On the trail of the lonesome pine tree

Being as he was also proceeding at a stately walking pace, he also had plenty of time to take in this most lofty of direction indicators.

Long before the days of the horseless carriage and all the street furniture that came with it, the simplest way of getting from one place to another was by following the trail of the lonesome pine.

Who first planted these giant route indicators is probably lost in the mists of time, but an educated guess would be that they had something to do with the Vikings, although there is some evidence the Saxons were using the system too.

In those days, not many people travelled across country. There was not a lot of need to, unless you were running away from something or trading in something.

And it therefore came to pass that clumps of Scots Pines were planted as waymarks for the drovers driving their herds of cattle, sheep, goats and geese from their feeding grounds to the markets.

There were no roads as such, only muddy tracks, and the landscape was very open, therefore the pine trees stood out, clearly marking the route between settlements.

In Worcester and the surrounding area many of these trees - or at least their descendants - still stand today and in some cases the fight is on to prevent them being felled in re-development schemes.

Currently Joe Walter, the erstwhile campaigner against a supermarket in the middle of St John's, has included in his portfolio a plan to save the giant pines in Swanpool Walk, which once marked the way for travellers on the old drovers' road from Aberystwyth to London.

Joe has attracted support from local historian Max Sinclair of Lower Broadheath, who has carried out much research into the whole waymark phenomenon.

"Originally planted in groups of about six trees, some of the marks - like that on the corner of Solitair Avenue and Oldbury Road - are now down to a single trees," said Max.

"All the sites should be recorded on a national basis before they finally vanish.

"Virtually every route into Worcester is marked by Scots Pines and these should be carefully safe guarded for future generations to show the city's importance as a cattle market."

Driven in their thousands, flocks of sheep and herds of cattle crossed the Welsh border, passing through Martley, Broadheath Common (where a group of pines stand opposite Elgar's birthplace), Oldbury Farm and into St John's via the Solitaire Avenue waymark.

The beasts were then fed and watered in the meadows below Swanpool Walk.

They would then ford the tidal Severn before setting off up London Road and over the Cotswolds.

"The incredible road can still be followed using the waymark trees," added Max, "and it would be tragic if Worcester allowed developers to break the chain."

He believes the Viking connection with the waymarks is logical, because of the Scandinavian type of tree used.

Obviously most of the originals have long since rotted away, but cones dropping from them have seeded in the ground to perpetuate the site.

They are a reminder of days when livestock crossed the country in massive herds, their size almost beyond today's comprehension.

According to Max there is the tale of a King of England (which one he's not sure) travelling near Oxford on his way to the Midlands when he came face to face with one-such herd.

"Stand by for the King of England", shouts one of the royal outriders.

"Stand by yourself," came the drover's retort. "Or you and the King of England will get flattened!"

"And so the King stood by - all day!" Max added. "The cattle slowly lumbered past, the giant herd stretching to either horizon.

"Eventually as the last animals passed the royal cortege, the King asked to whom they belonged.

"William of Worcester," was the reply.

"Well, William of Worcester, England should be proud of you," said the King.

Today we should not lose touch with that proud heritage.