directions

WALK north beside the B4202 and turn right when you come to the village school. Ignore a turning for Suffolk Lane and keep straight on past a green towards Abberley Village.

At a junction by St Michael's Church in the village centre fork left on the Heightington lane, passing the Manor Arms. Ignore all branching footpaths and keep straight on at a road junction.

Soon after the junction the road bends left and leads to a signposted Worcestershire Way junction next to a farm. Turn right on a bridleway, shown as Worcestershire Way South. Walk along field edges towards Abberley Hill.

Turn left when you meet a lane. You'll soon come to Shavers End, at the northern tip of Abberley Hill, where you'll see the entrance to a quarry. A footpath leaves the road just before this point. Take this path if you wish, but bear in mind that the first 400m or so are very steep. After this, the gradient soon eases as the path reaches the top of Abberley Hill.

An easier alternative is provided by the Worcestershire Way, which leaves the road a few metres further on, just after the quarry entrance. It is gentle at first, followed by a brief steep section before the gradient eases again as it climbs towards the top of the hill. It's a bridleway so oes tend to be muddier than the footpath.

Whichever route you choose you will soon be following the Worcestershire Way along the top of the ridge and should ignore all branching paths.

Towards the far end of the ridge there are some lovely views before the trig pillar is reached, after which the Worcestershire Way begins a short, steep descent which leads to a minor road, Wynniattes Way. Turn left, then shortly right on to the B4202.

FACTFILE

Start: B4202, Abberley; GR745677.

Length: 4 miles/6.4km.

Maps: OS Landranger 138 or 150, OS Explorer 204.

Terrain: mostly gentle, with one steep but very brief ascent and one steep but brief descent; woodland paths (muddy in places), field-edge paths and quiet lanes.

Stiles: two.

Parking: find roadside parking in Abberley, perhaps on or close to the B4202 or Wynniattes Way.

Buses: Yarrantons 758 Worcester to Tenbury via Abberley, Mondays to Saturdays; County Bus Line 08457 125436.

Refreshments: shop at Abberley Common (on main road); pub in Abberley Village.S

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.

AFTER the Romans left in the 5th Century Britain, entered a period we now call the Dark Ages, mainly because we don't know much about it.

But we do know that bands of Germanic raiders were coming ashore in the south and east and making their way across the country.

Much of Britain was still densely wooded, so the raiders often used the river system to penetrate the country. It was in the sixth century that a Saxon chief called Eobald led a band of followers up the Severn and along Dick Brook. He established a settlement in a clearing enclosed within the curve of a vaguely U-shaped hill.

The settlement was known as Eobaldelega, then Eobaldsleigh and eventually Abberley. During the reign of the great Mercian king Offa, in the ninth century, Abberley acquired its first church, dedicated to St Michael. In the 12th century the Norman Roger de Todeni acquired Abberley and replaced the Saxon church built in Offa's reign with a much grander one.

Today Abberley is a loose-knit sort of place, with modern development at Abberley Common between the A443 and B4202. The original settlement, known as Abberley Village, still nestles below the north slope of Abberley Hill. It has a new church now, built by the Victorians, but the Norman church of St Michael still stands in the village centre, though it's now partially ruinous.

During restoration work five exquisite silver spoons dating from the 14th century were discovered in the church walls. They are now in the British Museum but there is a replica in the church. Outside there stands a Saxon tomb cover which the 12th-century Norman builders re-used as a lintel.

From at least the 13th century Abberley was an industrial as well as an agricultural community, with coal mines and quarries. Lime kilns and a brick works followed later. There is still a working quarry on Abberley Hill but for the most part the hill is tree-covered and offers good walking. An area of open grassland near the highest point is full of wild flowers in summer and provides excellent views all year.

In 1405 Henry IV and his army pitched camp on Abberley Hill, while the rebel leader Owain Glyndwr, his Welsh forces augmented by Frenchmen, camped on nearby Woodbury Hill. There was no battle, as such, but a few small incidents did take place and some men died. The stand-off lasted eight days before Glyndwr retreated, put off by the continuous rain, according to one version of the story.

In 1483 Woodbury Hill was again used as an army camp, this time by the Duke of Buckingham, attempting to make war on Richard III but prevented from crossing the Severn by flooding.

All of which sounds familiar, but fortunately these hills still offer a refuge from flooded fields, if not for armies, at least for walkers hoping to keep their feet dry. Abberley Hill is muddy in places, but conditions underfoot remain much better than in low-lying areas. In this walk the path across the hill is combined with quiet, almost traffic-free lanes and one fairly firm field-edge bridleway, resulting in an enjoyable walk which won't leave you cursing the weather.