By way of a training session for the Anglesey Coast Path planned for April, we decided to take on a local 30 mile path, The Mortimer Trail. The trail is named after the famous, or infamous, Mortimer family, which dominated these Marches of Wales from the Norman conquest to the defeat of Richard III, falling in and out of favour with various kings and Welsh princes until Edward Mortimer seized the throne as Edward IV after the battle of Mortimers Cross in 1461....the rest as they is history...
It's been a really good start to our fundraising - thank you so much!
Just giving page here...
Saturday 12th March, 2016
It was a misty but still morning as we set off, leaving the car in Orleton, our destination for the day, a taxi took us back to the start in Ludlow. Sadly the 15th century, Ludford Bridge is closed for 3 months due to a lorry reversing into it so we went into town over Dinham Bridge which we were in turn to walk back across a short while later!
We set off from the front of the castle which we have visited many times now and a wonderful visit it is..
Ludlow is a very fine town full of history and old buildings. We walked around the back of the castle which we haven't done before and had a new vista of the castle. We dropped down to Dinham Bridge and here on the side of the river Teme, is an old watermill, now site of a lovely little cafe.
The watermill now provides electricity - amazing sight. We crossed the bridge to Whitcliffe Common.
An old pack horse route which used to carry ore from the Clee Hills to the nearby ironworks, drops down to the common here but we set off out of the valley into Mortimer Forest, with a woodpecker gnawing at a tree to listen to...
Lots of forestry track walking once we were into Mortimer Forest proper and we could just see Clee Hill through the mist at one of the clearings...
We were proudly bearing our Velindre T-shirts and sign... but not many people were up here today..
It was very pleasant walking though, perhaps a bit of a shame the views were not there with the mist but Hey, it wasn't raining! and it was quite warm too.
We were being serenaded by the spring birdsong, Blue and great tits, blackbirds, the cry of buzzards, the caw of the crows and the call of pheasants accompanied us most of the day. And along the way the celandines were peeping and primroses and daffodils cheered us.
Catkins are bursting forth and bluebells won't be long before they're blooming. It's wonderful to see Spring coming through!
We dropped down to a stream where a solitary cottage looked really pretty, although we weren't sure if we could put up with listening to a generator 24 hours a day...there's always a downside!
Then off we climbed up Climbing Jack Common alongside an old holloway..this trail follows lots of ancient tracks...
A poor little terrier was lost up here obviously searching for his owners. He zipped off in front of us ans we didn't hear him again so hope he found his way poor thing. He was the only mammal we saw, we were on the lookout for long haired fallow deer of which there are a lot up here we read, but none seen by us. We lunched at High Vinalls - a steep climb as in its name. Good, if misty, views of Clee Hill again and apparently on a clear day you can see several counties from up here..
Soon we could see Richards Castle there below us...
Then we crossed fields of Hanbury Common and then dropped down to lanes winding our way back to Orleton. I got my first picture of lambs, there are quite a lot about now although not too many near us at home yet...
The snowdrops are about the only flowers which have managed to flower on schedule this year. So many plants have been confused with the mild temperatures we've had over winter but the snowdrops did it as usual and are getting past their best now...
Leaving the path, we headed back down the lane into Orleton where the car was parked at the village hall..
So there we were 8 and a half miles done - height gain of 1581 feet which had been quite tough but a lovely walk!
Sunday 13th March, 2016
Well I certainly managed to choose good weather for this walk! Another beautiful morning, a bit misty, moisty as we set off but by the time we got to Orleton, the sun was breaking through. We left the car in the village hall car park then off up the lane to the start of the walk, where we left off yesterday...
Off we set up and over fields - and more stiles! -
with misty views back down to Orleton...
We soon arrived on the National Trust's Bircher Common where we unfortunately took a wrong turn which delayed us quite a bit which was a bit stressful today as we had a time restriction in that the taxi was picking us up at Byton at 3pm. There always seems to be a plenitude of signs where you don't need them but not where there are options of route....and the book I was using was only very general in its directions...Still there were some lovely winter trees to admire...and a tawny owl shouted out to us....
...and we found our way in the end. We walked through Croft Wood where we heard woodpeckers and soon were walking around the edge of Croft Ambrey hillfort. There was quite a lot of mud to trudge through today - and a few fallen trees to negotiate..
The hillfort is quite spectacular with really high ditches. It almost felt like we were walking alongside Offa's Dyke in parts..and to our right in the thickets, I thought I saw a deer...or was it a wild boar....? Pheasants were calling all day again and kept running off on our approach. We were following lots of old tracks again, those ancient people certainly got around as much as we do I think!
The hillfort apparently dates to the 4th century BC and we hope to return and look around inside...today there was just not enough time. It took quite a while to walk around its edge and then we were at the top of Yatton Hill, looking down on Aymestrey below in the Lugg valley...
The path now retraces itself a little as it turns towards a back entrance to the grounds of Croft Castle dating back to the 14th century, another National trust owned property. We had a lovely visit here about 3 Easters ago with our grandchildren, in search of dragons! The track then descends the hill and turns gradually towards Aymestrey again, through Pokehouse Wood. This wood was originally called Puck Wood and apparently a poor old soul who had spent the night lost and tormented in the wood left some money for the church bell to be rung every evening to guide lost souls to the village. The wood is actually now largely replanted so it's hard to imagine being lost here. The view of Aymestrey from the wood is in face very pretty..
