This is another of those walks, which didn't turn out like it was meant to, defeated by the atrocious state of some of the footpaths.

Still, what remains is a good walk, mostly on good or good enough footpaths, though you might be wise to take secateurs, and shorts are definitely not a good idea.

Ombersley needs no introduction, beautiful village that it is, crammed with period buildings of great quality. In a reversal of the more usual pattern, one of the most recent buildings is the church, built 1825-29 after its predecessor collapsed.

The architect was Thomas Rickman, the man who invented the terms we use to describe the periods of Gothic church architecture - Early English, Decorated and Perpendicular (or EE, Dec and Perp as they're usually abbreviated).

Tucked away in a maze of quiet lanes to the north of Ombersley is picturesque Uphampton, where the majority of the houses are half-timbered and were built in the 16th and 17th Centuries, or even earlier in some cases.

East of Ombersley is the impressive Westwood House, which was built in 1598 on the site of a former nunnery, now recalled only by the local names Nunnery Wood and Nunnery Farm.

The nunnery was a victim of Henry VIII's Dissolution of the Monasteries, its estates given by the king to the Pakington family in the late 1530s.

The Westwood House built in 1598 was just a hunting lodge, but it took on its present flamboyant form in the 1660s.

directions

Join the Wychavon Way next to the Kings Arms. Follow the waymarkers to School Bank, turn right under the bypass then right again by the slip road. You need to be on the left-hand side and before long you'll see steps up the bank.

Follow the waymarked route across fields to a wood, Gardener's Grove. Turn right by the edge of the wood on a track. When the track bends left the Wychavon Way carries straight on to the right of a hedge, heading towards a house, Skirt round it then continue to the A4133.

Turn right, cross to the other side and turn left towards Hadley. When the lane bends left leave the Wychavon Way and go straight on along a footpath, ignoring any branching paths. Before long you will find the path spanned by a locked gate which you'll have to climb over - take care as it's unstable.

After clambering over another gate, cross Hadley Brook and then a meadow, aiming slightly left towards a clump of trees on a rise. A lightly trodden path leads to a pair of stiles and a footbridge then to a third stile into a pasture.

Head for the top left corner, climb over another unstable gate and follow a path through corn, aiming just to the left of Westwood House ahead. As you approach closer to the house (and a cluster of other buildings) you will intercept a good path - there are no waymarkers, however, so keep alert for it.

Turn left on this path, which merges with another next to Nunnery Wood, and note that you're back on the Wychavon Way (also the Monarch's Way). Continue in the same direction along the edge of the wood. Cross Hadley Brook again and walk up a lane, passing Hadley Mill.

n As the gradient levels out turn right on a bridleway and ignore any branching paths. The bridleway is a tree-lined holloway at first but soon emerges into a field. Go straight across then turn right towards three pylons.

Turn left by the second one, go through a gate and straight on across a field. Go through another gate at the far side and on along a track which heads north to Southall Farm. Immediately after passing the farmhouse turn left on an unsigned field-edge footpath. Well, it's supposed to be by the field edge but it has been cropped over so you'll have to use the tractor tracks, or "tramlines" as many walkers call them.

Cross a stile near the field corner and go forward across another field to the wooded banks of Hadley Brook. Turn right to follow the brook for a while. Cross it at a footbridge and walk through a willow plantation then over another footbridge near the far left corner.

n Turn right to walk the length of two long, narrow fields then join a grassy track which passes Yarding's Farm to meet a hard-surfaced track, Oldfield Lane. Follow this to the A449 and cross to the lane opposite, which leads to Uphampton.

Turn left by Pipestyle House, right by Uphampton House then left by Corner Cottage. After passing the optimistically named Sunny View turn right on a footpath which leads past gardens into a beetfield. A well-made path runs straight across to a lane, where you turn left.

As you approach the A4133 look for a track on the right, just after a pair of speed limit signs. Follow it to the road and cross to another track opposite.

When it bends right, keep straight on along a footpath, which leads to Ombersley Fish Pond where it meets the Wychavon Way. Turn left and follow the Way across the edge of Ombersley Park to the Village.

FACTFILE

Start: High Street, Ombersley; GR845635.

Length: 6.5 miles/ 10.5km

Maps: OS Explorer 204, OS Landranger 150.

Terrain: gentle gradients, mixed farmland, nettles, thistles and brambles.

Stiles: 14 and 3 locked gates.

Parking: with consideration for the villagers.

Buses: Pete's Travel 300/303/304, excellent daily service; Traveline 0870 608 2608.

Refreshments: Shop, pubs and restaurant in Ombersley, pub and Chinese restaurant at Oldfield, pub at Uphampton.

DISCLAIMER

This walk has been carefully checked and the directions are believed to be correct at the time of publication. No responsibility is accepted by either the author or publisher for errors or omissions, or for any loss or injury, however caused.