Around Bewdley, Worcs

Bewdley is a lovely place to visit, and following my walk, (see previous blog here), I decided to explore
I walked down the river,...

...past Lax Lane (Lax is an old Norse word for salmon),...

 ...and along Bewdley's riverfront.

The older houses on the opposite bank are more scattered.

 Bewdley's bridge over the Severn

This van was parked here. It's from Teddy Gray's - a famous local sweetshop - 

The tempting window display

Bewdley was very busy despite the drizzle.

Typical Bewdley archtecture

I went into the Museum. It  has free admission, and is well worth a look. 

Bewdley was famous for rope-making: I was interested in the knots...

...and the different types of rope.

Charcoal burning was common in the Wyre Forest.

An old local fire engine. 

Few museums have a model of a slaughterhouse (!) ...

... but Bewdley has a long tradition, associated with locally reared meat, which were sold at the weekly market.

Pieces of the old Bewdley bridge - I love the anchor 

Outside, there was a lovely garden,

...some of which was given over to herb growing.

Part of the garden grew over this, an air raid shelter, still in its original sitauation

Inside the shelter: this shelter, had an exit either end, and electric light because it was built for the postmaster, who was alos in charge of the telephone exchange. No bombs ever fell on Bewdley though, so it was never used.

The air raid shelter came in kit form, for families to erect for themselves

An old iron-worker's store 

Next door were some of the moulds. I can't work out what this one was for. 

The museum also houses some artists' workshops. I quite liked this straw horse.

The museum is well worth investigating - and yes, there's a decent cafe, for those who need a little more persuading. 

Today's walk. A continuation from yesterday. Park at the car park by the river, and follow the signs marked Ribbesford Circuit. 2 miles in total. (Click here to see the  Circuit) Afterwards, I walked into Bewdley to explore further.

Bewdley - Ribbesford circular walk

Bewdley, Worcs, is very popular as a tourist destination. But this walk shows some of the less well-known aspects.
It is really easy to do, as it's well signposted, with no stiles (I know some people don't like stiles), and it's only just over two miles long - so there's no excuse for not doing it!
Starting from Gardner's Meadow Car Park, by the river, there were lots of fishermen out, even though it was raining.

The path is clear, and there are plenty of wayside flowers.

A bee investigating some comfrey

This was taken from under the Bewdley bypass itself.  

A passing lorry: from down it's here mostly hidden by greenery.

The sandstone cliffs on the opposite bank

The signs are easy to follow: this is the Ribbesford Circular walk.

Tranquil swans

 More sandstone

A memorial bench with a beautiful view (the view above)

 Wild flowers everywhere

This is the only difficult bit of the route: I couldn't see a sign, but you definitely need to turn left towards the white sign shown here (it goes to Ribbesford Church)  

A small glimpse of the fabulous Ribbesford House - a listed building, but not open to the public.

The wooded lane to the church

St Leonard's Church, Ribbesford

An unusual porch

The church has Norman origins. This weathered stone may have been carved in the 12th century when the church was built (it is not a gargoyle - they are waterspouts)

Other old buildings in the little hamlet of Ribbesford

And then, this surprisingly modern house, which contrasts with everything else there.

Back under the road

I sheltered from the rain for a  bit - but it wasn't cold, so I decided to continue

Quite large hills, so close to a river

Down the path, and back to Bewdley

The right-hand part of the Georgian house used to be painted a most distinctive blue and green. Now it's back to ordinary white

But it has some history: the blue plaque reveals that Captain Smith-Clark was born here - chief engineer at Alvis. Alvis was a Coventry-based car manufacturer 1919 to 1967

Past the Quaker Meeting House, which I'd not noticed before

And back to the car park, where I noticed the map. Might have been better to see it before I started, really.

So that's it. The walk can be done in less than an hour, but there's lots to look at, so allow longer. Could be done on a summer night, finishing in one of Bewdley's many eating places. To see more from Bewdley, click here
Today's walk. Park at the car park by the river, and follow the signs marked Ribbesford Circuit. 2 miles in total