Dormston

At Dormston, make sure you look out for spectacular Moat Farm, a timber-framed house which has found its way into several books about British vernacular architecture.

The route bypasses a fourth village, Kington, but it does include the place’s most intriguing feature, the earthworks which mark the site of a deserted mediaeval village.

Only a very slight detour is required to visit the present day village, with its timber-framed church tower.

There are more interesting old buildings at Hill Court and some lovely countryside, especially between Town’s End and Woodend.

West of Bow Wood you will also come across a charming, reedfringed stretch of Bow Brook as it flows through park-like dairy pastures that are dotted with ancient trees.

FACTFILE

Start: Dormston turn (not by the Red Hart, but the next one, nearer to Inkberrow), A422 east of Worcester, between Flyford Flavell and Inkberrow, grid ref SO994563.

Length: 10 miles/16km.

Maps: OS Explorer 204, OS Landranger 150.

Terrain: Pasture, arable, woodland; mostly flat.

Footpaths: They range from very poor to excellent. Over-cropping is a problem in places and some stiles and footbridges are overgrown by hedges. On the other hand, recent work has transformed some paths which were previously difficult and has even added an extra bridleway, so the overall picture is one of improvement, though much remains to be done. Work appears to be ongoing so you may find some slight changes to the route as described here.

Stiles: About 25.

Parking: Roadside, by Dormston turn.

Buses: Worcester-Redditch 350, along A422, Monday to Saturday; worcestershire.gov.uk/bustimetable s or 01905 765765.

Refreshments: Upton Snodsbury and Flyford Flavell.

DIRECTIONS

1 Walk up the lane towards Dormston until you can join a footpath on the left just after Hill Farm. Walk across a field then a little way across a second field before turning right on another path which passes to the left of a pool then through fields and paddocks to meet the lane at Dormston. Turn left along the lane, following it to another lane at Town’s End. Turn right, then left on a private driveway which is also a public bridleway. After passing a few houses the bridleway continues for a while as a green lane. When this comes to an end keep straight on across fields, ignoring branching paths, then go past Woodend to a lane.

2 Turn right, then take an easily missed path on the left after a short distance. Keep roughly straight on, passing Hill Court and ignoring numerous branching paths. Meeting another lane, take a bridleway opposite (not shown on the 2010 issue of OS Explorer 204).

A fingerpost points slightly left and at first glance the bridleway appears to have been overcropped with broad beans, but if you walk a few paces along the right-hand edge you’ll find an excellent path.

Frequent fingerposts guide you to Huddington Hill Farm, where you should ignore a footpath branching right and then two bridleways branching left. Keep to the field edge, turning left as you approach a farm building. Pass a water trough then go through a gate by a pear tree and turn left along a footpath.

3 Go through a hedge gap and then bear very slightly left across a meadow to a seriously overgrown footbridge (a gate to the right offers an alternative route if necessary). Continue in the same direction across the next field, then through a gap at a hedge corner.

Go obliquely left across a large wheatfield, on a reasonably adequate path, to a point about halfway along the far side. Cross a broken stile and overgrown footbridge to another large wheatfield. In this one the path has been over-cropped. Go obliquely right to find an overgrown stile that is near to the far corner.

4 Cross a meadow. Don’t go past a large oak tree but past a small lime tree to the right of the oak, and then past a smallish oak tree, after which you should be able to glimpse an overgrown footbridge hidden under some widespreading, low-growing willows.

Cross Bow Brook then go straight through woodland and into a meadow. Go diagonally left to a hedge corner then follow the hedge to a stile. There are two paths in the next field: take the left-hand one, walking by the hedge at first, then straight on at the hedge corner to a gate in a fence. Cross the Manor House driveway, step over a fence and continue in the same direction across another field to find two overgrown stiles to a lane. Join a path opposite.

5 Walk along a field edge, ignore a path branching right and then bear left away from the edge to follow Bow Brook. Cross the brook at a footbridge then turn right into another field. Walk along the edge, with Bow Brook and a line of willow trees on your right. When the brook meanders away to the right the willows are replaced by fencing but you just continue in the same direction to pass to the left of Court Farm, then along a track (Bow Brook Lane) to meet the A422 near Upton Snodsbury.

Turn left and cross to a footpath just before The Oak. Walk along the left-hand field edge to the corner of the pub car park then go diagonally to the far left corner of the field. Proceed across the next field to join the Millennium Way.

6 Turn left, following the Millennium Way for just over four miles to return to your starting point. It goes through North Piddle and Flyford Flavell, but bypasses Kington. It is fully waymarked and mostly well maintained so there should be no difficulty at all in following it.

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