Ramblers Routes Ramblers Routes Britain’s best walks from the experts Britain’s best walks from the experts Central England Central England 07 Coppet Hill, Herefordshire 08 Southrey, Lincolnshire 13/11/2015 14:4 l Distance 13.7km/8½ miles l Time 4½hrs l Type Hill and valley l Distance 19km/11¾ miles l Time 6hrs l Type Field and river NAVIGATION LEVEL FITNESS LEVEL NAVIGATION LEVEL FITNESS LEVEL walk magazine winter 2015 winter magazine walk walk magazine winter 2015 winter magazine walk Plan your walk Plan your walk HEREFORDSHIRE COPPET HILL SOUTHREY Lincoln l l Gloucester LINCOLNSHIRE Cardiff King’s Lynn l l WHERE Circular walk from WHERE Circular walk from Goodrich, Herefordshire. Southrey via Bardney along PHOTOGRAPHY: NEIL COATES PHOTOGRAPHY: START/END Goodrich Castle stretches of the Water Rail FIONA BARLTROP PHOTOGRAPHY: pay-and-display car park Way and Viking Way. Below Ross-on-Wye, the River green in 500m. At the back R of The village of Southrey is situated waymarked long-distance path (SO576196). START/END Southrey, free Wye meanders through a noted this, locate the footpath beside on the edge of the Lincolnshire that runs from north to south TERRAIN Tarred lanes, car park at the end of Ferry series of loops and bends, most the Coppet Hill Common board Fens on the north side of the across the county. It provides hillside, woods and riverside Road (TF138663). of which are contained in the and climb the flight of steps here. River Witham. The river was an an enjoyable circuit under big paths with muddy stretches. TERRAIN Surfaced railway river’s famous gorge. This walk Several further sets of steps wind important transport route until the Lincolnshire skies. MAPS Explorer OL14; path, field tracks, short explores part of the river’s up through the undergrowth, creation of the Lincoln to Boston Landranger 162. stretches along quiet roads. tortuous route, where English presently reaching the ridge-top railway line in 1848. Southrey was 1. START The car park at the end GETTING THERE The car park MAPS OS Explorer 273; tourism was born some 250 years trig pillar. a station on the line; the last trains of Ferry Road adjoins the Water (note closing time posted Landranger 121. ago, when Reverend William departed from the platform in Rail Way. Go through the gate at by entrance gateway) at GETTING THERE Bus service Gilpin introduced the Wye Tour to 2. Now head south on the good, 1970. Today, the line serves as a the end of the road and turn R, Goodrich Castle picnic site 10, Lincoln to Horncastle Georgian society. Starting near a firm, largely grassy path along the footpath-cum-cycleway, known heading for Bardney. After about is signed off the B4229 in via Southrey, Mon–Sat medieval fortress, the route rises western crest of Coppet Hill. On as the Water Rail Way both in 2.7km turn R away from the river Goodrich village centre and is (www.pccoaches.co.uk); onto a steep puddingstone ridge clear days the panorama (pictured, recognition of its previous life and to a T-junction. well signposted from the A40 trains to Lincoln (www. to unveil fabulous views across the above) is extraordinary. Goodrich for the fact that its abundant bird dual carriageway between eastmidlandstrains.co.uk). Marches to the Black Mountains. appears as a model village far life includes the shy water rail. For 2. Turn L along a bridleway, the Ross-on-Wye and Monmouth. Traveline ( 0871 200 2233, Paths then drop into the gorge below, a foreground to the much of its length, it runs beside route of the Viking Way. At Bus service 34 runs Mon–Sat www.traveline.info). and head upstream, passing a fretwork of fields, ridges, hamlets the River Witham. This bit of the present there is no access between Ross-on-Wye and EATING & DRINKING poignant memorial and the site of and spinneys stretching to the Witham Valley is remarkable for alongside the river at this point. Monmouth via Goodrich Riverside Inn, Southrey a wartime tragedy, secluded in the Black Mountains and the rippling the number of monastic houses The large factory here opened in (www.stagecoachbus.com). ( 01526 398374, Wye’s magnificent chasm below uplands curving north towards that once lay alongside it, due in 1927 to process the vast amount Traveline ( 0871 200 2233, www.riverside-inn.co.uk). towering bluffs and pinnacles. Radnor Forest. Look, too, for the part to the importance of the river of sugar beet grown in the area. www.travelinemidlands.co.uk). In Bardney, café at Bardney golf-ball radome on Titterstone as a trading link for the export of It ceased processing in 2001. EATING & DRINKING The 1. START Descend the car park Clee Hill, some 65km north, above Heritage Centre ( 01526 the wool that made up much