30/12/2023 - The Sloop Inn at Llandogo

 Sex Education Country for the mysteries of Trellech

Final walk for 2023.... scores on the doors - 1241.5 Miles walked, 931 geocaches found, 132 Good Beer Guide Pubs ticked.

Since 2005, its been a traditional to make a pilgrimage to the Wye Valley.  No surprises that I am flying solo, Mrs M still not forgiven me for yesterday's mud bath.

Today's walk starts at Llandogo. The village stores makes a regular appearance in the Netflix "one series too many" Sex Education. I don't remember noticing the pub, the Sloop Inn, in the programme.  

Confident that I will be able to add my registration number into the terminal post walk, I make this my starting point. I am already £30 into fines this December - straying into a bus lane 20m too early when turning left off the East Lancs Road in Salford. This walk completed with the vague threat of a £100 fine.

2024 might be the year of staying in for fear of technology monetary demands with menaces.

All the hard work today is completed early doors - a very stiff climb out the valley through Cuckoo Woods.

Wye Valley views disappear once in the clouds

Finding the Wye Valley Walk in Cuckoo Woods

All fine walking through the woods and as long as you are going up, the mud is not too bad.

Trellech is reached - and what a history and legend packed village it is. Lets record what they have;

Tump Terret  - A Norman motte and bailey castle, with 18ft of earth works remaining.

Situated in a farmer's garden

The Harold Stones - Three bronze age standing stones, giving the village its name.

Wonky Stones that stopped the Druid (and pub walk author) Lawrence Main from dowsing

One of several information signs

Virtuous Well - Alas, no photo but long associated with its healing powers and still a pilgrimage site.

Church of St Nicholas - Hosts the Rosetta Stone, complete with pagan carvings. I knew I should have tried the door.

Will complete pre-walk research better in 2024

And a Good Beer Guide Regular - which I have never been able to time my walks for when its open.

A reason to return - the Lion Inn

One more thing of interest on the return through the woods. Always a good idea to visit a waterfall after days of monsoons.

Claddon Falls in Spate

Soon back into the Sloop Inn, where I burst through the door and rather enthusiastically ask for the registration terminal.

Oh, we don't use that, was the reply. Too many people park in the car park, the explanation.

I'll wait for the next fine email.

The Sloop Inn, Llandogo

A large roomed village local.  One cask - Tribute.  Items that delight - a huge open fire.  Items that disappoint - A fish finger sandwich without tartar.

Xmas at the Sloop

Walk Details

Distance - 7 Miles

Geocaches - 4

Walk Inspiration - Country Walking Magazine, October 2023, Walk 21

29/12/23 - The Royal Oak, Kinnersley

Can Capability Brown keep us out the mud?

Mrs M sets the tricky challenge of finding a mud free walk.

All I can think of is the grounds of Croome Park, Worcestershire.  A National Trust property, with landscaped gardens by Capability Brown. Surely he wouldn't allow the aristocracy to disappear up to their midriffs in the mire. Here's the AI Advertising blurb.

Croome Park, situated in Worcestershire, England, is a historic estate renowned for its captivating landscape and architectural splendor. Designed by the eminent Capability Brown in the 18th century, the park showcases his signature style with expansive lawns, a serpentine lake, and strategically placed trees. The centerpiece of the estate is Croome Court, an elegant Palladian mansion built during the mid-18th century. Requisitioned by the government during World War II, Croome Court played a significant role in the war effort. Today, under the stewardship of the National Trust, the estate has undergone restoration, allowing visitors to explore the opulent interiors of the mansion, stroll through meticulously maintained gardens, and discover various architectural gems, including the Rotunda, Panorama Tower, and Temple Greenhouse. Croome Park offers a delightful experience for visitors, who can partake in guided tours, enjoy leisurely walks, and attend events hosted throughout the year. The estate's accessibility by car and its commitment to preservation make it a must-visit destination for those seeking a blend of history and natural beauty.

It was an utter fail.... everywhere is just so grim is this most unseasonal monsoon of a Christmas.

The Grounds of Croome Park, with the house in the far distance

The church and one mucky Guide Dog in Training

Church Insider

 

Still, if we hadn't have been there, we wouldn't have been able to answer the call of a panicky pensioner. Scuttling across to the swamp shouting "Do we have a knife?". Either he is very worried about urban street crime or there is some sort of emergency.

Turns out there is a rather huge sheep, stuck steadfast in the brambles. I have no knife, but between the two of us and about 10 minutes of effort, we manage to free the beast without so much as a baa in thanks. She simply scuttles back to the herd with a story to tell.

