Worcester Ramblers: Martley 30 July 2026

The surprise on this walk was getting soaked in a 20 minute rain shower!

 

Hidcote Manor:Avoid at the start of School Holidays! 27 July 2026

The initial plan was to visit NT Hidcote Manor to tour the gardens. I didnt think it would be busy on a monday. Wrong, it is the school holidays! Seeing how full the car park was I decided it was time for a walk (or two)

I rembered that the Lark Stoke TV masts (the highest point in Warwickshire) was up the track so I went there, The view included Sugarloaf near Abergavenny, Titterstone clee and the Malverns

The view towards South Wales#

The Malverns

While up there I went to visit the masts at Nebworth, which had a good view towards Oxford

I then went back to the car park. Still busy so i planned walk 2, a loop to Upper Quinton, North of Hidcote

Walk 2

8.3 miles 2.5 hours. Navigating through Quinton was a challenge due to house building near footpaths.

The hardest bit was climbing up the hill from Mickleton to Hidcote!

The view back down the slope towards the Malverns

Evesham Ramblers :"Isbourne way part 3" 19 July 2026

6.6 miles. Start 1000 end 1320
 

Malvern Footpath: "Martley North and West" 18 July 2026

 9.1 miles 4 hours 20 minutes

Railtrail 3: Honeybourne to Evesham Reccy 17 July 2026

 As I was guiding this walk in mid August it seemed a good idea to do a reccy. Due to the current unreliability of GWR I decided that I would do the published route in reverse. So i went to Honeybourne and started it there

The walk goes through the centre of the strawberry farm which had lots of strawberries very few of which were ripe (by design?). The fleet Inn in was passed in Bretforton, then  through Badsey and the orchards then through Evesham to the station

I only met 5 people on the route, including an American trio who were off to the Fleet for lunch before flying home

7.8 miles in 3 hours. 

Worcester Ramblers: Powick Circular 16 July 2026

 I volunteered  to lead this walk, which should have been easy as it was done on May 2 by the Saturday group, It was not to be THAT easy!

I did a reccy on July 10. The steps down the west end of ham hill (part of the 3 choirs way!), which had been challenging on may 2 were impassable due head high brambles and nettles. I devised a diversion via ham lane, but that had the same problem, making it impassable for a group, so I retreated

I returned on July 13 to try another route, bypassing Powick. by going down old malvern road. The first footpath was blocked by a locked gate, but even overcoming that the footpath was non existent. Following the route on the OS map it came to a halt when blocked by an enormously wide/high/deep blackbeery coppice. A retreat was made and the second footpath nothbound tried. This allowed the route the to be completed even though the steep descent of ham hill was challenging

By the time the walk started on 16 July the temperature was more tolerable than the previous 7 days and the walk was completed without incident by 16 walkers despite the overgrown undergrowth in places