Roving Ringers/Cottage holiday Leominster
28th July - 4th August 2018Photos Itinerary
Mike was based with Rovers at the YHA in Leominster, while Suki and I stayed in a cottage a few minutes drive away - The Owl Barn near Kimbolton.
Just a few days after the Barnes Summer Trip we were off on the Roving Ringers week. At the last minute it seemed that no-one was going to be organising the catering, so I ended up taking this on - with the help of a suggested menu and shopping list from Becky, who would be providing the meat. I cooked a vegetable pasta sauce for the first night, and then did a huge online Sainsbury order to be delivered direct to the hostel on the Saturday night. This worked extremely well - and it was certainly much more pleasant to sit in the garden on my computer than pushing two trolleys around a supermarket and then packing/unpacking the car. It was just as well we did it like that as there wasn't much room in the car for shopping once we had got all our stuff and the handbike and wheelchair loaded.
We dropped Mike's stuff off at the hostel and then went round the corner to the Wetherspoons pub where Mike had some lunch. I didn't bother as I couldn't go in the pub with Suki. When they had set off I took Suki for a walk round Leominster (I was still too early to check in) and discovered a nice dog friendly cafe where I had a cream tea - very slow service but quaint and friendly and good to know there was somewhere to eat in town where I could take Suki.
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| Covered walkway in Leominster decorated "In Remembrance" |
As soon as I got into the cottage I put throws over all the furniture and the bed so that Suki could get on them if she wished - shutting off the second bedroom completely. Suki immediately worked out where she could go and only ever used the sofas with the throws on them - bless her.
I had a lovely week of walking and cross stitching, and also did some ferrying of the wheelchair for Mike. I made good use of the National Trust membership card for walking, although only one place had a dog accessible cafe which was annoying. It wasn't as easy to access the Hereford Trail from the cottage as I had hoped, nor to walk in to Leominster, however it was pleasant to walk down the lane and back in the evenings.
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| Looking up at the cottage from the farm lane on an evening walk |
Sunday 29th
No wheelchair duties today. I decided to explore the area around the farm, access to the Herefordshire Trail and the possibility of walking into Leominster. There was no direct access from the farm to the bridleway which ran right alongside it, so I had to use the short stretch of public footpath which went through a field of bullocks. The gate into the field was very stiff but I eventually managed to push it open - and then found the bullocks were lying and standing just inside the hedge on the path. I was nervous about passing them but had no other option, and Suki and I made a dash for it to the equally difficult gate on the other fence giving out on to the bridleway, all tied up with string. I eventually negotiated that one too and started up into the orchard expecting to be able to get to the Trail and even perhaps find an easier access from the farm. After wandering around for a bit I decided that there was nothing obvious, so went back to the bridleway (which was overgrown and obviously not well used) and followed it up to the road then worked my way right along the road until I met the Trail. I followed that back down until I found the place where it crossed with the public footpath and then followed that back through the orchard to the starting point. I struggled with the gate to get out of the field and was quite worried that I wouldn't be able to open it but eventually a massive heave with my foot against the fence post managed it. At least by then the bullocks were at the other end of the field.
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| Owl Barn Circular - 2m - 460 ft of ascent - 1 hr |
No wheechair duties again today. I decided to do the Leominster River Walk - one I had researched beforehand and for which there was a leaflet in the cottage. The title sounded more beautiful than the actuality, as for much of it the river was below the path and somewhat overgrown and there were no nice views. Also a part of the path had been diverted through a housing estate to make way for a new housing development. However it provided me with a nice walk and I added on a complete circuit of Easters Wood and even went a little way along the Hereford Trail towards the farm. I didn't go very far along it before I decided that it was too overgrown to continue, and convinced me that walking from the farm to Leominster was not an appealing idea.
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| Leominster River Walk - 2.95 m - 46 ft of ascent - 1:15 hr |
Tuesday 31st July
I was picking the chair up in Bromfield in the afternoon, so I decided to go to Croft Castle, a National Trust property, and do the longest waymarked walk - The Pokehouse Walk. It was a hot day, and a lot of the walk was exposed to the sun so I was a little worried about Suki. I decided to cut it a bit short and took a (little used) public footpath through the woods to pick up the path back to the castle.
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| Croft Castle - 2.7 m - 400 ft of ascent - 1:10 hrs |
I then tried the tea room and found that dogs were not allowed in the till area. I was told I must tie Suki up outside to this stake and was offered this disgusting pot of foul water for her to drink! However she managed to unlock the lead and was able to reach the door of the till area and bark at me the whole time I was waiting to be served - that'll teach them!!