Mrs M, tasked with looking after the dogs, failed to take photos. AI making a fair attempt.

I did ask for only one old age pensioner

Another reason for heading in this direction was to get the final and 132nd Good Beer Guide Tick of 2023. The Royal Oak, Kinnersley is a village local where we start the walk from, sharing the car park with the Hobsons van making deliveries. 

The Royal Oak, Kinnersley

We manage to get cleaned up enough to enter and if the landlord was concerned for his carpet, I am sure he appreciated our shoeless entry. A few old boys comparing Xmas stories and a rather large Staffordshire Bull Terrier, keeping eyes on proceedings by peering over the top of the bar devide.

He was right to be concerned for his bone, left lying in the middle of the floor.

Guide dog in training Ivy chomped on it for the duration of our visit.

Mrs M, trying to stop communal dog bone sharing

Walk Details

Distance - 5 Miles

Walk Inspiration - Village Walks in Worcestershire, Walk 16

Geocaches - 1

 

28/12/23 - Chiltern Chain Walk - Stage 18 - Stoke Row

 Remote Brakspear Pubs in Oxfordshire

With just two stages of the Chiltern Chain Walk to go, I am reaching the far western extremities. I'm also revisiting the Ridgeway but remembering little. Did I really have to walk across a golf course on Nuffield Common? How is that the three miles of Grim's Ditch seems so unfamiliar?

Thank God I blog.

Today's walk starts at the hamlet of Stoke Row. The Cherry Tree Inn to be exact.  From there, its the usual Chilterns loveliness. The flint ground coping with the wet weather better than yesterday's Warwickshire mudfest. Fine tracks, woodland that makes for good walking but poor photos and a distinct lack of anything interesting to report.

Items of most interest.....  A potential refreshment stop at Nettlebed's Cheese Shed. Geocaching on the Ridgeway. An unexpected WWII Aircraft Crash site that has an interesting modern story of remembrance.

Enough Cheese was consumed on Xmas night.... no need for the Cheese Shed

Geocaches make happy homes for snails

Loss of all life, after clipping Ipsden Church on a test flight

Which leaves the pubs. I'm in the heart of Brakspear Country. Their website gives little away as to where they now brew following a Fullers move in the early 2000s. They sold the brewing business to concentrate on the pub real estate. It appears they do now have a small brewery in Henley on Thames, although no idea what is produced there. From their website, I learn more about the only English Pope (1154, Nicholas Brakspear) than the fact that they moved brewing to Wychwood (RIP), subsequently conglomerated into Marstons. 

Despite the only two cask beers on gravity pour at the King William IV in Hailey, I shall be forever grateful for getting me out of the rain. As if by design, the heavens open just as I reach the door.  The only way to stop this is for me to have a half and don full top and bottom hard shells. Not a drop fell for the rest of the walk, as I rustled my way back to Stoke row.

A pub in splendid isolation

My half of "Oh Be Joyful" and the gravity racked barrels it came from

In a world of change, Quinno's pubsgalore review from 2018 stills holds true;

A wonderfully located rural pub in the Chilterns with the front garden affording a lovely view of the rolling hills, fussing farmers and wandering wildlife. There are three distinct areas inside after entering through the porch, with most of it given over to dining though drinkers can imbibe on the left-hand side. Décor notes - red and black chequerboard tiled floor, exposed brick, inglenook fireplace, brasses. Having been forewarned that the beer quality was ‘variable’ I was prepared for the two Brakspear ales on gravity…and inevitably my Hooray was flat and not overly enjoyable (ever heard of a hard spile?). It's worth a visit for the location for sure, but it isn’t anywhere in the league of a true rural gem like the Bell at Aldworth.

Fortified for the final three miles and the Old Cherry Inn - a similarly grand country pub, trading mostly on dining.  Dating from the 1830s - a nice history write up here.... although they fail to mention it was once owned by Carol Decker from T'Pau.

Big Van with the Hobgoblin doing deliveries on my arrival

A comfy chair, in front of a wood burning open fire was just the ticket after 13 long miles.

Even with an Oxford Gold.  

Walk Information

Distance - 13 Miles

Geocaches - 10 

Walk Inspiration

Previous Stages - Stage 1, Stage 2, Stage 3, Stage 4, Stage 5, Stage 6, Stage 7, Stage 8, Stage 9, Stage 10, Stage 11, Stage 12, Stage 13, Stage 14, Stage 15, Stage 16, Stage 17

26/12/23 - Centenary Way - Stage 23 - Oxhill, Whatcote and Tysoe

 3 Pretty Warwickshire Villages, separated by mud

2024 New Year's resolution has to be to read walk background information before setting off.

As usual, I spent too much time looking at pub choices, trying to determine which ones might be open on which day. Bank Holiday Boxing Day can always go one way or the other.

