08/03/15 - In Search of Middle England

Distance - 9.3 Miles
Geocaches - 10
Walk Inspiration - Stage 22 of the Millennium Way


Time for the monthly outing in the Millennium Way.  Stage 22 out of 44, so I am now officially half way through.

And I have been looking forward to this, as it starts in the Centre of England - Meriden.  I've not been here before and interest was piqued by Stuart Maconies excellent book "Adventures on the High Teas; In Search of Middle England".  Naturally enough, Chapter 1 is set here.

There are two memorials on the Village Green and I park up next to the one commemorating the fallen cyclists of WWI.  This does seem very specific.

Will get the Medieval Memorial at the end of the Walk

Start the walk proper.  And this really is a walk of two halves.  The first half is superb.  And then it all goes quite wrong.

Head East, passing a cache inhabited war memorial and out into the fields.  The walk heads towards Church Farm.  The church is interesting enough but the icing on the cake is the ancient Moat House Farmstead.  Looks like there's not a straight line to be found in the building.  I am enjoying the unexpected history around this part of the Midlands.

The approach to Church Farm

Stairway to Nowhere

Moat House Farm

Nothing much to report as I make my way on fine paths towards Berkswell.  I enjoyed this village on the last leg of the Millennium Way, taking plenty of photos of the Saxon Church and well.  This time, I find the pub.  As its 11:30am, I will have to wait till the next leg before entering.

Investigation of Berkswell is now complete

Since the last visit, a new cache trail has been setup.  So, although I am on familiar paths, I have the added interest of finding tupperware.  Things are made slightly difficult by the high number of muggles around.  Things reach a frustrating nadir when there is a couple having a picnic at GZ of number 4.  I leave some, but it looks like I will be back on these paths again on the next stage.

Just as I leave the Heart of England Way, things start taking a turn for the worse.  A photo of the excellent path renders the camera battery flat.

Phone Camera from now on.

Then, for the first time in a long time, the weather forecasters have it hopelessly wrong.  They promised nothing more than light showers for the Birmingham area today.  I complete the last three miles in a rainstorm.

Finally, there is the real problem.  The landscape around Mercote Mill has changed completely since the OS map was produced.  It looked like a nice meander through gravel pits and lakes but big time quarrying has taken place.  The lakes have been drained and amusingly, there are a number of "no swimming" signs next to great big holes in the ground.

Danger of Drowning

These signs were serious - old paths have gone

The planned route is diverted completely, but I only determine this when I arrive at a quarry edge.  I am forced to retrace my steps and pick up the diversion.

Its a bit of an industrial slog in the rain back to the centre of the known universe.

England's Centre

07/03/15 - Oldest Brewery in the UK

Walk Inspiration - AA 1001 Walks
Distance - 6  Miles
Geocaches - 2 out of 3


Many inspirations for this walk. I have been reading Doghouse Magazine (an ode to British Pubs, that I hope is still active) and they had a feature on Britain's oldest Brewery - The Three Tuns in Bishop's Castle.  This place has been spreading happiness continuously since 1642.  The attached pub is also in the Top 10 Pubs in Shropshire.  Having walked from all the ones in Worcestershire, this represents a significant first tick in the next closest county.

And its damn fine walking country.  I know this, as I completed a version of this walk in 2005.  Pre-blogging days, but I remember there could have been great views, if it wasn't for the January fog and snow.  I vowed then to come back, and I guarantee you blogfans, its not going to take me 9 years to come back again.

Prior to heading out, I now complete pre-walk research.  I know the village was founded when the wonderfully named Edwin Shakehead was that pleased with overcoming palsy, he donated the lands to the Bishop of Hereford.  Who built a castle.  It's also comes with not one but two micro breweries.  I am making enquires to see what the status is with retirement homes.

Park up at the cattle market and head down through the town to the Church.  I am aware that it has a rare one handed clock.  When you have two micro breweries, you don't really need to trouble yourself with trivialities such as minutes.  I ask Sonia what is unusual about the church.

