14/10/26 - The Grafton Flyford Hairstreak Butterfly Trail

Church Crawling

Walk 23 from the new Cicerone book finds me on a butterfly trail. Seems a bit cheeky stealing the council's work to put in a walking book. Just like blogging about it, I suppose. A publicly available PDF showing the exact same route.

Conservation

Information on the ground

The PDF tells you all you need to know about the Brown Hairstreak - including the conversation work to perfectly maintain their required environment. Hawthorn hedgerow management taken seriously in this part of East Worcestershire.

If only I had read it. The butterflies are out from July to September. Even with global walking, not a single butterfly was observed during an unseasonably warm October.

The walking can only be described as dull. Despite a long stretch on the Wychavon way - this is green field after green field, all flat and little to see. 

That leaves the two churches.

Staring at the doors locked Grafton Flyford.

Car parking availble.

Better investigations found at Himbleton Church - the doors open policy rewarded with a place geocache - requiring information from a war grave to find the final co-ordinates.

Clock added to the wooden tower in 1910

Queen Elizabeth I Coat of Arms on the chancel wall - celebrating a visit, perhaps?

Walk Details

Distance - 7 miles

Geocaches - 2

Walk Inspiration - Cicerone Worcestershire, Walk 23

Previous walks from the book;

Walk 2

13/10/26 - Sefton Park and Penny Lane, Liverpool

Magical Mystery Tour to the first 2027 GBG Tick

Two walks close together in the Liverpool A-Z book of City Walks. Parklife in Princes and Sefton Parks - functional but with nothing much to write home about. The second walk in nearby Wavertree fixes that in spades.

My walking life has many inspirations - history, murders, pubs, folklore and so on - but this must be the first walk inspired by a song. Fighting the hordes taking coach trips to take photographs of road signs. Only a special kind of idiot does that.

Penny Lane - in my ears and in my eyes

The parks are OK - easy tracks, moms with pushchairs and large bodies of water.

Easy walking in the park

A replica of Piccadilly Eros

I've never really paid attention to the lyrics of Penny Lane. Released at the same time as Sgt Pepper - but not on the album - it's a jaunty number where the boys whimsically recount real-life places in a small area where they grew up.

I give you;

a barber showing photographs

The corner where there's a banker with a motorcar

The shelter in the middle of a roundabout

I only sing when I'm walking. Whilst in this part of town, I take the chance to see 50% of the childhood homes. I have to say I am impressed with how neat and tidy the little terraced streets are. A million miles away from similar areas of Birmingham (my home town), which can no longer be described as leafy.

Lennon's goes for anonymity 

Harrison gets a blue plaque

And the fun doesn't stop there. Once I have finished the southern half of Sefton Park, I am delivered into Larks Lane. What a wonderful place. A few strategically placed plant pots encourage traffic calming and every building appears to be dedicated to the pursuit of Bacchanalian pleasure. 

Including my first new tick from the recently published Good Beer Guide.

The Masonic Arms

It's one of three pubs in Larks Lane owned by the Pub Co. Presumably in the Good Beer Guide for the extensive collection of cask ales - but quantity doesn't equate to quality - especially when there are no other customers. There is simply no need for three different pale ales and my Kirkstall Three Swords was disappointingly on the turn.

At least it was handsome.

Tastebuds saved directly over the road at the Green Man. A perfect Timothy Taylor Boltmaker washing down Tayto smoky bacon crisps. I've eaten a lot of crisps. I declare these the king.

Scouse CAMRA got it wrong - this is where you want to be.

Finally - and because I can't resist a pub crawl - Bookbinders. I'm unsure what it is from the outside, so I ask the waitress (note I don't use bar staff) if it's a pub or a café? She replies "it's a bar/eatery". We agree on all things to all men.

To help you make up your mind - an extensive breakfast menu has beans on toast for £7.

The beer - an excellent White Rat - offers better value at just over £4.

Thoroughly enjoyed in the autumn sunshine.

The other Bookbinders I know offers free Monkey Nuts...

Walk Details

Distance - 9 miles

Geocaches - 20

Walk Inspiration - Liverpool A-Z City Walks, Walks 14 and 15

Previous Liverpool A-Z City Walks - Walks 1 and 2, Walk 3, Walk 4, Walk 5, Walk 6 and 7, Walk 8 and 9, Walk 10, Walk 11 and 12, Walk 13