This leg of the Centenary Way connects three little villages, each with a pub, a church and various buildings of Grade II listed status. In between, it's mud - ranging from the thick claggy stuff that leaves your feet covered in pizza sized cow pats - to slurry, where you disappear up to your calves. It was not fun. Let's concentrate on what was found - or not.

Oxhill - I made this the start of the walk, mainly as the Peacock is open 7 days a week. Four cask ales on and a solid enough village local trying to cater for everyone. The church wasn't explored but had I completed my research, I could have discovered Myrtilla's Tomb - one of the earliest in England to commemorate a person of African descent. A slave, so by rights, I would have needed to vandalise some property of the Beauchamp family.

The Peacock at Oxhill

Post Walk Hook Norton Twelve Days, taken in my socks.  Muddy shoes left outside.

Whatcote - Has a pub, the Michelin awarded Royal Oak, which I don't think is for the likes of me.  Click the link for a web site that is worthy of a four course tasting menu for £85. However, the Whatpub description makes it sound slightly more appealing and I do return on the next leg. There is a 90 minute window on a Saturday/Sunday lunch;

An ancient stone-built pub in the middle of the village, it dates back to 1168 and was originally built to house masons building the church. The extensive inglenook contains rungs leading to a hideaway. Patronised by Cromwell's officers after the nearby Battle of Edgehill. Previously it was a Hook Norton pub but is now a free house. Completely refurbished and re-opened in 2017, it holds a Michelin Star (first awarded in 2021).

Again, the church was unexplored but this one suffered bomb damage in WWII. There may well be a memorial to the only casualty. A sheep.

Not for you

Upper and Middle Tysoe - The biggest of the three villages, which I access through the grounds of the manor house. Another Peacock Pub, which would not normally be open on a Tuesday but making special allowance for Boxing Day. Only my mud covered footwear stopped me from investigating the laughter within.

Tysoe's Peacock

Walk Information

Distance - 7.5 Miles

Geocaches - 2

Pub - The Peacock, Oxhill

Previous Stages - Stage 1, Stage 2, Stage 3, Stage 4, Stage 5, Stage 6, Stage 7, Stage 8, Stage 9, Stage 10, Stage 11, Stage 12, Stage 13, Stage 14, Stage 15, Stage 16, Stage 17, Stage 18, Stage 19, Stage 20, Stage 21, Stage 22

23/12/23 - The Chequers at Churchill, Oxfordshire

 Hunting for a ghost and finding Diddly Squat

A walk inspired by the Loremen Podcast. Series 1, Episode 1 told the tale of Poppa Bayliss at the turn of the 20th Century. A brewer who was seeing a girl in the Cotswold Village of Milton Under Wychwood. During his weekly 5 mile walk home, he passed Sarsden Pillars and would always see a ghostly stagecoach overtaking him. Scary enough, until the third week when he heard footsteps and turned around to see a man in Elizabethan dress, carrying his head under his arm.

The podcast puts two and two together and links the fact that he was a brewer meant he was on the pop and the ghostly stagecoach was probably a train on the newly created railway line.

Churchill has a pub, so I head down to Oxfordshire to investigate.

Initially, I find a few monuments.... a much maligned memorial fountain with a sign explaining that running water only came to the village in 1964. Described on wikipedia as;

Memorably ugly. A squat, square tower with obelisks and flying buttresses carrying a dumpy spire. The water drips from a rude spout at the side

Not that bad, as fountains go

Other monuments include a medieval Stone Cross at a junction to the south of the village and an obelisk dedicated to William Smith, the father of British Geology. Born in the village in 1769.

Heading North East out the village along a track marked as Besbury Lane, I find a place to stop for mid walk snacks. Clarkson's Diddly Squat Farm Shop is every bit as forlorn as it looks on the TV Programme. A small hut in a muddy field, although it does appear as though he received planning permission for the car park.

TV Filming Location

A sausage roll provides a break from the geocaching in nearby Chadlington. I should have spent more time on the research, as I am too early for an unexpected Good Beer Guide Tick at the Tite Inn.

Geocaching - and Lunch

Heading west from Chadlington, I come to the Ghostly Ground Zero - the Sarsden Pillars guarding the estate from the A361.  

The two pillars

And one up close

No sign of the ghost, so I asked AI to generate some artwork to represent what caused Brewer Bayliss so much grief.

