By Jen and Sim Benson (The Times). Press visit organised by Visit Worcestershire.
Wander by a babbling brook and through a riot of spring flowers and wildlife, taking in the largest cruck-framed building in Britain along the way
The Leigh Brook wanders through rural Worcestershire from the Suckley Hills eastwards to its confluence with the Teme. Starting as a steep-sided gorge, the valley opens into peaceful meadows and pasture, dotted with ancient coppice. The area lies within the Abberley and Malvern Hills Geopark, recognised for its unique blend of geology, landscapes, ecology, history and culture.
We set out from Alfrick on a blazing spring day, passing the intriguing church of St Mary’s with its early-12th-century nave and windows. A week of sunshine had greened up the landscape, and we followed Folly Road past fields, trees and hedgerows buzzing and twittering with life. Leaving the lane, a footpath skirted the edge of Hayley Dingle, one of several steep-sided, densely wooded dells carved through the soft sandstone by the tributaries of the Leigh Brook.
Joining a rough track, we emerged at the hamlet of Brockamin, a pretty mix of black-and-white timbered cottages and red-brick oast houses with conical hop kilns. Further on, at Leigh village, we detoured to explore the impressive tithe barn, enjoying the cool shade of its capacious, wood-framed interior, shafts of dusty golden sunlight piercing the gloom. Dating from 1325, it is the largest cruck-framed building in Britain.
Crossing open farmland, watched by hares poised and ready for flight, we dropped to the water’s edge where a dipper, smart in chocolate and white, bobbed on the stepping stones, ducks dabbling in the shallows. Crossing the ford, we joined a narrow path linking the brook’s meanders through old wood pasture, the ground a purple and yellow riot of cowslips, bluebells, lesser celandines, dog violets and primroses. Huge, queen bumblebees droned by; green woodpeckers yaffled.
Approaching the end of the walk we took another detour, this time into Knapp and Papermill Nature Reserve. Here, hard, Silurian rock, more resistant to eras of erosion than the soft sandstone of the Severn Plain beyond, forms a dramatic, steep-sided gorge. Orchards, meadows, woodland and water nurture a rich diversity of wildlife, including orchids, dragonflies, dormice, otters and more than 30 species of butterfly.
Back in Alfrick, cheerful volunteers plied us with coffee and cake at the community shop and café — a fitting finish to a delightful walk.
How hard is it? 7 miles; easy; paths, tracks and minor roads through gentle countryside. Several stiles
Start: Alfrick village centre, WR6 5HW, (OS ref SO749530)
Getting there: Trains to Worcester, 423 bus to Alfrick. Road — South of A44 or north of A4103 between Worcester and Leominster/Hereford.
Walk: Follow Folly Road out of Alfrick to footpath (FP) on right (752538). Follow FP along field edge to path junction. Turn left, follow FP along Hayley Dingle to track under old railway viaduct. Turn right, follow track to Dingle Road into Brockamin. Turn left, follow Brockamin Lane to Leigh (follow signs to visit tithe barn). Follow Brockamin Lane back to signed FP on left (782533). Follow FP across fields to Smith End Green. Turn right, follow track downhill and over ford/footbridge. Turn left, follow FP through fields alongside Leigh Brook to Hopton Lane (758522). Turn left, follow road to gate and FP on right. Follow FP through wood and across fields to Stocks Road. Turn right, follow Stocks Road past Knapp and Papermill Nature Reserve to right turn at Knapp Farm. Join track and follow up to Patches Farm, then down to road into Alfrick.
Lunch: Anupam, Great Malvern (01684 573814, anupam.co.uk). Or the family/dog-friendly bar, with regular events including monthly Gin & Jazz Sundays, at Piston Distillery, Diglis Basin, Worcester (01905 611293, pistondistillery.com)
Accommodation: Hop Pickers Rural Retreats, Leigh (01886 833668, hoppickers.co.uk)
Visit Worcestershire were delighted to help arrange this press visit. Original article - A good walk by The Times: A gentle seven-mile countryside hike starting at Alfrick
