In 1575 Queen Elizabeth I visited Worcester and spent part of her stay at Hallow Park, where she indulged in some deer hunting, presumably around the area still marked on OS maps as Hunting Grove.

In Elizabeth's day the riverside meadows were probably not yet divided by hedges, and it's likely there were more trees, though even in the 16th Century much native woodland had already been cleared.

Certainly by the 20th Century most of Hallow had long since become farmland, with relatively few trees remaining, except around Hallow Park itself and along the riverbank.

During the 1980s, however, a large chunk of grassland was replanted with trees to create Green Park Arboretum.

Most of these trees were native species, well-suited to local conditions, and they thrived.

Today, they have already formed dense woodland which is of enormous value to wildlife and adds considerably to the pleasure of a Severnside walk.

We would expect to see water birds such as heron, kingfisher and moorhen in this area, but the extensive tree cover means we also see woodland species such as great spotted woodpecker and long-tailed tit.

Trees grow thickly along the banks of the river too.

Most common are alder, willow, hawthorn and ash. There is also a scattering of oaks, some of them of such stature that it's tempting to speculate that they may already have been saplings at the time of Elizabeth's visit.

The oak supports more species of wildlife than any other native tree, but the alder is also a big hit at this time of year because it produces masses of seeds which are much enjoyed by birds such as siskins, redpolls and goldfinches.

These species forage in flocks, which are constantly on the move and always twittering. They're hard to miss, but birds such as great spotted woodpeckers, which forage individually, are not so easy to spot.

Rather more flamboyant and exotic are the peafowl which you will encounter near that popular riverside inn, the Camp House. There are also lots of ducks and some very talkative geese at the Camp House, and further on you will see more ducks and geese, together with swans and gulls, as you walk past a cluster of flooded gravel pits.

Incidentally, this walk includes a stretch of the Severn Way: for information about this long-distance trail check out the informative, full-colour guidebook available from local shops and tourist information centres.

DIRECTIONS

Walk north beside the Severn. To begin with, it doesn't matter which side of the river you're on. However, if you start by walking along the east bank you must cross to the Westside at Sabrina Bridge.

After passing the steps at Ferry Bank your surroundings become increasingly rural. Just over one-and-a-half miles from Worcester Bridge a boundary stone marks the city limits. After this, meadows and woodland take over completely.

When you reach Camp House Inn turn left to a junction then join a diverted footpath indicated by a large sign. The path follows a field edge to another sign where you cross a pair of stiles before walking uphill to meet the A443 at Hallow. Cross over to join Oakleigh Avenue by the shop/post office and walk to Oakleigh Heath where a sign indicates a footpath.

Turn left on the fenced path which soon leads to a field. Go to the right to meet a lane then turn right again, walking towards Shoulton. On the edge of the hamlet, soon after you've passed a sign for Green Street, turn left on a footpath which skirts the edge of a garden before continuing along a field edge.

Climb over a locked gate at the bottom of the field and keep going to find a footbridge which takes you across Laughern Brook into another field. Continue in much the same direction, to the right of a knoll, until you come to a stile near the top

right corner of the field.

Having crossed the stile, turn left and shortly go through a gap in a fence.

Keep straight on across two fields to reach Peachley Lane. Turn right, then very soon left into a field grazed by horses. Follow the right-hand edge to a gate and then go diagonally left across the next field to the far corner.

Cross a stile and walk along the edge of the ensuing field to meet Hallow Lane. The footpath continues opposite, running along the left-hand edges of two fields to bring you to Lovington Lane. Turn left along the lane.

After 400m the lane bends sharp right and then you soon come to a point where it becomes a bridleway, and a nettle-infested footpath is indicated on your right. Take this path, which descends to cross a brook then rises gently over two fields to meet a bridleway near Eastbury Manor.

Turn left past converted farm buildings and along a short grassy track which leads into cattle pasture. Turn right and walk down to Laughern Brook. Go over a stile then cross the brook at a footbridge and climb steps to Monarch Drive on the Henwick Park estate.

Turn right to meet Martley Road. Turn left, cross Henwick Road and walk towards town for a short distance until Ferry Bank provides access to the riverside towpath. Turn right to Worcester Bridge.

FACTFILE

Start: Worcester Bridge.

Length: 8.5 miles/13.7km.

Maps: OS Explorer 204, OS Landranger 150.

Terrain: gentle - but subject to flooding; towpath, meadows, mixed farmland.

Stiles: 25, and a locked gate.

Refreshments: the Camp House by the river, a shop at Hallow and shops on Martley Road; the Wheatsheaf on Henwick Road can easily be accessed from the towpath.

DISCLAIMER

This walk has been carefully checked and the directions are believed to be correct at the time of publication. No responsibility is accepted by either the author or publisher for errors or omissions, or for any loss or injury, however caused.