As our option to get the Covid Vaccine was Shrewsbury, Oswestry, Sutton Colefield, Birmingham or Hereford and with only Hereford or Shrewsbury working for us as has to be booked on a day off, we decided to go to Hereford.
On the way back from being stabbed with covid, we stopped off in Suckley for a walk in the Suckley Hills...because James says that it's nice that way (when we were passing on the way back from Malvern, in November).
So walked from Suckley, past the church, down old lanes and up onto the Suckley Hills, which were very muddy, walked south along the ridge, probably a good view at some point but it was mostly blocked by overgrown coppiced trees. dropped off the end into Longley green and followed and old cart track up by the river, past little cottages and through the back garden of a fantastic house, which seemed very wrong in a pandemic but is a public right of way without much other option. Across the fields and past a fantastic old barn, up into the woods, where despite remaining on my feet through many slip and slides, I suddenly lost my battle with gravity and fell, whilst stationary and waiting for James to descend a muddy hill. Followed the ridge back to Longley green which has some beautiful old houses and a little post office. The right of way was blocked so we followed and track adjacent until our route was entirely blocked by barbed wire. We then picked our way through the original blocked gate which showed the footpath signs from the other direction. We walked by the brook and past some huge hop houses, across fields and back to the ridge top of the Suckley hills. What would have been a bash over to the next ridge, turned into a very muddy 3 km detour. The direct path was so eroded and full of water it looked like we would probably get stuck and the detour would be faster than a 1 km struggle. Descended steeply through the woods, across the field, via the pond and track to the church at Suckley. A fab walk but better when the ground is dry.
11.5km but felt much longer due to the mud effort. 2 hrs 45 mins
