Clee Hills

The summit – Titterstone Clee Hill – is scarred by radar installations, including obtrusive masts and bizarre structures resembling giant footballs.

But you only have to turn your back on them to enjoy incomparable views across several counties and two countries, both from the trig pillar and from the prehistoric cairn known as the Giant’s Chair.

DIRECTIONS

1 Go through a gate and turn left towards a toposcope. Having passed it, continue in the same direction until you come to an area of dense bracken. Turn right, descending to meet a bridleway which cuts a grassy swathe through the bracken. Turn left, still descending slightly. Turn left at a house and follow a track towards the main road. Turn right after Lea Cottage and follow power-lines across the common to a lane. Turn left towards the road.

2 Turn right when the lane bends left, pass above a house and find a path through the gorse.

Cross the main road at the far end of the common and go uphill, following power-lines at first, and then keeping to the left of a tumbledown stone wall. The wall, as such, soon comes to an end, but it continues as a low, grassy ridge, with stones breaking the surface in places. Cross a hard-surfaced track and continue in the same direction, heading towards a mast.

Cross two more tracks and you will see a dead tree on the skyline, though at first it looks more like a forked pole. Head towards it. As you pass a pool the dead tree disappears from view but soon reappears.

3 Turn right at a cross-path as soon as you’ve passed the dead tree. After a few paces fork left so that you’re heading towards the summit, not towards Random Farm. Turn left when you see a fence ahead, and head for the far left corner of the fence – you should soon pick up a good path which turns right just after the fence corner and then forks – take the left-hand branch and head towards a pair of masts. Turn right when you meet a road then join a path which climbs directly towards the right-hand end of the fencing enclosing the masts. Pass to the right of the masts and Brown Clee Hill will then come into view ahead.

Walk a little way towards it then turn left towards two giant footballlike structures, joining the road at some point. Pass the ‘footballs’ and continue along the road until it ends at another radar installation.

A path then leads directly to the trig pillar on the summit; as you approach it, you’ll see a tumbled heap of stones on your right – this is the Giant’s Chair.

4 Enjoy the view from the summit then head towards the Giant’s Chair but continue past it on a trodden path which soon bears left, cutting a narrow green swathe through bilberry bushes and descending, gently at first, then more steeply for a while, the gradient easing as it reaches bracken. You should be heading directly towards Brown Clee, on a wide grassy path. Go left when the path forks, towards the left shoulder of Brown Clee. The path becomes much narrower then meets a cross-path. Turn left, and contour round the side of Titterstone Clee, ignoring branching paths. The main path is narrow but still obvious, until you come to a clearing in the bracken.

The path is ill-defined now but a wide path is visible below – the easiest way to join this is to continue in much the same direction whilst beginning to bear very gradually downwards until you meet a path which takes you directly down to the wide path, on which you turn left. Soon after this you will step over a stream, beyond which the path forks – go left, climbing slightly.

5 Turn left at a junction above a farmhouse – there are two paths going left but either one will do as they soon merge. Pass under an incline (a former tramway) and proceed along a grassy path through the bracken. Very soon, you’ll find that you’re walking along the edge of the common, but don’t leave it until you have crossed a footbridge. Turn right to go through a gate, proceed into a meadow, turn left to a house at the far side then turn right along a track which eventually meets a road. Turn right, descend past Rouse Boughton Terrace and Hedgehog House (the home of the British Hedgehog Preservation Society). Turn left on a bridleway at Rockleigh and keep straight on at all junctions until you’ve passed a telephone exchange. Turn right down a lane, left at a junction and left at the A4117, through Clee Hill.

Please note this walk has been carefully checked and the directions are believed to be accurate at the time of publication.

No responsibility is accepted by either the author or publisher for errors or omissions, or for any loss, accident or injury, however caused

FACT FILE

Start: Viewpoint/picnic site by A4117 at eastern edge of Clee Hill village, grid ref SO594753.

Length: 6½ miles/10.5km (but infinitely variable according to preference).

Maps: OS Explorer 203, OS Landranger 138.

Terrain: Moorland, rough pasture, boggy patches.

Footpaths: Most of the route is on open access land, which has numerous longestablished paths (many more than appear on the OS map). The route described sticks mainly to paths but in places you will have to pick the best way through gorse and rushes. There are no obstacles and you are free to walk wherever you like within the area overlaid with a yellow-brown wash on the OS map, so the route is easily adjustable to suit personal preference.

Stiles: None.

Parking: At viewpoint/picnic site.

Public transport: Bus (294/295/300/303) or train to Kidderminster then Ludlow service 292, daily; worcestershire.gov.uk/bustimetables or Worcestershire Hub 01905 765765.

Refreshments: Two pubs, two shops, two cafés and a chippy.

Ordance Survey

Worcester News recommends the use of OS Explorer Maps, your ideal passport to navigating the countryside. This walk is based on OS Explorer 203.