I went to Bromfield early and went for a walk along the river and back - there was a very pretty weir just down from the church - and then wandered along the private road for a short distance to kill a bit more time. It was another hot day so it was good to get by a river for Suki to cool off. Tony had joined the tour by this time - he shared the disabled room with Mike at the hostel.
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| Bromfield - 2.9m - 150 ft of ascent - 1:20 hrs |
I picked the chair up in the morning to take it to Presteigne - and this set the pattern for the rest of the week. I would arrive at 8.15 am, leave the car in the car park at the hostel and take Suki for a short walk round the Priory and park. By the time I got back to the car Mike had left and the chair had been loaded in to the car ready for me to take to the first tower. I left the car by the church and went for a walk in the woods to the south of Presteigne, which I had seen on the map beforehand. By good fortune I found the way in and had a really great walk doing a circuit of the woods along the track. It was the best walk of the week - a good length, didn't see another soul, wonderful woodland and easy going underfoot with no navigational difficulties.
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| Presteigne Woods - 4.6 m - 615 ft of ascent - 1:50 hrs |
Thursday 2 August
Suki got a left over sausage from Mike's breakfast this morning before we went for our walk round the priory. I dropped the wheelchair off in Bredenbury and then went on to the Brockhampton Estate, another NT property, to do the longest of their waymarked walks - The Carriage Trail. It was a bit tricky to find the way to start, but having done so the walk was very enjoyable. Suki was somewhat reluctant to follow for a while but soon got into it. It was a nice mix of fields, tracks and woodland, although I would not have liked the return along by the river (Brews Ditch and Paradise Wood) in winter as it looked as if it would be really muddy and boggy - like the worst bits of Parke - with parts churned up by cows. I tried the tea shop at the end and once again found I could not take a dog in to the till area. When I enquired as to how I should order I was told to wait at the door - which I did for a few minutes and then gave up and went back to the cottage for coffee and fruit loaf.
I was happily cross stitching in the cottage in the afternoon when Mike phoned to ask me to pick up the chair from Tenbury Wells - which he had left in the church porch! I picked up Penny and her bike on the way back as she looked as if she was struggling on the hills, and gave her a lift to the hostel - passing the fast cyclists already getting settled in the pub garden at Kimbolton. She was very grateful for the chance to have a proper rest and recharge the batteries for the rest of the trip - and help get dinner ready!
Friday 3 August
After the usual start (no sausage today!) I took the chair to Stretton Grandison and then went to the Queenswood Country Park (not NT - so had to pay for the car park!). The longest waymarked trail, The Deer Trail, was only 2.5 miles long but I could see on the map a public footpath leading to a bridleway which looked as if it would go through and would extend the walk to a good length. I paid £1 in the visitor shop (dogs allowed!) for a map and guide, which turned out to be little more than the simplified version available on the web site. The first part of my plan went well, and once I was off the waymarked trail I didn't meet anyone, but I turned onto a track I thought was the bridleway but which turned out to be one of the tracks leading back up the hill into the woods to meet the track from the bridleway. The track was fine and certainly felt like a bridleway, but when I emerged on to the path I thought would lead me back to the estate it was a dead end - at someone's cottage. Finding a path back into the estate proved to be difficult and inevitably I ended up ploughing through undergrowth and brambles along an overgrown unused path. Eventually I came to a gate with barbed wire over the top - Suki limbo'd underneath which wasn't an option for me. Luckily the fence to the side was just a wooden one with no barbed wire so I was able to climb it and push through the brambles and trees back to the path on the other side. This quickly took me back to the trail and the rest was straightforward.
What joy when I got back to find that the cafe had a kiosk where I could get a takeaway sandwich and coffee (and ice cream - it was another boiling hot day). I sat under a tree to eat my lunch and then went back to the cottage for a couple of hours cross stitching before going off to Withington to pick up the chair.
Saturday 4th August
Left the cottage clean and tidy at 8.30 am - there was no-one around so I texted the owner later in the day to say what a lovely week it had been. She texted back to say how pleased she was with the way I had left the cottage - so that was good. Got to the YHA and packed all Mike's stuff in the car. I waited for everyone to leave and then went round the kitchen picking up anything which had been left to ensure the fridges and freezers were empty - not much but there were some tea bags and some coffee and a few bit and pieces in the fridge. Took Suki for a quick walk and then delivered the chair to Wigmore. There was one more NT property to try - Berrington Hall, with gardens landscaped by Capability Brown (his final landscape apparently). I got there just as it opened, so it was relatively easy to get parked - later it was heaving with people and cars. It was yet another boiling hot day. I did the only waymarked trail and also explored the Kitchen Garden. Dogs had to be kept on leads, although I did let Suki off when we were walking at the furthest point through the woods (Moreton Ride) and I kept in the woods when the official route went off to take in the views across the lake.
