A bright morning and at home for the first weekend this month, so Sue & I
chose to walk across to Weobley and see if we could find a bakery (or fresh
bread) at the same time as snagging a coffee.
This was our second attempt
at this - the last one failed at a closed permissive pathway, So this time we
chose to go along the main road (A4112) and the parallel path for the second
half.
We walked down the main road to the Hereford crossroads (A480), and continued to
beside the Sarnesfield church. Here a footpath started into the field beside the
road (rough and overgrown fallow field) with an overgrown stile bridge through
the hedge.
on the other side was a harvested oilseed rape field with a
clear pathway across it and the next one. There was an excellent and well
maintained bridge between the two fields.
The next field was a harvested hay field.. I knew from my previous walk
this way that the gate bottom right had a path sign, so we went down there. The
gate here was tied up and we had to climb over.
I believe the path has
changed route through the parallel hay field and a side gate (on the way back we
noticed that this is also signed).
Then through a harvested oilseed rape
field to another overgrown and rickety stile and plank bridge.
The next field was a harvested wheat field that made it easier to cross - there
is no maintained path across it to the stile - again overgrown. We walked on the
ploughed ground as the side was narrow and unused.
A dodgy stile (again overgrown and rickety) led into a sheep meadow complete
with thistles and nettle stalks.
We missed the gate into the neighbouring
field and stayed in this one to the B4230 road to Weobley.
Down the
footpath into the village.
We had a coffee & croissant in one of the three coffee shops, but no one
(including the shop) was selling fresh bread! Another failure and we will have
to look elsewhere in future.
We returned via the paths around the church
and up the B4230.
We returned across the fields - 2 sheep grazing meadow, a ploughed field, a harvested wheat field, a harvested oilseed rape field, two hay meadows (realigned from the outward walk), two oilseed rape fields and a allow grass field.
This time we crossed the road and climbed the fence into the churchyard of Sarnersfield church.
I guess this way in had been fenced off from the road for safety, but for us it saved a walk along the road up to the crossroads.
We did pop into the church for curiosity, then continued across the neighbouring field (beside the driveway for the big house (also used for vehicular access to the church).
At the crossroads we re-joined the A4112 for the final stretch home.
In the distance we could see the Hay bluff behind Merbach Hill.
A better way to Weobley may exist, but this is the shortest. However we will have to find another source for the bread.
Statistics
| Distance |
Elapsed |
Height |
| 12.5km |
4h 02m |
148m |