Bing Image Creator not understanding the word "Headless"

Through the wrought iron gates of the Sarsden estate and down their impressive tree lined access road, back into Churchill.

The Church, from the front door of the pub

The Chequers is the most gastro of gastro pubs - all tables are laid with fine dining cutlery and wine glasses. Drinkers get a token six high stools to sit at the bar.  I was fortunate to make it in just before the local polo club entered. Had I been faced with such a crush on entry, I would have forsaken my post walk pint.

Which as it turned out, was much better than I had any right to expect. Four cask handpulls on - Hookey Bitter, TT Landlord and an unrecognised IPA vying for attention that was taken by an excellent Butcombe Rare Breed.

A thing of beauty

Walk Details

Distance - 9.5 Miles

Geocaches - 7

Walk Inspiration - 100 Walks in Oxfordshire and Berkshire, Walk 60

03/12/23 - Castlerigg Stone Circle for a return to the pubs of Kewsick

 A dismal cirque, of Druid stones upon a forlorn moor

Not my words, but John Keats from his sonnet, Hyperion.

What a grump, he should have visited after snow.

My walk starts from town - the return providing me some Keats style commentary on the Crafty Baa micro pub, where we managed to get reprimanded twice before I had knocked the froth of my beer.

But first the walk.... a disused railway line taking me east and over the river Greta, climbing an icy lane.

Tempted, but an icy bum awaits

Access to the stones is through a kissing gate. I have fresh snow to crunch underfoot and the sun trying its best to rise over the mountains in the far distance.  AI can provide a summary;

Imagine standing amidst the hauntingly beautiful landscape of the Lake District, where the ancient whispers of history linger in the air. Here, nestled in the remote reaches near Keswick, lies the enigmatic Castlerigg Stone Circle, a relic from the Neolithic period, dating back over 5000 years.

The very isolation of Castlerigg contributes to its mysterious ambiance. The stones, weathered by centuries of wind and rain, stand sentinel in a timeless dance with the elements. Their purpose remains shrouded in the mists of time, adding an extra layer of intrigue to this ancient site.

As you explore the circle, consider the celestial choreography at play. The stones are aligned with the sun and moon, creating a cosmic connection that transcends the ages. It's a mesmerizing dance between the ancient builders and the celestial bodies, imbuing the site with an otherworldly energy.

Step into the realm of spirituality and ritualistic practices that may have unfolded within the stone circle. The air is thick with the echoes of ceremonies lost to time, inviting your imagination to conjure visions of ancient rites and sacred gatherings.

Local folklore weaves its own tapestry around Castlerigg. Legends speak of mystical occurrences, spirits, and unexplained phenomena. These tales, passed down through generations, infuse the site with a sense of the supernatural, making every visit an encounter with the unknown.

Photographs capture the play of light and shadow among the stones, especially during the ethereal moments of dawn and dusk. The stones, weathered yet resolute, take on an almost spectral glow, enhancing the overall mysterious atmosphere.

Visitors share stories of feeling an otherworldly presence, of being transported through time as they walk among the stones. These personal encounters contribute to the collective aura of mystery that surrounds Castlerigg.

As you delve into the pagan and druidic connections, you sense the ancient pulse of spirituality that permeates the landscape. Castlerigg becomes a bridge to a time when the boundaries between the earthly and the divine were blurred, a notion that adds to the overall mystique.

Special Place

Snowy photos aren't easily going to represent this superb walk. It's easy going, yet remote - "climbing" Low Rigg to find ice skaters on Tewet Tarn. Surrounded by the amazing mountainous landscape of the Lake District at all times.

If you are not smiling, walking is not really for you.

Digging geocaches out the Low Rigg Snow

Unexpected Ice Skating Rink.... slightly more photogenic than Brum's Silver Blades

A fine approach back into town from the south. Having already blogged extensively about Keswick Pubs, I'll provide a quick update;

The new kid in the Good Beer Guide is the Fox Tap. Check the opening times on their website, as Google Maps has it annoyingly detailed as a 2pm opener on a Saturday and closed on a Sunday. Aptly situated down Brewery Lane and the outlet for Keswick Brewery. Currently, a hidden gem and you are more likely to get a seat than at the high street pubs.

Give it a few years, and the GBG will provide somewhere new to try

Where the veritable Dog and Gun, is still doing a roaring trade. If you haven't got a dog, you can presumably apply for one outside. Including someone who took up even more space by having a yapper in a buggy. Greene King, but with a lot of independent Keswick brews. I was pleased to get reacquainted with Cumbrian Ales Loweswater Gold.  Even if the only spare space was bar hanging in front of the contactless machine. 

