04/04/20 - A Doctor, A Bishop and A Saint

Distance - 6.5 Miles
Geocaches - 2

Weekend #2 of the Lockdown.  The town's natives on social media are getting anxious.  People walking their dogs are the new tyre burners. People who drive their car to walk their dogs will be burned on tyres.

Strange times.

To avoid lynch mobs, I consult the map to complete another walk from my front door.

Dr Beeching provides the first part of the route.  Leapgate is the former railway line between Stourport on Severn and the rest of the world.   Like many, its converted into a decent footpath running to Hartlebury.

Leapgate Railway Line

A small crossing of farmland and a walk into the grounds of Hartlebury Castle - home of the Bishops of Worcester between 855 and 2007.   I cannot believe there were plans to knock it down for housing.  It seems to be surviving for now - normally you could pay to enter the grounds and the house.  Just me and the Postman today.

Hartlebury Castle

The way back is provided by Hartlebury Common - a wild space of myriad paths.  Views over the place that I have always called home.

Plenty of options for exploration

Down to the river and the hard part....  out of bounds are the Angel, the Crown, the Bridge, the Wheatsheaf, the Swan, the Black Star and the Rising Sun.

I'll just have to find what Saints are left in the garage.

St Bernardus - such a happy chappy