of Hostelrie in Goodrich 397299); the Old Angel Inn access road and turn L up the Ludlow. Stay with the path, which the abbeys’ income. This walk 3. Just before reaching the road ( 01600 890241, www. ( 01526 398005); the Nags no-through road for Courtfield undulates parallel to a wall/fence. visits the sites of two former at Bardney, turn R along a narrow thehostelrieatgoodrich. and Welsh Bicknor. Rise gently with Ignore any side paths down. Head ( 01526 399100); and abbeys. The route combines footpath, continuing along the co.uk); seasonal café at this, over a high-arched bridge and Presently, the path becomes the Black Horse restaurant stretches of both the Water Rail ▲ road to the 15th-century church, start; shop in Goodrich. ▲ uphill to reach a small triangular enveloped in woods and steepens Way and the Viking Way, a which is well worth a visit. Carry P4-4_WALK49_RR_.REV2.indd 4 P4-4_WALK49_RR_.REV1 .indd4 Created withMemory-Map.©Crowncopyright2015OrdnanceSurveyMedia048/15 Created withMemory-Map.©Crowncopyright2015OrdnanceSurveyMedia048/15 Continued... Continued... 1 START FINISH ( 01526 398900, www. SLEEPING Thatch Close 4 5 bardneyblackhorse.co.uk). Farm B&B ( 01989 770300, SLEEPING B&B at the Black www.thatchclose.co.uk) in Horse (as before) and the Llangrove, about 5km from Bardney Heritage Centre Goodrich; B&B at the (www.bardneyheritage.com). Hostelrie (as before). 2 Self-catering in the area VISITOR INFORMATION includes Grange Farm ( 3 Ross-on-Wye TIC, 01507 534101, www.grange ( 01989 562768, farmholidaybreaks.co.uk). www.visitherefordshire.co.uk). 4 VISITOR INFORMATION GUIDEBOOKS Wye Valley: Horncastle TIC ( 01507 40 Hill and Riverside Walks 2 601111); Lincoln Visitor by Ben Giles (£6.99, Pocket Information Centre Mountains, ISBN 978 ( 01522 545458, www. 1907025013); Walking in visitlincolnshire.com). 6 the Wye Valley by Mike Dunn GUIDEBOOKS Pathfinder (£12.95, Cicerone, Guides: Lincolnshire and the ISBN 978 1852847241). Wolds – Walks (£11.99, Crimson, LOCAL RAMBLERS GROUP Ramblers ISBN 978 0711749863); 5 Ross-on-Wye ( 01989 Short Walks in Lincolnshire 565687, www.herefordshire 3 and the Wolds (£5.99, Collins, ramblers.org.uk). ISBN 978 0007395422). 1 LOCAL RAMBLERS GROUP START Horncastle and Lincoln (www. 7 FINISH down the hill’s southern snout. lincolnshireramblers.org.uk). Tread quietly here and you may To download this route and hundreds of others, see some fallow deer; there’s a visit www.ramblers.org.uk/routes good number in these woods. The on along Church Lane to the To download this route and hundreds of others, possibly muddy path eventually radar. The aircraft was a top-secret youth hostel at Welsh Bicknor. B1190 and turn L. As the road visit www.ramblers.org.uk/routes leaves the woods and drops to testbed, but the idea survived this Beyond here, circle the last great bends round to the L, turn off R the bank of the Wye, virtually setback and helped win the war. loop of the river. Up to your L, and then L along a no-through opposite Symonds Yat Rock. Blumlein was also responsible for you may glimpse buildings on residential street, Abbey Road. retrace your steps along the signed to Tupholme Abbey. developing stereo sound in the a wooded promontory. This is Carry on to the end of the road Viking Way, maintaining direction 3. Turn L and cross the first of a 1930s. Unlike John Warre, his Courtfield, where King Henry V and Abbey Farm. at point 2 to continue alongside 6. Turn L here to visit the abbey string of stiles and gates along the memorial is simply the utter is thought to have spent some the wood (Bardney Limewoods remains (there are information northern bank of the Wye. In tranquillity of these riverside of his childhood. 4. Just beyond the buildings is the National Nature Reserve). Just panels at the site), then retrace around 800m, keep an eye out for meadows at the head of the site of Bardney Abbey (pictured past Poplars Farm turn R and your steps to the junction and the railed memorial on your L. It’s gorge. Continuing upstream, the 5. The path, thin in places, on previous page). Although follow the road round to the L continue along the lane to the dedicated to the memory of John route presently passes below the eventually reaches the stone-built there are no visible remains, through Southrey to a T-junction. next road junction. Turn R here Warre, a youth who drowned in cast-iron Lydbrook railway bridge; Kerne Bridge. Turn L up the road. the outlines of the buildings can and follow the road/path towards ‘the deceitful stream’ here more the line was abandoned in 1965. Just before the brown tourism be seen as grassy banks, and 5. Turn L, then immediately R the River Witham, crossing a than 200 years ago.