She stared at it for quite a while....

Maybe a Zoom in will Help

In the end, I had to tell her.  She Said "Oh, I thought it was ten to ten"

Over the road is Micro Brewery 1.  I will save this one for next time.

Six Bells Brewery Tap.

We pick up the Shropshire Way to take us into the hills.  The paths are surprisingly unmuddy and this makes for great walking.  A couple of caches without clear hints are along the path.  We have a long chat about what a cacher's girlfriend might mean (Holly?  Ivy?) and fail at number one but make a find at number two.

At Colebatch, we drop down into a simply wonderful valley.  Eventually we have to climb out at the far end but it a gradual incline and of course, we are rewarded with the stunning Shropshire views.

Valley Floor

Climbing out into the Wind

There are many, many photos.  But I am sure that you get the idea.  Through Upper Woodbatch farm where we pick up a lane at Bishop's Moat (a fair way from his castle) and the last cache of the day.  Lane walking to the mechanical graveyard at Sheperdswhim, where we meet a couple of walkers who set off at the same time as us, but in the opposite direction.

Views from Shepherdswhim Farm

A lovely green lane runs parallel with Long Mynd and brings us to the few house at Bankshead.  From the photos, you can see that its a springlike day, but I will not declare spring open until I see the newbord lambs.   And the fields at the back of Bankshead provide one of the greatest feelings I know.  Bye Bye Sad February and your miserably short days.  Evening walking is just around the corner.

A Shropshire Safari to gladden the Heart

Positively beaming as we walk downhill into the village, knowing another reward awaits.

Date of the 400 Year Celebrations is marked in the Calendar.

Blame Sonia for Lopping the Top of the Brewery

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Not prone to exaggeration - but the Cleric's Cure is the best pint ever

There's a B&B over the road from the Brewery.  And they have an annual beer festival.  Holidays 2016 are sorted.

A superb day, that not even the Albion Villa game can upset later.  Unless they give away a last minute penalty.  For the 2nd time in a week.

21/02/15 - The Scutchamer Knob

Distance - 15 Miles
Distance on the Ridgeway - 6.5 Miles
Geocaches - 15
Inspiration - Self made walk for Stage 8 of the Ridgeway


The first of 2015 bi-monthly trips to the Ridgeway, making it Stage 8 overall and out of Oxfordshire and into Berkshire.

Alarm is set for early, but with the usual skills, I am up like a ninja before it actually goes off.  A decent 90 minute drive to park up where I turned back on Stage 7 - and straight onto the Ridgeway.

Its a very cold 1 degree.  And I am in for a long 15 miles today.

Early Morning Views of Oxfordshire

I know exactly what to expect - a broad, high level track with stunning views.  Stage 7 even gave a sneak preview of Lord Wantage's Monument, which is today's first item of interest.  Dedicated to Robert Lloyd Lindsay, awarded the Victoria Cross in the Crimean war.

Impressive Views over Oxfordshire

A few photos taken and back to the walk.  In practice for my upcoming South Downs Way excursion, where I have to do a similar distance in 5 hrs 15 Minutes to meet the last train, I am on a mission to ensure it's possible.  I am even going to go for the top group of a circular set of caches that are on Ridgeway - provided they are easy.

And they are.... grabbing all 6 before a slight detour at the archeological highlight of the walk, an Iron Age barrow with a name worthy of this blog.

Had to be done

And here is the Knob

As the caches dry up, the Ridgeway turns to concrete as it passes under the A34 on the North side of Newbury.  I remember the roadworks on the bypass here, along with Swampy the tree living protester, who was the darling of the press at the time.  I myself would have gone to protest but the traffic in Newbury used to be a nightmare.  If only they had a road that missed out the town centre.

At 6.5 miles of the day, I leave the Ridgeway at a spot where I can attack it from the East on stage 9. Just because I am leaving the famous path, it doesn't mean the scenery is any way less impressive.

