The heatwave is still here, so another local and short walk. This time I chose
to follow a route from the Kittiwake book for Hereford & Leominster.
It
used the parking at the Herefordshire wildlife trust Queenswood country park and
walked to a second site at Bodenham lake. The walk mainly avoided the main woods
and went over Dinmore hill to Bodenham, followed by a loop around The Vern
before returning.
We arrived early at the parking and found you only pay on leaving, so finding a shady spot we immediately walked across the A49. (there are bus stops with a convenient staggered crossing over the busy road.
Then into the woods around Dinmore hill.
The bridleway met up with a forest track as it curled around in the woods.
There were a couple of trees down over the track that had to be avoided via side excustions.
Then a farm track down to Henhouse, where after a cattle grid we had to walk through the stock that was grazing before the heat of the day.
Around the edge of a wood and alongside a wheat field
Then repeat, before coming out onto a plateau field above the village of Bodenham
The obvious path was blocked with brambles and nettles, but we stayed on the grass around the side and down to the gate in the corner.
Then along a green lane to a drive onto a back road.
Over the road and down beside a house and garden on a path that led to another cow field. We had to circle aroudn the curious bullocks, to reach the gate into the churchyard.
Around the side of the church and out the backway which led to a pair of footbridges.
The second (more substantial one) crossed the river Lugg. Very calm in these days of the heatwave.
We then turned along the side of the river following it and over a double stiled footbridge.
Across a grass field with an irrigation pipe - I am not sure if it was pumping from the river or just the field!
Then a short steep climb up a bank.
Into a wheat field, and across the The Vern.
From here we followed a backroad (more like a driveway) around Little Vern and after a T junction to the road to Litmarsh.
Opposite the road was a driveway to Little Berrington, and the path left this to go around a private lake.
Then a steep climb up the side of an Oat field (first one of the year), and into woods at the top of the slope.
After following the top for a short distance the path dropped down again - this time via a series of steps.
At the bottom we crossed a small footbridge and into the field opposite the church.
As we got closer to the church we determined it had an octagonal spire to the top.
A pause here for refreshments before following the lake path along the opposite bank to our first loop.
The kittiwake walk has a couple of diversions to bird hides (one on each side of the lake) however we omitted these and continued to the car park and thence onto the back road.
Along the backroad were a couple of peacocks - presumably from Bodenham manor.
At the manor gateway we left the road onto a small path that climbed very steeply into the woods.
Looking back as we climbed to see the lake below - but given this was a narrow path and not well established we needed to concentrate on not slipping - in the wet it would be much harder work!.
At the top we exited the wood into the cow field. They were all lying down by the gateway we had top go through, but kindly got up and moved away as we approached.
Back along the farm track to the woods around Dinmore hill.
I had seen this tower on the way out, and checked it more on the way back - a disguised air shaft for the rail tunnel.
Then back to the car park and a visit to the café for a cuppa before returning home.