Goulash Ahoy!

Easily the pick of the pubs is The Wainwright. Both of my weekend walks found me here on completion. Squeezing in at the back bar, blocking access on the high bar stools but easily getting into conversations. When there was no conversation to be had, you could watch the sport on the TV.  Mountaineering.

The beer is exceptional. Pint of the weekend, Fell Brewery Tinderbox West Coast IPA on cask.

Survived snowy mountains?  Celebrate with a 6.3% banger

Keswick's Pub of Choice

My son-in-law-in waiting had spotted Crafty Baa and Kitchen as a destintaion. He knew his girlfriend's dad would be both impressed by his research and a bar offering over 100 worldwide beers.

Micro Pub, owned by someone who loves woodcraft

Pick the bones out of that list

They are the winner of the best AA Pub of the year and won't need to take advice from a middle aged geocaching blogger but I do think I know a thing or two about pubs;

In a short space of time, we were berated twice by a member of staff who had the same relationship with customer service as Boris has to the truth. Our crimes? Pulling high chairs up to barrel. Not allowed. So we moved to an area of the bar unknowingly reserved for the DJ for more reprimands. Admittedly, we had missed the tiny sign saying MC Baa was coming on at 8pm, but there is a way to talk to customers. I mentioned this to who I took to be the owner, only for grumpy-trousers to overhear and then claim none of these conversations actually happened.

If they question the verity of this engagement, maybe they can take another suggestion. When you have over 100 bottles, don't ask the customers to find their own from the fridges. 

Or maybe they could get an App, like the gloriously named Chief Justice of the Common Pleas over the road :-)

Walk Details

Distance - 7 Miles

Geocaches - 3

Walk Inspiration - Walks in Mysterious North Lakeland, Walk 9

02/12/23 - Cat Bells from Little Town

The first snows of Winter for my 84th Wainwright

Things could have been worse. By the end of the day, the good people of Ambleside, Coniston and Grasmere are opening villages halls to house stranded motorists.

Coniston, Lake District this afternoon.#uksnowpic.twitter.com/YYvWNhQwyL

— MetWatch ☈ (@MetWatchUK) December 2, 2023

We're only 15 miles away in Keswick and after a fun packed, three generational weekend of good food, wine and well rehearsed Karaoke routines are only slightly jealous that we couldn't have extended the time away by being snowed in.

The dusting did present minor issues. 

"Where to park?" is always a concern in the Lakes. The guide book says Hawes End, which Google Maps shows as "Permanently Closed". So we hatched a plan. Mrs M to drop me off at Little Town and I'd complete a linear walk back to Keswick. The single track lane became increasingly hairy - so we both decided I would be dropped off underneath Barrow, increasing the walk-in distance but leaving us with a better chance of transportation back to Worcestershire.

She abandoned me

 Just the one Wainwright to conquer.  Cat Bells.  My 84th.

Cat Bells is a fell in the English Lake District in the county of Cumbria. It has a height of 451 metres (1,480 ft) and is one of the most popular fells in the area. It is situated on the western shore of Derwentwater within three miles (five kilometres) of the busy tourist town of Keswick. Its distinctive shape catches the attention of many visitors to the Lakes who feel compelled to climb to the summit after seeing it from the viewpoint of Friars' Crag on the opposite side of Derwentwater. The Lake District writer and walker Alfred Wainwright acknowledges the popularity of Cat Bells among fellwalkers of all abilities by saying:

"It is one of the great favourites, a family fell where grandmothers and infants can climb the heights together, a place beloved. Its popularity is well deserved: its shapely topknott attracts the eye offering a steep but obviously simple scramble."

Getting access from Little Town proved inspired. A slow and steady climb up Yewthaite Combe, an easy route.  

Crossing Newlands Beck to get to Little Town

Looking West from Yewthwaite Comb

First glimpse of Derwent Water.  No boats running in December

Looking South, back at Cat Bells on the descent

The Cat Bells Toposcope

The descent was much harder.... I have all the gear but little idea, with walking poles and two different types of spikes left at home. As undignified as it was, a fair amount was down on my backside. Slippage, and I would have taken any number of other walkers out - who are all coming from the Keswick direction.

Hawes End reached, where a handy man in a van with Google Pay sells coffee, warming hands for the Cumbrian Way to deliver me back into town through Lingholm.

Where the pubs await.

Saved for another blog but with a sneak beer board preview;

Don't worry - I didn't

Walk Details

Distance - 7 Miles

Geocaches - 2

Walk Inspiration - Jarrold 56 North and West Lakeland, Walk 6