The Ramblers is Britain’s biggest charity working to promote walking and improve conditions for all walkers. In Herefordshire there are four groups: Hereford, Mortimer, Ross-on-Wye and Leadon Vale. For more information contact Tom Fisher, tel: 01886 821544 or email: [email protected] Drink in the views By Tom Fisher of Leadon Vale Ramblers and chairman of the Bromyard Walkers are Welcome group Start/parking: Stoke Lacy church Stiles: 20 Toilets: At the pubs Grid Ref. SO620494 Nearest town: Bromyard Public transport: 420 bus between Maps: Ordnance Survey Explorer 205 Refreshments: Three Horseshoes, Little Hereford and Worcester goes through Distance: 5.5 miles Cowarne 01885 400276; The Plough, Stoke Lacy. Grade: Moderate Stoke Lacy 01885 490658 Ring Traveline on 0871 2002233 HIS walk is a delightful stroll Norman. The responds have scalloped the main stream and turn right along it through the Lodon valley, with capitals and a single step arch.” The for three fields and then a garden fence. Tmarvellous views. It also has the most famous rector of Stoke Lacy was Go through a gateway near the end of potential to be quite a boozy journey, as Henry Morgan, rector for 50 years from the fence and turn left onto a stile onto we pass two excellent pubs and an 1887 to 1937. His son, H.F.S. Morgan, the drive and road. Climb the steps up award-winning brewery. founded the famous Morgan Motor the opposite bank to a stile in the corner The walk is taken from the Walks Company of Malvern in 1913. It is said and follow the left-hand hedge to around Bromyard book. The pack of that the first prototype three-wheeler another stile. Walk up the field to a gate eight walks is available from Food for was assembled in the Stoke Lacy rectory and pass a cottage to the road. Turn All, Bromyard Live, and many other garden. This was after H. F. S. survived right along it and then left at the first outlets. Bromyard has now joined the a hair-raising first drive in a 3h.p. Benz gateway. Keep to the right hand hedge growing list of towns which has that ran away with him down the 1-in-6 past a shed and up two fields then along “walkers are welcome” status. The hill into Stoke Lacy; he emerged intact a garden hedge to a drive. Admire the Bromyard Walkers are Welcome group but considerably poorer. Damages to the splendid views across towards Hereford has been busy refreshing the car cost about £28 for repairs (£2,000 in and turn right along it to the junction of waymarkers, and trying to ensure the today’s money) and delayed his several tracks. It is possible that so many paths are in good condition. If you do ambition of owning his own car. Now, tracks converge here because the wood encounter any problems please notify let’s start the walk! on the left was the meeting place of the Amey, Herefordshire’s contractor, on 1. Cross the main road from the church Hundred of Broxash. Hundreds were 01432 261800. and turn left then right up an unmade the local government of Anglo-Saxon We start at Stoke Lacy church, road, Herb Lane, to a gate next to the England. All the free men from an area described by the great architectural garage of the last house. Make for a of a hundred hides (a hide was about historian Pevsner thus: “The church was footbridge ahead, and then walk up a 150 acres) were supposed to meet restored in the Early English stile (at a large field to a footbridge at the top left monthly to settle disputes. The cost of £950). The chancel arch is corner. Cross to another footbridge over Normans took over the organisation but 14 July 2011 Herefordshire & Wye Valley Life w w w.herefordshire.greatbritishlife.co.uk WALK Far left Lodon valley Left Stoke Lacy church joined two earlier hundreds at Broxash, find a foot-gate concealed in the end 4. The footpath leaves the road next to Plegelgate Hundred at Flaggoners Green hedge. Turn slightly left and follow the the red-brick village hall on the other near Bromyard and Thornlaw Hundred left-hand side of an overgrown hedge to side. Cross the stile beyond it into an to the south. the stream. Carry on parallel to the orchard and from there to another stile 2. Go down the track on the right to the stream and then go through a gate as just on the right. road next to the Three Horseshoes. The you approach a farm. Walk down the middle of the next Three Horseshoes was the Flavours of Now look out for a proper waymarked orchard, bearing half-left, following the Herefordshire pub of the year in 2010 – footbridge (not the nearby concrete line of the trees. Cross a footbridge in and it is right on your route, the perfect bridge) and climb up the steep bank to a the bottom hedge and walk up the bank lunch stop! Turn left then right into the stile, and then up an old cherry orchard to a stile by a large tree at the top. field at the first, slightly concealed, to a road. Turn right on the road and Follow the left-hand hedge, enjoying the finger post (look out here for the orange pass The Ditchlings on your right. Now view over to the Black Mountains, to a Walks around Bromyard waymarker). find a gate on the left, skirt the corner of stile onto a farm track that leads down Walk down the field, and through a gap the cottage garden ahead and make for to Hopton Court. Turn right along the in the fence (you may need to remove a the curve of the hedge on the right, road back to the church but, just before cord), across a farm track to a gate in the following it down to the road. Turn left you are back at the start, find the time middle of the end hedge. Follow the along it to the main road. On the main to walk round the beautiful left-hand hedge to a gate in the corner road to your left is the Wye Valley Netherwood, a community wood and cross the farm track to another gate brewery, which recently won the managed by the Woodland Trust and ahead – look out for the orange inaugural Best Drinks Producer 2010 in established in 1999. The stone waymark. Walk down the left-hand the BBC Food and Farming Awards. inscription reads: hedge to a stile in it near the bottom. There is an opportunity, if there is room “We planted the trees underneath the 3. Do not cross the stile but turn right in your rucksack, to top up your wheely wings with the breeze in our faces parallel to the stream; here you may supplies of Butty Bach and, in our minds, the thought of the need to climb over or under an electric (my favourite) or else visit The Plough shading leaves over the generations to fence (problem reported to Amey) and next door. come.” w w w.herefordshire.greatbritishlife.co.uk Herefordshire & Wye Valley Life July 2011 15.