Sue was off to her sewing club meeting at the village hall in Monkland, so I made use of the trip and planned a walk around the local fields.
The idea was to cross over the A44 and across the fields to Stretford, before dropping to the back road to return to Coldharbour.
From here along the parallel path to the road to reach Ivington Court. then back up to Monkland again.
I left Sue whilst she waited for the hall car park to open, and down the path around the hall area, across the field behind to a stile leading to the A44.
Over the road and along a semi overgrown path.
Escaping into the field after another stile - over this and around a crop field.
A second similar field then over a stile and into a fallow field, luckily there was a defined path across it.
The fallow fields led down to a stream, and the path doubled back along this to a bridge.
Then across the field angling back.
The next field was having its fences worked on, so I stayed close to the route of the path and through the laid down gate to a harvested potato field.
Along a pair of fields to a collection of caravans, where the easy going stopped and I turned into a turnip field, and the usual lack of a path.
After struggling through the turnips at the end an overgrown footbridge and stile. This led into a broccoli field but this had a good tractor path through it.
At the far end of the broccoli the path crossed over a broken stile into a new grass field beside a stream.
The route I had planned crossed a bridge here, however it was closed due to damage.
I found a way around it bypassing Stretford, following the other side of a wood.
This came out above the hamlet.
Climbing through grass fields to the back road. I followed the route on the map, but the stile was on the other side of the hedge!
Along the back road with the Malvern hills on the skyline.
At Coldharbour, I followed a drive to access the footpath behind.
This path passed behind a barn through an overgrown ditch. I suspect the locals go through the farmyard.
Then parallel to the road in a harvested potato field.
A second field - the same, with a well defined path, then a grass field curving into a corner.
Through onto a driveway behind the hedge.
A hidden stile led to a cow field.
Through to a pair of gates on a bridge. Then into the fields that make up Ivington common.
Through the comon to a ploughed potato field, and straight over this.
At the fence I turned towards the buildings. Just before them I turned right along the boundary, before a stile took me in and through the dilapidated buildings.
Down the driveway past the church.
Over the A44 and into the village of Monkland.
Here I took a path over the flood meadows.
Through several fields all with horse cross country obstacles. Angling across to a gate opposite the village hall.
I was 5 mins early so I dropped back down the road to the cheese dairy.
Here I picked up some cheese and a slice of cake (because I could!)