There is a lovely restaurant in the village, the Riverside, which serves very fine food and just 2 miles west of the river crossing here is the Mortimers Cross Inn, the crossroads being the site of the battle in the Wars of the Roses making Edward IV king.
We followed the Lugg beyond the bridge, passing just a little way up the road a lovely old mill...
...the leat for this mill is easily half a mile long and is formed from a weir across the river which must have been built at some expense. We wondered if it had originally belonged to the big house in Aymestrey, Yatton Court. The sluicegate near the end of the leat could do with a bit of attention..
We left the lane and headed along the bottom of Sned Wood....
....to follow the Lugg. A really pretty and tranquil setting with the sun shimmering on the river
and seats to rest the weary.
Sadly today we had no time to stop and look for kingfishers....another day...We headed along paths through trees.....
....with the river beside us until we reached Lyepoole Bridge...
...with a pretty riverside cottage and where I saw my first bluebell of the year and with buzzards crying overhead. We followed the lane for a short distance and soon headed up to Shobdon Hill wood...yes straight up that (very steep) track ahead..
We rounded the end of the hill to Covenhope Farm to then turn straight to the top of the hill. I was very fat-i-gued here and not too amused for a while...but then it was a nice walk along the top of the 2 mile Shobdon Hill even though there are so many trees that you would have no view even on a clear day...
We soon dropped down towards Byton Common, and here there were a few views between the trees...
We were comfortable now that we would make it to the church on time (!) but really only just...
..in time for 3pm so sandwiches had to wait until we got back to the car in Orleton! We decided today that we prefer gates to stiles.....
It had been a lovely day in beautiful countryside. We had done 13 miles with a height gain of 1952 feet!
Monday 14th March, 2016
We were getting nearer home so didn't need such an early start today as the taxi was meeting us in Kington. It was another beautiful morning as the taxi took us back to Byton. We had a little look around St Mary's Church there as we hadn't had time yesterday.
It is on the site of earlier church buildings and has signs of being a llan and then a motte in an earlier existence..the grounds around the church are really pretty with fruit trees full of mistletoe....
It was sunny but still with the mist as we walked up the lane towards Wapley..with lovely views along the valley..Wapley hill there on the left..
We crossed the road to head up the track to Wapley Hill and its fort.... Some racehorses were just being led down to the stables - there are some gallops and jumps up the hill which we passed shortly..
It was a very pleasant walk up and then around the edge of the hill,
not the steep road walk which I had imagined. We had good views back to Byton and Shobdon Hill...
....and down to the Byton wetlands.
Before long we could glance ahead to Presteigne..
..before we headed into the woods on top of the hill...
We walked alongside the really impressive hillfort - reputedly home to King Caractus and his last battle with the Romans...We last visited here with our granddaughters and daughter just a few weeks ago. So often we have passed the road end and said we must visit, now we can't keep away. It is a great site, covering 25 acres which has never been excavated..
We dropped down the hill then through lovely woodlands, passing a seat dedicated to Miles Baddeley, Birdman of Wapley who had presumable lived in the house nearby until 2004.
Chris tried it out...
We emerged from the wood to wonderful countryside and dropped down through fields to Stansbatch...
..another small hamlet. we passed old bridge abutments from the Titley to Presteigne railway and soon crossed more fields where we encountered more mud, to arrive in Titley. We lunched by the church and the site of a priory from Norman times. Alongside is a well apparently from the water channelled from the old priory but not recommended for consumption these days....
.....then up and over fields and their "headlands" which turned out to be well churned up stretches at the edges of fields where cows had obviously been led. to make matters worse, the edge of the "headland" was equipped with an electric fence which I discovered was turned on! Made me jump a bit! Had we done this walk last week, I doubt we would have been able to get through this mud - at least it's had a few dry days to recover if only a little! The view back to Titley was quite pretty though...
We went on up and over the hill down to Green Hill Farm where again we got a bit lost, once more with a dearth of signs and with some barking dogs...yikes, brave old me, but a friendly farmer directed us. The walk took us past Wychmoor dairy farm, there are many more cattle than sheep today it seems. And with that, the following tracks were once more quite muddy. We then skirted woods, again following old tracks then passed through woods before making the final ascent to Rushock Hill where we re-met with
Offa's Dyke, scene of our walk of last year! And this little part we hadn't walked before!
We decided then that we would now follow the Offa's Dyke path into Kington rather than the slightly different route of the Mortimer Trail..for one we knew the route and secondly, there are 3 farms to pass on the Trail which I might not like that much...and after all, the actual distance is much the same...
After a brief rest and a reminisce of our last year's walkings,
we headed down to Bradnor Hill, over the gold course and passing Hill House where we were offered a cup of tea by the chap who had donated to us at the Co-op this morning! Through the last field, we had to pass 2 ewes with their 3 very new lambs. Either they thought we had sheep nuts, or they were being very protective of their young - and I got the feeling that the latter was most likely by their quite aggressive behaviour. So I didn't wait to ask, I made quite a quick getaway through the gate! Kington was looking very pretty as we headed down the hill...
What a lovely 3 days! And there we are - the Mortimer Trail complete! It had been another sunny if misty day - a bit cooler today with a little breeze blowing.
Another 10.3 miles done today so about 31.5 altogether. A height gain today of 1611 feet. Phew - rest day tomorrow and time to build up to Anglesey...watch this space....!
