NEWENT is a small market town on the edge of the Forest of Dean.

It has many lovely old buildings, including a timber-framed market hall similar to the more famous ones at Ledbury and Ross.

Also worth a visit is Newent Lake, located in woodland within the town centre and home to a variety of wildlife.

Newent was briefly a canal town after the opening of the Hereford and Gloucester Canal in the 18th century. Construction began in 1795 at the Severnside village of Over, near Gloucester.

By 1798 the canal had reached Newent, but lack of money meant that further progress was slow. In 1827, a young man from Malvern Link called Stephen Ballard was employed by the canal company as a clerk.

He soon moved into engineering and was later to become famous for building the railway tunnel through the Malvern Hills.

By 1832 the Hereford and Gloucester Canal had reached Ledbury, and in 1845 it finally arrived in Hereford. But the canal age was already almost over.

Only eight years later, the first railway station opened in Hereford with the completion of the line to Shrewsbury. This was swiftly followed by lines to Newport, Gloucester and, finally, Stephen Ballard’s line to Worcester.

In 1862 the canal company came to an agreement with the railway companies that the canal would be converted to a railway, although it was 1881 before it closed.

The Great Western Railway company immediately set to work replacing it with a line to Gloucester and Ledbury, which was completed by 1885. Sadly, this didn’t last very long either, closing in 1959.

The canal, however, is on its way back, thanks to the dedicated volunteers of the Hereford and Gloucester Canal Society, who are working to restore it. The project has taken many years so far and much remains to be done, but you can see some of their impressive work at Oxenhall, on the route of this walk.

In the days of the railway, special excursion trains brought thousands of visitors every February and March to see the wild daffodils for which the area was famous.

There are fewer daffodils today, but it’s still worth making the annual pilgrimage to see those that do survive. Fortunately, Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust owns several nature reserves in the area and is managing them for the benefit of the wild daffodils.

Most of these are woodland reserves and there is open access to them, so you may use any of the woodland footpaths – the route described here is only one of several options.

It’s always difficult to predict when wild daffodils will flower – it can be any time from January to April, depending on weather and location.

Those in my garden usually flower in February, but Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust is perhaps expecting a late season this year as it is hosting its annual daffodil weekend on 22nd and 23rd March, with guided walks from Betty Daw’s Wood. Nearby Kempley is also hosting a daffodil weekend, but on 15th and 16th March.

FACTFILE START: Newent, which is on the B4215 south of Ledbury; grid ref SO721260.

LENGTH: SEVEN MILES/11.5KM.

MAPS: OS Explorer OL14, OS Landranger 149/162.

TERRAIN: Pasture, woodland and orchards, with a few gentle slopes.

FOOTPATHS: Mostly excellent. In places, quiet lanes have been used in preference to paths – this is not because of obstructions but is due to the present conditions.

STILES: Six.

PARKING: Newent.

PUBLIC TRANSPORT: Bus (Aston’s 417 from Worcester or 675 from Malvern) or train to Ledbury, then Stagecoach 132 to Newent; herefordbus.info or 0871 200 2233, londonmidland.com or 08457 484950.

REFRESHMENTS: Newent.

PLEASE NOTE This walk has been carefully checked and the directions are believed to be accurate at the time of publication.

No responsibility is accepted by eithertheauthororpublisherfor errors or omissions, or for any loss, accident or injury, however caused.

WorcesterNewsrecommendstheuse of OS Landranger Maps, your ideal passport to navigating the countryside.ThiswalkisbasedonOS Landranger 149/162.

DIRECTIONS FACTFILE 1 Leave Newent on Watery Lane, near the library on the main street.

Turn first right on Holts Road and follow it to the B4221. Cross to Horsefair Lane and follow it to Horsefair Wharf where you can join a footpath (Geopark Way) on the right, which leads to the Hereford and Gloucester Canal.

Follow the towpath to Cold Harbour Bridge. Pass under the bridge then join a lane.

2 Turn right, leaving the Geopark Way, then take a path on the right which leads to another lane.

Turn right and follow the lane to a T-junction, just after Hill View Farm.

Turn left and walk to Four Oaks then turn left into a Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust nature reserve, Betty Daw’s Wood.

3 Walk through the wood to a Tjunction and turn left.

Turn right at the next junction then go straight on at the far side of the wood to pass through a gate into a field. Ignore paths branching left and right and go roughly straight on, soon by the left-hand field edge, to Greenaway’s Wood.

4 Ignore a public footpath and take another path instead, on the left. Turn left at the next junction, then right at a T-junction and soon right again, shortly joining a lane by another nature reserve, Gwen and Vera’s Fields.

Turn right, then soon left to another wood, Shaw Common. Turn left within the wood and stick to the main path. Turn left soon after passing through a clearing, then shortly cross two stiles into Hay Wood.

Go straight on, ignoring all turnings, for 700m. Soon after crossing a brook you’ll come to a junction.

Turn left, following a path to a lane.

5 Turn left and stay on the lane until you can join a footpath (Three Choirs Way) on the right.

Go straight ahead to cross Brockmorehead Brook then continue in the same direction for about 50m, towards Ell Brook, before turning left to to rejoin Brockmorehead Brook. Re-cross the brook at the next footbridge, close to its confluence with Ell Brook. Go left, pass through a gate then follow a fence to another gate. Continue in the same direction to rejoin the lane.

Turn right, then right again at Oxenhall.

Take the next left, Horsefair Lane, and follow it to Newent.