Saturday, 18 April 2015

18/04/15 - Parlour Games

Walk Inspiration - www.walkingworld.com
Distance - 6 Miles
Caches - 2

This is a nice simple walk. We are here mainly because of an article in the wonderful DogHouse Magazine, discussing one of the last "Parlour Pubs" in the land.  A quick bit of research and I determine that it is also in the finest walking country that North Herefordshire has to offer.

A suitable route quickly found from www.walkingworld.com and we are off.  Beautiful blue skies are a welcome bonus.

The Romans knew something about town planning and Leintwardine, sitting deep in the Teme Valley, was a Roman outpost known as Branogenivm.  We start our walk in the town, gaining height to walk in a circle around the hills that surround it.

Views
Only Sheep for Company
Views
On Fine Paths
For the second week running, we pass a group of Duke of Edinburgh Students who are taking the usual pose, lying down in the sunshine having a moan.  We leave them in our wake, wanting to get to the summit for the views.

Caer Caradoc
To Caer Caradoc in one Direction
Clee Hills
And the Clee Hills to the Other

Damn fine walking, even the choices of path intersection with 6 choices can not throw us off our stride as we make our way around.  Conversation soon turns to lunch and from our vantage point, I can show where we will be having it.

Leintwardine Below
Down there, somewhere
Teme Valley
In the Teme Valley

We drop down off the hills and into the Town.  I tell Sonia all about the Sun Inn.

Its a CAMRA Heritage pub and one of only a handful of "Parlour Pubs" left running in the UK.  Basically, these are pubs in people's houses - in this case, Flossies.  When Florence Lane died in 2009 at the grand old age of 94, she was the UK's oldest publican - opening the doors of her little cottage to the great unwashed for the last 74 years.  Before being taken over as a community pub on her passing, it had no bar or cellar.  A recent extension into the garden has made it a touch more commercial, but the front rooms have been left exactly as Flossie would have liked it.

Sun Inn - Leintwardine
Sonia, keen to check out the Sarnies
Sun Inn - Leintwardine
Tribute to Flossie
Sun Inn - Leintwardine
Making myself at Home
Sun Inn - Leintwardine
In the Pub where time stood still
Sun Inn - Leintwardine
But it's too nice to sit inside
 
I rather like it when my hobbies come together.


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