Stourport

If you haven’t visited Bewdley Museum before, this is an ideal chance to do so, as the Worcestershire Way goes right past it.

Set in walled gardens by the river, it’s charming, informal and fascinating. It has an outdoor café and even a second-hand bookshop, as well as events and activities for all the family.

Heading downstream from Bewdley, back towards Stourport, you’ll pass a large area of newly planted woodland beside the Severn, just to the south of Blackstone Rock.

Though the trees are very young, it won’t be long before they start to make an impact on the landscape.

Happily, there is already permissive access for walkers to these woods of the future. At Ribbesford too, near the church, you’ll notice that not only have young trees recently been planted, but also that wild-flower meadows have been created.

FACTFILE

Start: Stourport Bridge, Stourport-on- Severn; grid ref SO808710.

Length: 9½ miles/15km.

Maps: OS Explorer 218, OS Landranger 138.

Terrain: Woodland, pasture and arable; the first half of the walk is moderately hilly but the second is flat.

Footpaths: The Severn Way and Worcestershire Way are excellent and so are most of the other paths between Liveridge Farm and the Beeches. From Areley Kings to High Oak Farm, however, the paths are mostly neglected, with overgrowth, patchy waymarking and substandard stiles. The choice of route after High Oak Farm is dictated by a missing footbridge over Gladder Brook.

Stiles: 10.

Parking: Stourport Riverside.

Public transport: First 294/295 to Stourport, Mon-Sat only; if you prefer to go by train, start at Bewdley – London Midland to Kidderminster then Severn Valley Railway (or bus 2/125/192) to Bewdley; worcestershire.gov.uk/bustimetables or 01905 765765.

Refreshments: Stourport and Bewdley.

DIRECTIONS

1 Heading out of town towards the Walshes, cross Stourport Bridge, descend steps to the river Severn and walk upstream for 200m before taking an unsigned bridleway to a road. Turn right, then soon left on Rectory Lane.

Walk to Church House at Areley Kings then turn right to find two footpaths. Take the left-hand one, descending by a field edge to a stile. Cross Burnthorne Brook and walk through the next field, soon bearing away from the edge on an easily missed path which passes just below a slight knoll, Broomy Hill, to meet Ribbesford Road.

2 Turn right then take the next track on the left. Follow it to a gate then take an overgrown, fenced path to the right of the track. It soon rejoins the track but then immediately turns right, marked by an overgrown fingerpost. Follow the path through Areley Wood. There is only the one public path in the wood but it has numerous junctions with other paths. Only one junction is marked, and even this solitary waymark is so overgrown it tends to go unseen.

Nonetheless, it’s generally easy enough to tell which is the public footpath, though there is one section where encroaching brambles may make you think you’ve gone wrong. Fortunately, a plank-footbridge appears just in time to provide reassurance.

3 Entering a field, bear slightly right uphill, as waymarked.

Climb over a fence into a narrow belt of woodland, go straight through to another field and continue in much the same direction. Cross a stile at the far side, near a corner, and bear left across a large ploughed field. Once you’ve gained a little height you’ll see a waymarked post to aim for at the far side. Descend into woodland and turn left on a track. As it starts to descend, look for an overgrown, unsigned path going left towards a gate which is visible on the other side of a brook. It looks initially as though there will be no way across but there’s a footbridge hidden in the vegetation. Once through the gate go diagonally left uphill to the far top field corner – it isn’t visible at this point but you can adjust your direction if necessary once it comes into view. Continue along the edge of the next field and through a farm to Heightington Road.

4 Turn right. You’ll soon see a path on the right and may be tempted to take it as it looks like an attractive route. It is, but I can’t recommend it as it involves crossing Gladder Brook at a point where it’s deep and quite fast-flowing. The footbridge which used to span the brook was swept away several years ago, as far as I’m aware, and has yet to be replaced. So there’s little choice but to stay on Heightington Road, which descends to cross the brook at a shallow ford and footbridge. Climb uphill for 500m and then take the Liveridge Farm access track. After 50m, turn right on a well-made path and follow it across fields to a junction with the Worcestershire Way. Go straight on, crossing the Way and walking across an arable field to meet a track near Park End. Turn right.

5 Take a fenced, narrow, woodland-edge path on the left at a waymarked junction. Turn right at the next junction and walk through the wood. Fork left at an unsigned junction, then left again at a field edge. Proceed to Heightington Road and turn left, joining the Worcestershire Way.

After a few paces it goes right at the Beeches and is very easily followed down to Ribbesford and then on to Bewdley. Cross Bewdley Bridge and head downstream on the Severn Way, which provides an easy, highquality route to Stourport.

Worcester News recommends the
use of OS Explorer Maps, your
ideal passport to navigating the
countryside. This walk is based
on OS Explorer 218.