20/12/15 - The Dodford Doddle

Distance - 5 Miles
Walk Inspiration
Caches - 1


For the first time in weeks, the sun is shining on a weekend.  That's right - no storms, rain or wind - just glorious blue skies.  Despite an incredibly busy weekend, a walk just had to be squeezed in.

Look up a suitable route on a much neglected walking resource - www.walkingworld.com.  A short drive to a car park that I have used before.

Pepper Wood Parking

Over the road and out onto the Monarch's Way to the wonderfully name Royal Content Farm.  There's a ton of history in these parts.  The Monarch's Way is the route of Charles II escape following the battle of Worcester.  The whole area is part of the former Royal hunting ground of Feckenham Forest.  Dodford itself is a purpose created village by a group known at the Chartists in the 1850s.  The OS map shows how the land was uniformly divided into lots to all the Chartists to be self sufficient in food production.

This history provides inspiration for a number of themed walks in the area, collectively known as the Royal Hunters Walks.

Which meet here.

The recent bad weather has left the paths as a muddy quagmire in several places but occasionally, things improve underfoot for some decent walking.

The best the walking gets

With the occasional obstacle

Familiar paths from previous geocaching excursions.  Upset the dogs at High Wood Cottage, which is now finished.  An impressive building in the middle of the woods, miles from anywhere.  It must be well spooky at night.

Wildlife near High Wood Cottage

Just the one unfound cache in the woods which gets be ever so slowly closer to the 2015 target of 1000 caches.

Rather pleased to reach the lanes at Woodcote Green.  Nice to get a bit of solidity underfoot and I am made an offer that is difficult to refuse.

Xmas Sorted

A decent local and quick walk made just before it starts raining again in the afternoon.

El Nino, we have had enough now.