Month: April 2020

County Top 10 – Warwickshire

Ebrington Hill – 261m / 856ft – 09/03/20

I left the Black Country wetter than I arrived there and headed off into the growing traffic, heightened by the time of day “picking up the princes and princesses from school”. My destination was a small village called Mickleton between Evesham and Banbury and actually situated in the north east corner of Gloucestershire. My plan was to park at the village pub (Google Street view showed there was ample space maybe even to spend the night) and walk up and over the county line just into Warwickshire to reach the high point on Ebrington Hill. Despite the traffic I had made good time on my schedule and the rain had passed so when I arrived I judged there would be sufficient daylight for me to complete the walk and then decide on the evening arrangements for food and sleep.

I knew this was a rural area – I was expecting cattle, well trodden muddy, slippy farmland in the lower areas and muddy slippy farm tracks, and that folks is exactly what I got. This time I wore leggings under my waterproof trousers but decided against gaiters – mainly for the comfort and fashion statement factor! I set off out of the village, through a churchyard and found the paths across fields ankle deep in gloop and sliding all over the place. No cattle around so could have been even worse. I ploughed uphill past the walled grounds of Kiftsgate Court and came to a lane which ran alongside the stately Hidcote Manor (can’t recall whether it was actually open to the public but the car park was deserted). A farm track then took me ever upwards towards the top of the hill marked by yet another comms mast and this is where I got a little confused and forgetful. But fortunately did not make the crucial mistake of missing the real County Top.

Looking at my map I saw there was a trigpoint at/near the top of the hill at 259m, so I thought best to head there. I forgot however that I was still in Gloucestershire.

Trig point in Gloucestershire still (259m)

Looking at the map I realised that there was another point marked at 261m in an adjacent field which was where I really ought to be visiting, so I headed off again – fortunately this meant I crossed into Warwickshire for a few minutes sufficient to tick it off and complete my photo/video ritual.

261m Warwickshire high point

As with the earlier walk I would be heading back into the wind on the return and decided to make a more circular route back, mainly to see if I could find some tracks a little less treacherous than the ones on the way up. Generally that was the case, although still wet and muddy not as deep as before. I went through a large field of sheep heading down to Hidcote Boyce and then some wetter ground before picking up The Monarchs Way to skirt along the wooded ridge of Baker’s Hill (which I found out later is a “popular” local spot for suicides). Along that path I also passed a tree supposedly engraved by Belgian soldiers during the war.

There is actually an engraving on the tree – almost impossible to see in that light.

The track got very boggy towards the end and then the last trudge across fields, down a waterlogged track and back through the churchyard to the car. So around 17 miles in total for the day and my 10th County Top completed. Mission now – get clean, get fed and watered and get rested.

Just over the county line – barely set foot in Warwickshire at all

County Top 9 – West Midlands

Turner’s Hill – 269m / 883ft – 09/03/20

I drove from rural Shropshire towards the heart of the Black Country, an area of past life memories and place names I knew well – traffic flows increased and before long I was moving patiently in midday congestion towards my planned start point, a small area of natural parkland at Saltwells, in the middle of a built up housing area. The car park was fairly busy with dog walkers so I made sure to leave as much gear out of sight, locked up and fingers crossed!!. Having eaten some lunch on the go, I was quickly into my boots and out of the car – despite the rain imminent I decided not to go with the waterproof overtrousers (living on the edge, eh?) and set off, firstly north on a track in the woodland which brought me out at the Dudley Canal towpath which I followed eastwards for almost 2 miles before heading upwards across fields to the hill I could see marked with a TV mast on the horizon.

Turner’s Hill on the horizon

The canal passed through a mixture of industrial sites and residential areas with houses right by the canalside. I passed one or two locals with dogs and numerous Canada geese who were nesting and/or conducting courtships on the grassy banks and spoke to one or two people evidently living in canal boats moored up on the far side.

Canada geese protecting the nest

I was walking with the wind behind me, which was starting to get colder but the rain still did not arrive – I was not looking forward to the return journey back to the car… I passed a canal junction and a large turning area, there were numerous plaques and information boards describing the area’s industrial past, traditional tradesmen and ways of life. I left the canal just before it entered a long tunnel by an old mill or pumping station – at this point the lack of buildings around reminded me that I was right in the heart of Peaky Blinders territory so I decided not to hang around!! I headed off across a couple of fields towards a housing estate, crossed a main road and then started on an uphill track which eventually led to Dudley Golf course. Despite the sodden ground and the cold, windy weather there were one or two hardened amateurs out on the course. I found my way through a few fairways to the clubhouse at the top of the hill then along a short track to the official “summit”. It became clear as I approached that I would not be able to get into the compound enclosing the TV tower so I found the highest point on my OS app, filmed the obligatory video and considered whether to return by the same route or look for a quicker way back down to the canal.

Locked out…

I settled for a more direct path which bordered the southern edge of the golf course, but would take me through more of a residential area back to the canal. No sooner had I turned into the wind and started to go back downhill when the rain arrived.

Back down the fairway into the rain

It had been promised and here it was, in my face all the way back to the car – I picked my way along a narrow path through the scrub off the course when I should have just gone straight down the middle of the fairway, but I would not want some random idiot hiker slipping, sliding and trampling across my golf course so I stuck to my principles. I was starting to get very wet now as I reached the housing area and found my way through a couple of littered alleyways back to the canal. I had my waterproof jacket but the decision to go without the overtrousers came back to haunt me as my normal walking trousers got saturated and stuck to my legs like a neoprene suit. I joined the canal on the spur which took me back to the junction I had passed earlier and turned back into the wind and rain for the last half hour or so. When you’re wet, you are only wet and cannot get much wetter, so best enjoy it while it lasts and look forward to getting dry, although I would have to improvise somehow with only the car at my disposal. I passed the barges from earlier (strangely nobody to be seen).

Only one odd nut!!

It was just a case of keeping the head down into the weather and as I left the canal path and entered the woods I was sheltered from the wind and the rain began to abate, in fact by the time I reached the car it had pretty much stopped. Well this was not a walk I had really been looking forward to, it could have been worse but also a lot better – any way County Top number 9 ticked off, wet trousers laid out to dry in the back of the car and off en route to my next stop – Warwickshire.