Click - Parish of Greater Whitbourne

of Greater Whitbourne Page 11Walk along the Suckley HillsThis walk covers 10.5km/6.5miles and includes a steadyclimb up to the ridge of the Hills,which is rewarded by a fine view- if you are willing to go up anddown twice, there is refreshmentat the Fox and Hounds at Lulsley.1.From the gate into Knightwickchurchyard, take the green trackahead, which goes down the sideof a garden and house to theright of two gates, and continuedown the track to a bridge over astream.2.For a shorter route, but a verysteep climb, continue ahead upthe cart track and up through afield between woods, to a bridgeunder the old railway. Carry onup the next field to a stile intothe conifer wood. The pathcurves up to an old quarry, thengoes round its right-hand edge, ahard climb, but there is a ricketyhand-rail. Cross the stile at thetop and turn right to the gate inthe hedge at 4.Otherwise, turn left here to astile in the bottom corner of thefield. A short distance beyond,cross the stream and walk alongit to a stile. Carry on beside thestream to a stile in the corner. Godown the short length of track toa footbridge. In the next field,follow the left-hand hedge roundthe corner.. The footpath thengoes diagonally right to a stile atthe top corner and through apatch of trees to a stile onto theroad to Alfrick. If the ground istoo swampy, as it often is, it maybe safer to head for the gate ontothe road at the end of the field.3.Turn right up the Alfrick road.At the top, you pass between thesides of a railway bridge.Knightwick station was just tothe left here. The sandstonerocks of the cutting were laiddown as wind-blown dunes in adesert, when Britain was part of acontinent just north of theEquator. This is part of the NewRed Sandstone that underlies thevalley of the Severn.At the corner, turn right up atrack, past two cottages on theright, to the top of the garden ofanother higher up on the left.You will see the deep railwayscutting in the wood below. Soilslips here delayed its constructionFollow the right-hand hedge upthe ridge and through the edgeof a small wood. The expanse ofthe Worcestershire plain comesinto view, with Bredon Hill andthe Cotswolds on the right, theLickey Hills to the left andWorcester in the middle. TheCathedral tower and spire of theGlover’s Needle stand out againstthe dark mass of Perry Woodbeyond.The path passes to the edge of awood on the right.The slope to the right was the horizontalsea bed when the rockswere laid down, the left slope cutsthrough the successive layers thataccumulated.The top[ of the ridgeis a band of harder limestone,which has resisted weathering. Itwas formed when the sea wasshallower and there were coralreefs. Continue to the next hedgeand go through the gate.4. To go to the Fox and Hounds,turn left here to a post and railfence in front of farm sheds. Goto the right over a stile, then leftalong the fence past the house toa gate onto the drive. Walk downit through the wood to the road.The pub is opposite on the left.To return, turn left from the pubup the road, until you reach aside road on the left. The path ison the right up the green trackopposite and then on throughRavenhill Wood. Turn left whenyou reach a forestry road andthen, where it bends to the right,take a sunken path diagonallyright down to the route of theWorcestershire Way. Turn rightalong it until you reach a gate atthe end of the wood. Go throughthe farm gate just ahead to rejointhe ridge walk at 5.4. To continue along the ridge, gothrough two gates at the end ofthe wood on the right. Theprospect to the west comes intoview.The houses of MeadowGreen are visible over to theright. Deep gullies have been dugin the ridge, where the harderlimestone was quarried. Much ofit was burnt to make lime, whichwas used to make mortar forbuilding and to improve the fertilityof heavy clay soils.Carry on to the end of the field.5. According to the OrdnanceSurvey map, the footpath startsin the strip of wood ahead andcurves down the next field butthere is no trace of it, so it is easierto head down the bank nearthe hedge to rejoin it at a stile atthe bottom corner onto a greenand often muddy lane.Follow it to the road at Highfieldsand continue along the road,bearing right back towardsKnightwick, until you reach astile on the right. Bear left to abridge over the little stream, thenfollow the hedge on the right tothe churchyard.