It’s not unusual
Dave and Julie’s Evening Ramble – 7 June
After a cloudy and rain threatened day a group of 15 ramblers met on The Green in Broadway for a ramble up to Broadway Tower and back, thankfully the gods were with us and we enjoyed a rain free ramble with glorious views from the top.
After a bit of history on Broadway’s origins and its artist colony past the group set off past St.Michael and All Angels Church out to the 12th century Saint Eadburgha’s Church. On the way the group stopped off at the head carving bearing a striking resemblance to Tom Jones to celebrate Tom’s 84th birthday with a chorus of It’s not unusual before tackling the green green grass of Coneygree Lane and a steep climb towards Middle Hill.
The group had a brief drinks break on the way to Middle Hill to take in the views over to Bredon Hill and the Evesham Vale.
After another steep climb up Middle Hill the group arrived at the Tower where it took in the fantastic views over the 13 counties it looks out on and admired the 18th century structure with its history of William Morris and other connections.
A steep downhill followed back to the High Street in Broadway where the group rounded off the walk with a well deserved refreshment in the Horse and Hound beer garden whilst learning about the culinary delights of bubble and squeak and baked beans (thanks to Louise and Patrick).
Dave and Julie
5 miles
Saxons and Wetlands
Geoff & Pat’s Midweek Ramble – 12 June
We set off from the Farmers Arms, Lower Apperley after welcoming our group of walkers, including Bob Foster, who had travelled from Somerset to join the ramble.
Stepping into the first field we saw a herd of the very rare Gloucester cattle, distinctive with their black/brown coats and a white stripe from their back to their tail. Milk from the cows is used to produce single Gloucester cheese.
Continuing through Apperley we soon reached Odda’s Chapel, constructed in the 11th Century by Earl Odda in memory of his brother. Here Pat read the first verse of the poem “A little Sanctuary”
In the quiet Severn Valley, where it seemed as if at last
Very peace had spread her wings on ev’ry hand,
Stood an old and battered farmhouse, where for generations past
Dwelt the yeomen and the tillers of the land.
Till in time, the hand of progress came to try what could be done,
Both to modernise and renovate with care
So they chipped away the plaster of the ages dead and gone
And they found – a little Saxon Chapel there.
We also visited the nearby Saxon church, St. Mary’s dating back to 700 AD.
Following the grassy path along the Severn Way we passed the old Coalhouse Inn which was previously a coal wharf for passing barges. The static homes on stilts show how high the river can flood. We continued past Haw Bridge and reached our lunch stop at the Red Lion inn, Wainlode Hill, situated on a scenic bend in the river.
After lunch we walked along the disused canal which opened in 1796 to carry goods to Cheltenham but stopped 5 miles short and was unprofitable leading to it being abandoned in 1876. Along the canal we were able to view the Coombe Hill Meadows Nature Reserve managed by Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust and home to swans, snipe, redshanks, oystercatchers, lapwings and curlews etc. Turning at the end of the Reserve the footpath led us back to the Farmers Arms and we were very pleased that the weather had stayed fine all day.
Geoff and Pat
9.5 miles
Oats and Beans and Barley grow…
Geoff and Rachel’s Short Ramble – 20 June
Well, plenty of oats and beans but no barley on this pleasant 5.8 mile ramble around Cookhill.
Finally the sun shone, and at the later time of 10.15 a.m., in warm, dry conditions, 22 ramblers met in the carpark of The Nevill Arms at Newtown. Crossing the main road and climbing a few tricky stiles, we found ourselves in a field with wonderful views and a flock of Herdwick sheep, with the older lambs still showing their black woolly coats, so unlike the grey and white wool of the adults.
Following The Millennium Way, a long distance path created by Solihull 21 Club in 2000, we encountered out first patch of mud and, soon after, we crossed the Spittle Brook through a shallow ford.
A gentle detour around the edge of an oilseed rape field was taken as the footpath across the field was inaccessible. We then followed Spittle Brook, which flows into the River Arrow near Oversley Mill, until we met the Monarch’s Way.
Climbing gently through Cold Comfort Wood, we arrived at a huge field of barley. Luckily the footpath through was well defined and soon we reached the small village of Cookhill. The Doomsday Book records Cookhill’s population as 5 households – 2 smallholdings, 2 slaves and 1 burgess.
A road closure at Cladswell, the neighbouring village, was to benefit us, as the narrow lane was quiet and trafficless, with just butterflies and wildflowers along the hedgerow keeping us company.
After a while, stiles heralded our approach to the village and soon we were back at the Nevill Arms, where 15 members stayed to enjoy a leisurely lunch.
Rachel
5.8 miles 9.4 Km
More an amble than a ramble
Phil & Carol’s Friday Evening Ramble – 21 June
On a balmy Friday evening, on the longest day of the year, 30 walkers, including four new faces, met at Stoulton, for what turned out to be more of a leisurely stroll than a hard core ramble.
The first field we crossed had luckily been recently mown, but unluckily was in the process of have slurry spread on it. Undaunted, we carried on, across a bowling green surface on a turf farm and alongside Great Blaythorn Wood.
We then crossed Mill Lane and turned left, following a tributary of Bow Brook on the edge of Deerfold Wood. After a short drinks break, when the group finally came together following some splits in the group as several tricky stiles were negotiated, we crossed the Main Road into Drakes Broughton.
Here, several spots of rain threatened to spoil things, but it soon passed. From there it was straightforward, through a field of maize, a large flock of sheep, into Millenium Wood and back to the cars.
Afterwards, 24 of us enjoyed food and drink at the Plough & Harrow. And it was still light when we left.
Phil
4.7 miles
Rambling Under Fire!
Carl’s Sunday Ramble – 23 June
Six ramblers gathered at Kite Barn just outside of Notgrove. This turned out to be a masterclass in car sharing with ramblers from five different households arriving in just two cars.
We set off following the Diamond Way for a short while. I gave a warning about tall wet grass in the next field that had soaked me the previous week. This turned out to be pointless as the grass was nice and dry this time. We then picked up the Gloucestershire Way, following it to Salperton Park before heading to the sleepy village of Hazleton. Hazleton once had an Abbey but the only evidence of this is a barn in the grounds of the Manor House which was built on the site of the Abbey.
A narrow country lane and farm tracks took us past Lower Barn with what looked like a Nissan Hut converted into a dwelling place. The track took us to Turkdean, but not before we had to step aside numerous times to avoid a quadbike with a trailer carrying stuff up and down the track.
A narrow bridleway at Turkdean was a bit unexpected as it was a short, steep, narrow section constructed of stone. More like a mountain path than the paths we had encountered up to now. Another track led us to Cold Aston. We felt like we needed to duck as there was a shoot going nearby which sounded pretty close.
The cold in Cold Aston does not indicate the temperature of the village but possibly a dwelling place not used for some time. An avenue of beech trees then saw us heading to Notgrove and back to our cars.
This walk is quite a popular one which has appeared in various publications over the years but you may not know that two club members, Harry Hargreaves and Peter Price, both wrote guide books in the 1970s and 80s. This walk appeared in both their books. Were they the first to publish it?
Their books are still available if you look for them:
- Cotswolds Rambles by Harry Hargeaves
- Walks for Motorists by Peter A Price
Carl
10.9 miles