28/07/25 - Geocaching, Ghosts and Timothy Taylor Landlord

Mysteries of Mercia Folklore

Back into the Wyre Forest, where the Forestry Commission have been laying more ammunition can geocaches. Familiar paths, from the Visitor Centre, down to Dowles Brook and back for the bus in Bewdley Town.

A Forest

Dowles Brook

My next guidebook for walking inspiration is going to be from Hugh Williams. He has two Mysteries of Mercia books and one Magic of Mercia. They are not walking books but detail the locations in the Midlands that are shrouded in folklore. Exactly the sort of thing to tide me over until the Worcestershire Section of the Good Beer Guide gets its annual September update.

Two reasons have stopped a purchase. A) I am still working through several guidebooks and the shelves are rather groaning. B) Hugh posts some detail on the locations on Facebook, telling all you need to know.

This week's post was about St Andrew's Church, located where Dowles Brook meets the Severn and on the route home today.

Date unknown - before demolition in 1956

There is no sign of the Church today, but the gravestones remain in an overgrown wood. This is a truncated version of the text from Hugh, detailing a ghostly vicar and a horned lady.

A lost graveyard and ruined chapel, hidden deep in the Wyre Forest near Bewdley—peaceful or spooky? I stumbled upon this overgrown site on a long walk. Gravestones barely rose above the undergrowth, leaning as if in surrender to nature. Only an arch and fragments of wall remain of St Andrew’s, or Dowles Church.

I’ve seen a few abandoned churches, but this one felt different—maybe it was the wild garlic scent or the green cast over everything. Beneath a great yew lay something chilling: what appeared to be a mortsafe, a metal cage once used to stop grave robbers. This one was only a metre long—possibly for a child.
Local folklore adds to the eeriness. A ghostly vicar is said to pace the path by the ruins, vanishing at the gate. Brave campers have reported flying bricks, groans and ghostly shouts. One grave, belonging to Susan Wowens—rumoured to be a witch—was said to grow horns she removed each year. A local supposedly mounted one pair in silver and sent them to the Ashmolean Museum—who deny any record. More likely, she suffered a fungal condition, later mythologised.

Very Michael Jackson Thriller

The Mortsafe - a foil for grave robbers?

Some find the place spooky, and although I am unsure whether I would spend the night there, it does make a quiet spot for a sandwich break. Just ask the Ramblers - they took me there a few months ago.

Folklore itch scratched, it's time to engage in my usual hobby. It's a toss-up between the mug house for TT Landlord or the Horn and Trumpet for Bathams. Choice decided by the place that is open on a Monday lunchtime.

The riverside Mughouse

For first-class Timothy Taylor

Walk Details

Distance - 6 Miles

Geocaches - 3

Walk Inspiration - Hugh Williams Mysteries of Mercia Facebook Post

13/01/25 - The Wyre Forest from Bewdley

For all of the Town's Refreshment Delights

A spare Monday, when the big freeze starts to loosen it's grip. This means mud. Although my Smart Meter wouldn't agree (£50 for a week!), give me the sub zero cold any day.

I'll start in Bewdley for my latest exploration of the Wyre Forest. Along the river bank as far as Trimpley Valley on the other side and then a steep cut up to walk through Pound Green. Nicely meeting the paths of last time out. 

Drop down through Withybed Wood and along Dowles Brook for lunch at Knowles Mill. BYO, as they only provide seating.

Abandoned Railway Bridge at Dowles, North of Bewdley

Forest ride in Withybed Wood

My most frequent lunch spot of the last 12 months

An unusual return to town along Dry Mill Lane and down through Back Hill. This means Bewdley in all its refreshment option glory can be explored;

• Horn and Trumpet - Bathams permanently on
• Real Ale Tavern (RAT) - Black Country Ales for beers you'be never heard of and ciders that offer best bang per buck.
• The George - Spoons have a sale on
• The Mughouse - Timothy Taylors Landlord and the best log fire/chesterfield combo in the world.

Which one gets the Mappiman Dollar?

None - only 12 minutes left on the parking.

Walk Details

Distance - 8 Miles

Walk Inspiration - Country Walking Magazine, Feb 2008, Walk 8

Geocaches - 0

26/10/24 - Wyre Forest - Hawksbatch, Dowles Brook and Pound Green

Time to (Re)Discover

Time rich, petrol poor, I might as well explore every inch of the my local walking hot-spot - The Wyre Forest.

Wyre Forest is a large and historic woodland located on the border between Worcestershire and Shropshire, England. Covering approximately 26 square kilometers (about 6,300 acres), it is one of the largest ancient woodlands in England. Known for its rich biodiversity, Wyre Forest is home to a variety of habitats, including dense woodlands, heathland, and streams, making it a significant area for conservation and wildlife. It's designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) due to its ecological importance.

This walk starts at the free parking at just North West of Buttonoak. Drops down through Earnwood Copse, Longdon Orchard and picks up Dowles Brook to head East. Autumn colours and some woodland husbandry.

A Forest

Woodland Working

Beaver Patrol

Nothing much along Dowles Brook, although Coopers Mill piques interest when I learn that as well as being a corn mill, it was also a brewery for the forest workers. North, through Withybed wood and across the B4191 for a quick circuit of Pound Green. A collection of cottages.

There could have been family photos but Son number one was scowling due to not being fully appraised of the mud situation. Who goes into a forest in his best/only pair of trainers?

Walk Details

Distance - 5 Miles

Walk Inspiration - Jarrold Shropshire Book 81, Walk 5

Geocaches - 1