Off the Ridgeway - onto the Berkshire Downs

I have had a to plot a little bit of road walking to get me into East Ilsley, but fortunately, there is a footpath to keep me out of harms way.  The village is both pretty and containing the only pub on today's route.  One of the perils of starting out so early is arriving at the boozer at 10:45.  With much sadness, I walk on by.

Back under the A34, a conversation with a girl lost on her horse and onto a wonderful green lane called Old Street.  Whereas the Ridgeway is all exposure and views, this is a lovely secret tunnel of vegetation.  A joy to use to get back to the car.

Old Street

The green lane comes to an end at the oddly named Land's End, where there a couple of caches to pick up.  Old street opens out to provide some last views across the Berkshire Downs before rejoining the Ridgeway, leaving me about 1/2 a mile of repetition.

Lonely Tree on the Berkshire Downs

The View back down Old Street from where it meets the Ridgeway

Arrive back at the car and check the time.  Delighted to have done it in 5 hours 5 Minutes.  There is every chance that I will make the choo-choo when on the South Downs Way.

No walk of this magnitude is complete without a post walk pint, so I programme the Sat Nav to take me to the nearest pub in its exhaustive database of Points of Interest.

It gives me the Boars Head in Ardington at 3.2 Miles away.

All looks good from the outside.

Promising

But once again, what this part of the world has to offer to the walker, it is sadly lacking in quality for the real ale fan.  Out of the 8 stages I have completed, at least 4 of my post walk pints have been cloudy, tasteless bilge.  I can only assume thats the way they like it in these parts.

Choice of 4 and I went for the Boars Head (When in Rome).  Cloudier than the Ridgeway Sky.

On the next leg of the Ridgeway, Mappiman takes his own Stella.

19/02/15 - Worth the Mud and Rain

Distance - 5.2 Miles
Geocaches - 5
Walk Inspiration - Stage 21 of the Millennium Way

I need to be committed to keep up my monthly sojourns on the Millennium Way.  Today, the only time I can fit it in February, the rain is lashing down and the fields have turned to gloop.

Still, there is no such thing as bad weather - only bad clothing - right?

This is a simple walk with a surprising amount of historical interest.  Across muddy fields, where the Millennium Way shares the Heart of England Way, which will be my next challenge.

Millennium Way and Heart of England Way

After a quick cache, I know that I am approaching civilisation, as I traipse the welcome duckboards in the shadow of Berkswell Hall.  An impressive 19th Century country house that has now been converted into residential flats.  Must be a great place to live.

Lives in a house, a very big house, in the Country

And Berkswell is a delight.  The Millennium Way visits this village on four separate walks and I am in no way disappointed.  Hopefully next time, I will discover the pub.

The path brings me through the graveyard to a beautiful church.  I don't want to bore you with a history lesson but get your head around this - An 11th Century Church, built on the site of an 8th Century Saxon Church, where the original foundations can be found in the Crypt.  In the heart of Birmingham's commuter belt, there is an 8th Century building.

This is why I will never emigrate to Australia, although the weather would offer some solace.

The people are jolly nice too.  I shelter in the porch having taken a few grey photos and a lady comes and asks about by day, introducing herself and expressing genuine interest in the Millennium Way.  She tells me of a walk that the Church Warden organised from this church to the one in Meriden.  I am likely to be retracing her steps on the next stage,

Gimme Shelter.  And Conversation

Saxon Steps to the Cross

And can you guess what else Berkswell is famous for?

The Stone mounted Well - presumably some Berks

I do like it when a walk delivers me to somewhere of interest that I would have never previously considered.

Onwards and back to the car through more fields.  A group of feisty bulls interrupt caching.  They are mounting each other and as much as I like my smileys, I am not prepared to be a victim of interspecies sexual assault.

A couple of interesting farm houses dating back to the 17th Century provide the break from the mud.  The first, Rams Hall, includes priest holes for hiding the Catholic clergy.

The Ram of Ram Hall

17th Century Farmstead - with another - Lavender Hall, Coming Up.

See you next month, Berkswell.