Storridge (From Worcester News)

Storridge

8:26am Wednesday 5th January 2011 in Local walks By Julie Royle

I’LL begin with a confession, because if I don’t somebody is sure to find me out anyway: this is not the walk that was intended to appear in your Worcester News today.

The intended starting point was always Storridge but the intended route was very different and included several paths which might have turned out to be problematic.

It should have been checked during the week before Christmas but the heavy snowfall made that impractical.

So this is a substitute, taken from the files. It has been checked, but not recently. For once, that shouldn’t matter, because it’s a bit of a classic, this one, popular with many people and therefore frequently walked. The footpaths are generally well-maintained and it’s highly unlikely that you’ll encounter any problems.

The setting is hard to fault: it’s that area just to the north of the Malvern Hills where Worcestershire and Herefordshire meet in a complex patchwork of woods, orchards, hedgerows and pastures. There are panoramic views across the two counties, with most of Worcestershire visible to the east and south, bounded by Bredon Hill, the Cotswolds and the Malverns.

Sir Edward Elgar loved this countryside so much that he rented a cottage at Birchwood for several successive summers, even though he was living only a few miles away at the time, in Malvern.

He was under pressure to meet deadlines and felt the need to escape into total peace and seclusion, such as only somewhere like Birchwood could offer.

Birchwood Lodge was ideal for his purposes and he chose to work in a south-facing room on the first floor, from which he could enjoy a view of the Malvern Hills. When struggling for inspiration he walked in the surrounding woods, orchards and meadows, or cycled along the traffic-free lanes.

He composed some of his most famous works at Birchwood, including Dream of Gerontius and parts of Enigma Variations. If you want to see Birchwood Lodge just keep going along the lane a little further before you take the path into Mallins Wood (point one).

When you reach the top of the hill you’ll see a track on the right which leads to the lodge.

There are some lovely woods along the route, including Bearswood Common which has been designated as public access land. Whitman’s Hill Coppice is also particularly attractive despite its industrial past – there is a former quarry hidden in the trees at the top of the hill.

There’s not much greenery about in January, of course, but at least the woods contain a few native evergreens, such as holly, while further colour is provided by some enormous clumps of mistletoe on the trees by Cradley Brook.

FACT FILE

Start: Storridge, on A4103 Hereford Road between Leigh Sinton and Stifford's Bridge, grid ref SO752486.

Length: Six-and-a-half miles/10.5km.

Maps: OS Explorer 190 and 204, OS Landranger 150.

Terrain: Woodland, pasture and quiet lanes, undulating but not steep.

Footpaths: Usually free of problems.

Stiles: 16.

Parking: Layby on A4103 close to the Malvern turn (Cowleigh Road, B4219).

Buses: Astons 417, Worcester to Ledbury via Storridge, Monday to Saturday; worcestershire.gov.uk/ bustimetables or 01905 765765.

Refreshments: Post Office stores and Nelson Inn at Longley Green, farm shop at Batchcombe (seasonal).

You won’t actually find the Nelson Inn on the route but it is quite easily reached by walking just a little further along the lane from the post office.

DIRECTIONS

1 Walk along the grass verge towards Hereford then take a footpath opposite Cowleigh Road (B4219). Walk between hedges then across a field to a stile at the top.

Turn left after crossing the stile and take a path which leads up through Oaken Coppice to meet a lane. Turn right, walking uphill until you find a path on the left which descends through Mallins Wood. Go to the right when the path forks. On leaving the wood, continue in the same direction by the left-hand edge of a field to reach a track/access road/bridleway.

2 Turn right, following the bridleway to Batchcombe and then on in the same direction to meet a lane. Turn left, and soon left again when you meet the road to Longley Green. Take a footpath which leaves the road opposite the village shop. Climb slightly to a junction and take the left-hand option, which follows Cradley Brook until crossing it at a footbridge. Pass Barrow Mill then turn right to walk along an access track, which passes Bearswood Common. When you reach a junction near a black-and-white house take the path which goes roughly straight on, first to a gate above the track and then along the edge of woodland.

3 At the far end of the wood descend to a junction near an exposed rock face. Go straight on across a bridge and then uphill.

Keep on in much the same direction, along the side of a hill, quite soon descending to meet a track where you turn left to find access to the main road.

4 Walk towards Hereford then cross to an easily missed path just before the Cradley turn. Climb to the top of a small hill then descend left, passing a farm and crossing several stiles and a track before meeting a lane at a junction.

Take the no through road opposite.

After 300metres take a path on the left and follow it uphill. Pass along the edge of Whitman’s Hill Coppice, keep straight on at a junction at the top of the hill and then descend quite steeply past Whitman’s Hill Farm to Cowleigh Road. Take the Taswold Farm driveway, almost opposite, pass to the right of the farm buildings then proceed through paddocks to find access to the main road opposite the layby.

Your Worcester News recommends the use of OS Explorer Maps, your ideal passport to navigating the countryside. This walk is based on OS Explorer 190 and 204