Darragh, whilst five sensible members cancelled the ramble.
At 10.00 precisely, we set off to face the elements, although by this time the weather had become much calmer. After being met by four yappy dogs at Longfurrow Farm, we made our way along Sandfield Lane, passing Sandfield Children’s Farm where most of the animals were sheltered from the wind and rain. Walking through and old orchard towards several fields we saw a herd of deer in the distance and then in a further field, we encountered a Game Shoot. Fortunately, we arrived in time to be allowed to walk in front of the line of shooters before they raised their guns to aim at the pheasants , of which there were many. We were most impressed with the obedient dogs who sat at their handler’s side until we made our way past them.

Carrying on, through driving rain and gale force winds, crossing waterlogged and very muddy ground we crossed the Ashton Road towards another large field. It was at this point I had decided, after I had reccied the ramble a few days earlier, to cut out one of the fields and lane owing to conditions under foot. A decent climb towards Ashton Woods would normally have given us scenic views but visibility wasn’t in our favour.

Here we could have stayed for a short coffee break but the general consensus was that we carried on even though the woods gave us some brief shelter. We moved on down through the village of Ashton-under-Hill towards the playing fields and yet another muddy field before approaching the disused railway track, from Evesham to Cheltenham, some of which was under water. This led us back to the car park and Bredon Hill Cafe where, after shedding our very muddy and very wet gear, we enjoyed a well-deserved hot drink.
Lindsay
4.75 Miles
Good walking, good conversation and a bit of mud
Clive’s Midweek Ramble 11 December
We met at around 9.30 at the Snowshill public Car park and set off through the village. We picked up a guest Paul Bonas, by the pub in Snowshill and started the descent down to Stanton. After a short while, we encountered an abandoned fire engine in a farmyard and shortly after we stopped to admire some very cute Belted Galloway cattle.

As we moved, we were met by some tricky mud which continued most of the way down to Stanton. We walked through and admired this picturesque village until we reached the Cotswold Way and following it through the mud down to Stanway, where we stopped by the church to have some lunch.
Although the weather was cold and misty it was dry. We walked past the Mill to the main road for a short while then diverted back to the footpath that led to Lidcombe Wood. What goes down must come up, so then a steady climb (luckily quite rocky so not too slippery) past the Stanway fountain pump to the top where the views should have been if it hadn’t been for the mist. It was starting to get murky by this time.

Phil remembered a short cut down to Snowsill which we were happy to take. Unfortunately, the pub had shut a few minutes before, so we said our goodbyes and headed home. The company and the conversation were very good and I would thank the group for a successful and enjoyable ramble.
Clive
10.4 miles
Parkin in Aston Somerville
Lindsay’s Short Ramble – 18 December

On a fairly dry sunny morning 15 members set off from Childswickham Inn along the Hinton Road crossing over to the fields opposite and through a kissing gate, which Alan pointed out, had been installed by ERC. The terrain as we passed Perrins Farm was mainly flat as was most of the ramble and apart from a fallen tree which we had to skirt around, the walking through the remaining fields was easy. Climbing over a second stile led us to the road into Murcott, a small hamlet with a couple of cottages and Murcott Farm.
Continuing along the road we turned left onto a grassy country lane where we were met with plenty of mud and puddles. Here we crossed Hinton Road for the second time taking a wayside path and more farmland and by this time we encountered even worse mud which made walking difficult as most of the mud seem to stick to our boots. We did however have a very clear view of the surrounding countryside including Broadway Tower. Approaching the Wychavon Way, two of our members who were delayed at the start of the ramble owing to road works, managed to join us. Turning right, we made our way along the lane which would eventually lead us into the village of Aston Somerville. Here we were met by Leslie and Trevor’s daughter, Helen, who had prepared hot tea and coffee for us, and with the help of Lesley provided very welcome treats such as parkin, mince pies and Christmas cake. As the weather was still dry, we were able to enjoy our refreshments in comfort appreciating this very kind gesture.
Carrying on through Aston Somerville, after thanking Helen and feeling replete, we passed a small lake with ducks and swans before turning into Church Lane. This led us along a track, through a gate and two flooded kissing gates which those not wearing wellies had difficulty negotiating! We continued on through a rather lush soggy field to pick up the Wychavon Way again. This meant more mud for the next half mile or before picking up the road into Childswickham. Walking back through the village we were most impressed by some of the interesting houses and cottages.
We then made our way back to the start and Alan thanked the leader and Lesley for the lovely refreshments. Some members returned to their cars and home whilst 8 other members after changing their muddy footwear and gear retired to the pub for lunch. Despite the mud which no one seemed to complain about, it was an enjoyable morning’s ramble.
Lindsay
5.5 miles
A tootle through Toddington
Carl’s Sunday Ramble – 29 December
Thirteen ramblers assembled on Main Street, Dumbleton in order to walk off some the calories consumed over the Christmas period. We set off along a field edge before traversing several fields to reach Wormington. Although muddy in places the ground was surprisingly firm underfoot considering some of the rain we have had recently.
Just before Wormington a broken stile was tricky to get over due to the step tilting when stepped on and gave no purchase to muddy boots. The field this led into also contained three frisky horses that we had to keep an eye on as they liked to run from one end of the field to another. They were kind to us though and let us pass.
Beyond Wormington we followed a good portion of the Isbourne Way to reach Toddington where a picnic lunch was taken at Toddington Church. This gave us a chance to look at the remains of an old Jacobean gate house which is all that is left from the original Toddington Manor which was damaged by dry rot and fire in 1820. The new manor, which has led a quite varied life, has been encased in plastic sheeting since 2006. Somehow this did not look as imposing close up as it does when looking down from surrounding hills.
After lunch we continued through Toddington Old Town and followed more field paths to the base of Alderton Hill. Up to now it had been an easy ramble across relatively flat terrain. Now was the time to burn some calories as we climbed the hill. Near the top a chat with a couple walking a dog led to a remark “my road”. It turned out that they owned the land and we were effectively walking in their back garden!!
After that it was an easy walk back down the hill to our cars. The ramble finished at 1:30pm which was a bit of a surprise as it did not feel as if we were walking at any great pace. More a nice gentle stroll to finish the year off.
Carl
am 4.5 miles pm 5.1 miles