I'm following the Monarch's Way* in the footsteps of King Charles II as he fled after defeat at the Battle of Worcester in 1651.
This walk starts at Boscobel. Coming from Worcester, Charles at first carried on past here, returning a few days later. (Boscobel is open at weekends during the winter)
Outside Boscobel, where I left my car, there's a new bench...
...dedicated to Trevor Antill, who founded the Monarch's Way path.
I followed the sign to White Ladies Priory.
It's about a mile down this road. Great views over to the Clee Hills in the distance
The Way turns off the road
...to White Ladies Priory.
Here, King Charles met members of the local Penderel family, who helped him change into peasant clothes and he hid all day in Spring Coppice nearby. (In the rain, apparently)
The King decided to make for the River Severn on foot, with Richard Penderel as his guide, with the idea of meeting up later with the rest of his party.
Here, the walk follows local by-lanes, and old green roads, and is likely to be the King's exact route.
On the map, this is the site of Hubbal Grange, Richard Penderel's house. He and the king ate a meal there before continuing. I couldn't find any trace of the house, but I will go back and take a better look soon.
Display of agricultural machinery outside a house on the way.
The way continues through fields of horses.
The Bell Inn on the A41 - where the path crosses.
Next to the Bell Inn is this: was it originally a house?
Rock Cottage at Tong Forge. It's on a really steep drop.
Monarch's Way signs, making the route easy to follow.
More green lanes
Lovely cottage in the trees
Over the railway at the interestingly named Bonemill Bridge
It's fairly unusual to pass an Indian restaurant on a long distance path, but this looked quite inviting. (It was shut though)
Lovely open views
Agricultural students doing field work
Riders enjoying the sunshine
The distant hill looked like it might be a hill fort, but I couldn't find out any details.
Passing Evelith Mill. Here Richard and the King closed a gate, which disturbed the miller, who gave chase.
He gave up - perhaps he had a wheezy chest after working in the mill's dusty atmosphere?
A tree with a story - a luxury apartment for an owl, and what looks like a white spot on the picture is actually a Monarch's Way waymark sticker
End of the journey, into Kemberton
The gates to the church
And an interesting artwork, all done by local people, to commemorate the Millenium - and to round off this walk.
And that was the end of a ten mile walk full of history and interest.
Today's walk: 10 miles, following the Monarch's Way from Boscobel to Kemberton, Shropshire. We walked with a car at each end, as there was no bus. It's very easy to follow - well-signed throughout - and was fairly flat. Possibly one of the easiest 10 mile walks ever. Highly recommended. Good views, and lots of historical interest.
* The Monarch's Way was created by Trevor Antill, and follows the route of King Charles following his defeat at the Battle of Worcester. It is 615 miles long, from Worcester, up to Telford, and back south via Stratford, over to near Bristol, then the south coast, from Charmouth in Dorset, to the departure point from Shoreham in Sussex. You can find details of the walk, guidlebooks, and much more, by clicking here.
No comments:
Post a Comment