28/12/12 - Walk in the Woods

Distance - 4.5 Miles
Caches - 3
Walk From - Julie Royle's Worcestershire Walks

Worcester Woods Country Park

A special short walk, ear-marked for when I didn't fancy a massive day out in the mud.  The sky planner is not going to clear itself.

It's time for my monthly walk from Julie Royle's Worcestershire Walks - the collection of walks from the Worcester Evening News.  It contains some great ideas but some terrible maps.  This was meant to be 3 miles but somehow, I have added 50% onto it.

Park up at Worcester Woods Country Park.  Try and work out if I need to pay to park - barrier controlled but no machines.  I'll work it out at the end.

Head off for the woods and immediately get stuck between around 30 dog walkers who seem to be on a public pre-arranged met.  Molly and myself get split up - I am at the front and she is nervously hanging around the rear.  I have to double back to pick her up - and we head away from this mass dog walking exercise to look for cache 1.  This involves another slop through the mud to find something the size of your thumbnail under dense tree cover.  Quite pleased to get it.

To show the extremes of geocaching, the next find is a huge old sweet jar.  I can now leave caching behind and am following the route in reverse, coming to a footpath next to the hospital.  Next time I come visiting someone, I will have to bring my boots - the footpath goes right through the grounds.



Visiting Time

This brings us out to the foot of Leopard's Hill.  There are footpaths to the top but my route has us skirting the perimeter and neither quite providing the stunning views over the City to the Malverns which I am sure it can provide.  We drop through a rather pleasant housing estate, before picking up the main road.



Ronkswood Meadows - Leopard Hill

Road leads to Ronkswood Hill meadows - waterlogged - and tromp our way around to Perry Woods.  The only surprise about the young lads drinking beer in the woods is a) It's 11am b) they are asian and c) Special Brew!  A new breed of far eastern hobos in the making.... its a special kind of boozer that does AM tramp juice.

On exiting Perry Woods, we have to go through a slighly shabbier housing estate.  The route directions from Julie are useless, so its a case of trying to work out from the OS map if there is an alley to get back to the visitor centre. 

At the third attempt, I manage to find an exit and have to slosh across the fields to get into the woods.

Cache three is soon found by leaving the main paths behind.  This is OK, as the woodland is far less muddy than the main throughfares which are ankle deep.

Back to the visitors centre and I cannot resist a go at their dog bathing station.  Not quite as good as the jetwash, but it kind of worked.



The Public Baths

A nice quick blast of fresh air, but I have to say, I am looking forward to some frost to firm up the ground a bit. 

And the really good news - the barrier went up on its own on exit.