IN 1967, when the Reverend R H Lloyd was vicar of St Mary's Church at Elmley Castle, he wrote a small but very informative book entitled Bredon Hill and its Villages.

In his preface, Mr Lloyd declared that "No one who has lived on or near Bredon Hill can ever escape its enchantment".

To get an inkling of what he meant, all it takes is a walk on the hill in the right weather conditions.

A sunny, breezy day with blue skies and scudding white clouds is always exhilarating. The combination of weather like that (admittedly, we don't get much of it) with a brisk walk on top of Bredon Hill is almost guaranteed to make you feel good.

This is only a short walk, but you can easily extend it. Just keep following the bridleway along the rim of the escarpment until you've had enough, then retrace your steps to the bridleway which descends to Even Hill.

On a good day, you'll almost certainly want to do that.

On a bad day, with bitter winds sweeping across the hilltop, you may be only too pleased that the route described here largely eschews the escarpment edge and stays so much in the shelter of woodland.

Elmley Castle is a lovely village, with an interesting history, well documented by Mr Lloyd.

In 1575 it was visited by Queen Elizabeth I, a rare honour for a small and relatively remote village.

The event is depicted on the sign at the village pub, which is called the Queen Elizabeth.

The long lost castle stood on a knoll above the village. In the 12th Century it was briefly considered more important than Worcester Castle, because it belonged to the powerful Beauchamp family, who later acquired the earldom of Warwick.

But by 1316 Elmley Castle was ruinous, with people plundering it for building stone for houses and field boundaries.

Henry VIII's topographer, John Leland, claimed that stone from Elmley Castle was used to build Pershore Bridge.

St Mary's is one of the most interesting churches in Worcestershire.

One of its chief treasures is a very grand tomb of the Savage family.

Much less pretentious, but very easily missed, are the charming carvings of a rabbit and a pig inside the porch. In the churchyard there stands a very strange and elaborate sundial, with several gnomons.

It is believed to date from around 1550, so it's possible that Elizabeth I consulted it during her visit.

She may also have hunted deer while at Elmley - she was fond of hunting and is known to have hunted at Hallow, near Worcester, a couple of days previously.

A deer park was enclosed at Elmley in 1234 and there are still fallow deer living on the hill today.

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.

Directions

Walk through the churchyard, leaving it at the rear left corner. Walk past a pond then enter a field. Cross to another field (the direct path from the car park joins here) and turn right. Follow the field edge until you come to a stile near a corner. Cross the stile and follow a well-trodden path across a pasture to the top left corner.

Turn right on a bridleway (the Wychavon Way). After an initial climb past Fiddler's Knap, a brief level stretch takes you to a footbridge where you turn left to climb some more. Keep straight on at a junction, soon entering Long Plantation.

At the top of the plantation the Wychavon Way goes left. Turn right instead, along the rim of the escarpment. After 800m, when another bridleway crosses your path, turn right to join it, heading back into Long Plantation.

You'll soon emerge from the trees to find a choice of three onward paths. Keep straight on, choosing the middle option which descends to another junction. Again, keep straight on, crossing a grassy plateau (Even Hill) where fallow deer are often to be seen. Proceed into another wood (Comberton Wood/Cames Coomb), which soon gives way to a plantation.

An initially steepish descent soon levels out as the bridleway swings right. Eventually, having left the trees behind, you'll see a footpath (yellow arrow) on the right. Guided by frequent waymarks and a succession of stiles, you'll find the path very easy to follow through several fields until you come at last to a farm. Pass through two gates and then straight on to the left of a barn. Turn right to pass behind it and proceed to a lane. Turn left into Elmley Castle.

FACTFILE

Start: St Mary's Church, Elmley Castle, grid ref SO981410.

Length: Four miles/6.5km.

Maps: OS Explorer 190, OS Landranger 150.

Terrain: Pasture and woodland. There are no particularly steep ascents, making this a very easy way up Bredon Hill.

Footpaths: Mostly excellent.

Stiles: 13.

Parking: Elmley Castle Picnic Place - this is down the lane which leaves the village centre opposite the pub, just before the church.

The walk is described from the church, for the benefit of environmentally-friendly walkers who arrive by bus, and also for those arriving by car who wish to explore the village before climbing the hill.

If you don't want to do that, just go straight into the field behind the car park and follow the right-hand edge to meet the path from the church, which joins from the right.

Buses: The 577 serves Elmley Castle direct from Worcester daily, except Wednesdays and Sundays, departing at 11.20am. The return journey requires a change at Pershore, to the 551.

There is also an earlier departure to Elmley Castle at 9.47am from Pershore, depart Worcester on the 551 at 9.05am to make the connection. Traveline 0870 6082608 or www.traveline.org.uk

Refreshments: Queen Elizabeth Inn, Elmley Castle.