06/08/22 - Clee Hill to Tenbury Wells

Distance - 7 Miles

Geocaches - 1 and an Adventure Lab Cache

Pubs - 3

Walk Inspiration - Country Walking Magazine, June 2022, Walk 9

Sometimes you need to rely on others for inspiration. This fine walk was the brainchild of Julie Royle from Country Walking Magazine. She came up with the idea of getting the bus to the highest road in Shropshire - the A4117 at Clee Hill - and then walking downhill into Tenbury Wells.

Knowing the area, it was the downhill part of the plan that appealed. I've even left the elevation graphic on the route to demonstrate the slippery slope.

Diamond Bus Rover Pass which gets me from home to Clee Hill, via Kidderminster.  A quick find of the Toposcope to mark to beginning of the walk. This information board is also the data source for a Multi-Geocache, the only physical find of the day.

Views to the Brecon Beacons

Clee Hill Residents on the way to the Geocache Prize

Onto the walking. There's a few buildings of interest - the tiny church at Hope Bagot overshadowed by the much larger one at Nash.  The Court of the Hill, marked on the OS Map in a medieval font - to demonstrate its age. The paths are not too steep but become increasingly indistinct the further down the hill you go. Julie is a real trooper.

Court of the Hill - a former boys school

Nash Church

Into Tenbury with 90 minutes to kill before the scheduled 2:30 bus back to Kidderminster.

River Teme - looking low - marks the entrance to Tenbury

Adventure Lab Cache and Pub(s) it is.

Tenbury - called the town in the orchard - is not a hot-bed of real ale. A check of the Good Beer Guide Apps shows the nearest entry is 7 miles away. On a summer's day, I could have been tempted by a real cider but I failed to find much evidence of that beverage either.

But there was a beery surprise.  The Market Tavern has just benefited from a takeover and complete refit by the Black Country Ales chain.  Not only are they extending their reach into the Marches, they appear to be trying to win "fastest growing pub chain of the year".  The landlord tells me the next opening is in Hereford.

With many of the Black Country Ales pubs in the Good Beer Guide, this could well be a preemptive tick.

But first the Crow, situated next to the historic spa rooms.

The Town in the Orchard

No cask of note.  No cider of note, I went for a Camden Hells. The landlord, taking me for the tourist I am, asked for "£8.60".  I replied "I know its from London but you can't charge London Prices".  Turns out he was having a little joke with the new rambler in town. Sitting at the bar, I did overhear his plans to save the locals from the spiraling cost of beer. 

A promotion to buy 4 Jagermeisters and get free red bull. I'll keep my eyes peeled for Saturday night civil disturbances in the local papers. Alcohol and Red Bull - one drink to take away your inhibitions, the other to give you energy to do something about it.

A pub with a lick of paint.  Historic round Market House just behind

No surprises at the Market Tavern - following the BCA blue print to the letter. The only additional things promoted here are cheese and onion cobs. That was lunch sorted.

A finish off of the ALC and into the Vaults for the 30 minute wait for the bus. To give you an indication of the drinks range here, I had a bottle of Holsten Pills. I checked the sell by date, having not seen it since the last century.

The bus was on time but not Diamond.... so the Rover Pass was invalid.  But fear not, a 40 minute commute back to Kiddy was a bargain £3.