Hereford

Lammas meadows are held in shared ownership and divided into strips, but without walls, hedges or fences to mark the boundaries.

Instead, dole stones were traditionally used, many of which are still in place in Lugg Meadow, with a few in nearby Hampton Meadow too (another Lammas meadow).

Each year, from Candlemas (February 2) until Lammas (August 1) Lammas meadows are left ungrazed to allow a hay crop to grow. Each owner harvests their own plot and the meadow is then open for communal grazing by livestock belonging to local commoners.

Today, large parts of Lugg Meadow are owned by two conservation organisations, Herefordshire Nature Trust and Plantlife, so the traditional management system survives. The meadow is best known for its spring display of snakeshead fritillary, a very scarce wildflower.

Even in Lugg Meadow it’s confined to one small area.

Many other wild plants are present, from cuckoo flower in early spring to knapweed in late summer. Lugg Meadow is designated open access land but the southern part (below the A438) is closed from March to July to protect nesting curlew.

A gap of only 300m separates the lower part of Lugg Meadow from Hampton Meadow, and they must originally have been part of the same system. Hampton Meadow belongs to Herefordshire Nature Trust and the two meadows together form one of the most important nature reserves in the county.

FACTFILE

START Hereford Rail Station, grid ref SO515405.

LENGTH 10 miles/16km.

MAPS OS Explorer 189, OS Landranger 149.

TERRAIN Mostly meadows of one sort or another; one gentle slope but no hills.

FOOTPATHS Mostly excellent, though waymarking is patchy in places.

STILES Four.

PARKING Country Bus Station Car Park, Commercial Road.

PUBLIC TRANSPORT Bus (Mon-Sat) or train (daily) to Hereford; worcestershire.gov.uk/bus timetables, 01905 765765, nationalrail.co.uk, 08457 484950.

REFRESHMENTS Hereford and Hampton Bishop.

DIRECTIONS

1 Follow Station Approach to Commercial Road and turn right. Go straight on at a junction, along Commercial Street. Turn right at High Town, then left just before Marks & Spencer, on a passageway leading to Cathedral Close. Turn right to Broad Street then left along Palace Yard which leads to Bridge Street. Cross Wye Bridge then turn left, joining the Wye Valley Walk (WVW). Cross back again at Victoria Bridge and turn right. The path then runs mostly through pasture before joining Outfall Works Road which follows the river for a while before bending left beside the railway.

2 Pass under the railway, bearing right on Eign Road/Hampton Park Road, then soon left at Old Eign Hill. Climb to a crossroads and go straight on.

After passing a shop the road bends right and descends to Hampton Park Road. Turn left, rejoining WVW. After crossing Sudbury Avenue, cross Hampton Park Road, follow WVW to the river and walk upstream, initially by the river but later on a floodbank. When WVW goes left stay on the floodbank instead, as far as the Bunch of Carrots at Hampton Bishop. Join the road, cross over and turn right, then take Rectory Road. You’ll soon be back on WVW, which joins from the left.

3 After passing the Old Rectory leave WVW and take a path on the right. Walk to St Andrew’s Church, then leave the churchyard on Whitehall Road.

Turn left, then left on Church Lane. Walk to Rectory Road and turn right, rejoining WVW. Turn right at a junction. After a short distance, leave WVW on the left for a footpath on a floodbank beside Back Brook. This leads to a gate where you enter open access land – there’s no signage here but when you turn right to cross a bridge you’ll find a sign welcoming you to Hampton Meadow. Walk between Back Brook and the Lugg to another bridge and cross to Hampton Meadow proper (the smaller meadow is actually called Big and Little Million).

4 Follow the Lugg for 100m until it bends sharply left. Don’t follow it but continue in roughly the same direction as before, towards two wooden pylons.

Ignore a path branching right and keep on in much the same direction to a concrete bridge. Go left on a footpath, heading for a waymarked post next to a dole stone. Keep straight on, drawing closer to the right-hand edge of the meadow. Continue into the far corner, then in a similar direction through another meadow to meet a lane at a junction.

5 Turn left on Tidnor Lane. Walk to the main road and turn left.

Before long, you’ll find access to Lugg Meadow at a gate on the right. Follow the river for at least three-quarters of a mile. At first there are fields on the other side of the river but after a while these are replaced by woodland. As this begins to thin out look for a dole stone next to a white-topped iron post close to the river. Very soon after this you should see a faint path heading left. Don’t worry if you miss it as there are other paths further on. Most of them converge on a footbridge at the other side of the meadow, which is what you’re aiming for. Look for a gabled, grey-stone house to guide you.

6 Cross the footbridge and walk straight up a field then along Walney Lane to the main road, Aylestone Hill. Turn left, then take Venns Lane at a crossroad.

Go into a park and walk downhill to rejoin Aylestone Hill. It’s just a few minutes’ walk along the road to the bus and train stations and the car park (though bus users can catch the 420 on Aylestone Hill).