I was even more overjoyed than yesterday when I found The Stables cafe would let me in with Suki to sit at a table! I treated myself to a cream tea to celebrate! It was an interesting place - as the name suggests it was originally the stable block, and the stables had been left in situ with the tables placed around them - even the hay baskets were still in place. Suki was very good and lay angelically on the floor by my feet while I had my lunch.
The pub by the final tower at Kingsland was closed, which rather foiled plans for a drink with everyone before leaving, so we said our goodbyes and drove the 3.30 hrs back home.
Suki got a left over sausage from Mike's breakfast this morning before we went for our walk round the priory. I dropped the wheelchair off in Bredenbury and then went on to the Brockhampton Estate, another NT property, to do the longest of their waymarked walks - The Carriage Trail. It was a bit tricky to find the way to start, but having done so the walk was very enjoyable. Suki was somewhat reluctant to follow for a while but soon got into it. It was a nice mix of fields, tracks and woodland, although I would not have liked the return along by the river (Brews Ditch and Paradise Wood) in winter as it looked as if it would be really muddy and boggy - like the worst bits of Parke - with parts churned up by cows. I tried the tea shop at the end and once again found I could not take a dog in to the till area. When I enquired as to how I should order I was told to wait at the door - which I did for a few minutes and then gave up and went back to the cottage for coffee and fruit loaf.
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| Brockhampton Estate - 4.2m - 590 ft of ascent - 1:50 hrs |
Friday 3 August
After the usual start (no sausage today!) I took the chair to Stretton Grandison and then went to the Queenswood Country Park (not NT - so had to pay for the car park!). The longest waymarked trail, The Deer Trail, was only 2.5 miles long but I could see on the map a public footpath leading to a bridleway which looked as if it would go through and would extend the walk to a good length. I paid £1 in the visitor shop (dogs allowed!) for a map and guide, which turned out to be little more than the simplified version available on the web site. The first part of my plan went well, and once I was off the waymarked trail I didn't meet anyone, but I turned onto a track I thought was the bridleway but which turned out to be one of the tracks leading back up the hill into the woods to meet the track from the bridleway. The track was fine and certainly felt like a bridleway, but when I emerged on to the path I thought would lead me back to the estate it was a dead end - at someone's cottage. Finding a path back into the estate proved to be difficult and inevitably I ended up ploughing through undergrowth and brambles along an overgrown unused path. Eventually I came to a gate with barbed wire over the top - Suki limbo'd underneath which wasn't an option for me. Luckily the fence to the side was just a wooden one with no barbed wire so I was able to climb it and push through the brambles and trees back to the path on the other side. This quickly took me back to the trail and the rest was straightforward.
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| Queenswood Country Park - 3.8m - 640ft of ascent - 1:40 hrs |
Saturday 4th August
Left the cottage clean and tidy at 8.30 am - there was no-one around so I texted the owner later in the day to say what a lovely week it had been. She texted back to say how pleased she was with the way I had left the cottage - so that was good. Got to the YHA and packed all Mike's stuff in the car. I waited for everyone to leave and then went round the kitchen picking up anything which had been left to ensure the fridges and freezers were empty - not much but there were some tea bags and some coffee and a few bit and pieces in the fridge. Took Suki for a quick walk and then delivered the chair to Wigmore. There was one more NT property to try - Berrington Hall, with gardens landscaped by Capability Brown (his final landscape apparently). I got there just as it opened, so it was relatively easy to get parked - later it was heaving with people and cars. It was yet another boiling hot day. I did the only waymarked trail and also explored the Kitchen Garden. Dogs had to be kept on leads, although I did let Suki off when we were walking at the furthest point through the woods (Moreton Ride) and I kept in the woods when the official route went off to take in the views across the lake.
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| Berrington Estate - 2.9 m - 170 ft of ascent - 1:21 hrs |
The pub by the final tower at Kingsland was closed, which rather foiled plans for a drink with everyone before leaving, so we said our goodbyes and drove the 3.30 hrs back home.
