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Travel StoriesThe Middle West Of England
Hereford And Home
Ride Date 13 and 14 July 2024
By Ren Withnell
It's disconcerting, but I think I like it. Sharon is awake and willing, with the help of a brew, to get up and get dressed before midday. We're up, we're breakfasted, and we're dressed before 1030 and all this at a gentle pace. It's going to be a lazy day though with nothing more extravagant than a stroll, a ride to Hereford for some shopping and maybe a detour on the way back.
First - a stroll. The lanes hereabouts are narrow and at this time of year overgrown. This may be a problem if there's any vehicles hereabout, but there aren't. The countryside conforms to rural English farming expectations with broad, gently rolling fields, sporadic clumps of trees, dense tangled hedgerows, and a mixture of arable and dairy farming. It's been wet recently and everything is growing as hard as it can while the conditions are ripe. Including the weeds.
Set into the wall of a long old low barn, thick with brambles and nettles is a letterbox. Erm - yeah - that's not good. It seems a colony of bees is presently making their home within. The letterbox is small and old but the collection time tags look fairly new, I fear the local postie might be making a call to pest control or a local beekeeper soon.
There's the odd house dotted here and there, all quite nice and not at all grandiose or ostentatious. Outside one a spritely grey haired chap gives us a friendly smile and we stop for a brief chat. Turns out the smart clean fresh looking property was the birthplace of the real Dick Whittington of Panto fame. Later research tells me Dick Whittington was born in 1354 so there can't be much of the original house left. Still, there ya go eh.
It's not a long walk, enough to get the blood circulating but not leave us worn out. Upon return we have a brew and a snack before heading out to Hereford. Hereford is a regular town, small compared to Bolton or Manchester but a town with all the usual town things. It does however have free motorcycle parking and shops that sell food.
Woohoo!
Much Marcle - with a name like that it seems rude not to drop in if you're in the area. It's a village, quite lovely with a mix of modern houses and a few old ones, of course a church and not a lot else. While there we stop at The Walwyn Arms for a glass of pop. Outside the pub one of the locals asks about my bike, he's really more interested in telling me about his sportsbike antics.
Can you guess where this image was taken?
The evening is once again spent watching telly, making tea and just hanging out. We're reminiscing about our various trips as we look forward to our upcoming Spanish adventure. To bed once again. The next morning and it's already time to head home. With the bags packed and the bikes loaded up we make our way onto the roads in fair to good weather.
The cat has no opinion on our leaving, or any other subject.
Bromyard provides us with a stretch and a stroll and Much Wenlock provides us with a brew. Both places are small towns with Bromyard being the larger and more modern, Much Wenlock is filled with ancient houses and timber frames. Alas and alack it's not long before we're both home and getting ready for work the next day.
Much Wenlock is probably a bit older than Sharon. She's behind me isn't she...
I know it shouldn't, I've been riding the UK's roads for 35 years now, but I'm still surprised just how much of the UK is filled with loveliness. I suppose the reason is despite my UK travels most of my time is spent riding around Greater Manchester, Merseyside and South Lancashire. There are indeed some pretty villages and pleasant countryside scenes to be found here, but it's mostly post industrial towns, housing estates, industrial estates, and retail parks.
If you go to the right places in GB there are myriad hamlets and villages, quiet places, almost sleepy. There's so many towns that have a beginning and an end with fields between rather than just merging into one massive conurbation as they do near me. If I planned my local journeys badly I could ride from Southport to Glossop or Lancaster to Chester and barely see anything other than post industrial towns, housing estates, industrial estates, and retail parks.
This is what most of my riding looks like.
I've found myself when riding these country roads asking - why? The obvious answer is I live is a populous area. The UK is densely packed compared to many countries, and it seems I live in a densely packed area of a densely packed country. Spain and France for example are not "underpopulated" but coming from the UK you realise they are "less populated" in terms of people per square mile or kilometre.
Before I go off hankering for "the good 'ole days" and moaning we're heading for "Brit-Cit" (Judge Dredd Lore) bear in mind a few things. Upt's quaint rural existence means a 50 mile round trip for shopping requiring fuel and time, I can walk to my local shops. I have a 24/7/365 petrol station close by if disaster strikes and I run out of tea bags. Cities produce a lot concentrated emissions but think of how many people use public transport in a city compared to the countryside where it barely exists?
What I want is an Aldi and Tesco, train station and bus route, auto factors and motorcycle shop, tool shop and perhaps a nice cafe come bar, all within 15 minutes walk. I want this out in the sticks with mountain views and riverside walks, twisty local lanes to ride and vast vistas to soak in. I want neighbours who are friendly but I don't want them so close I can hear them arguing through the walls.
I'd also like it such as the weather is dry during the day and rains at night. The temperature would be a steady 15-18C with a gentle breeze. I want to the roads to be quiet yet there's a few friendly riders around to chat to when I stop. Little fluffy bunnykins hopping in the meadows and
Well I ain't gonna get what I want because a) I don't work hard enough and b) the impossible is, well, impossible. Not to worry. I suppose the real point it there's a lot of lufferly lufferly places up and down this sceptred isle and it's my job to enjoy sticking my nose into them.
She always cleans the blummin' thing after a trip.
Advertise here - contact ren@bikesandtravels.com
Prologue - The Middle West Of England
In a completely unnecessary level of exposition Ren explains the lead up to a short break. There's genius maps to help in case you're bored.
A Cotswoldian Reconsideration
It's about time Ren rethinks his position on what is generally considered a nice part of England. It's all very nice, but is it too nice?
From The Quaint To The Bucolic
Honey coloured stone buildings all around, words like "quaint" and "charming" abound. Ren endures another day of likeable towns and comfy beds. He'll have to find something to gripe about.
Hereford And Home
A brief note on the last couple of days of this short trip and Ren is reflecting on just how much countryside there is out there.
Reader's Comments
Upt'North ¹ said :-
Don't we all Ed, don't we all.
But no Halfords.
Upt.
08/11/2024 13:51:11 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
You're properly upset with Halfords ain't you Upt'? Calm down calm down! Lets face it you're out in the middle of nowhere, you can't be falling out with anyone as there's not many anyones around.
I've received part 2 - I have yet to peruse it's contents yet.
11/11/2024 08:06:14 UTC
nab301 said :-
Ren , some lovely villages there, I know the trip was in July and you mention an abundance of weeds (ahem , aka wild flowers) currently it's November and I have if not an abundance a noticeable number of dandelions and buttercups flourishing on the lawn... are we doomed ?
Nigel
11/11/2024 12:58:46 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
nab301 - of course we are doomed, we're all doomed! Who knows what disasters and pestilence climate change will bring, who knows the chaos and calamity another Trump administration will bring, who knows if Betelgeuse will go supernova and rain heinous radiation upon our planet and wipe out all living things. As such my recommendation is enjoy life, and if it's mild and dry (as it is presently) in November then get on a motorcycle and go somewhere nice. Actually if it's cold and wet in November I'd still recommend going somewhere nice on the bike, just put your big coat on.
12/11/2024 07:51:06 UTC
Upt'North ¹ said :-
Ed you don't have to worry about climate change. COP 29 is going to sort it out. 29!
Why's it taken 29?
Never mind that, Miliband and Starmer are onto it, on'it like a car bonnet.
Infact many world leaders have stayed away to save on the pollution by all those private jets. Very honourable. Infact, it might even be working, it's blummin freezin here!
Upt.
12/11/2024 11:01:19 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
Put ya big jumper on Upt', you'll be fine.
12/11/2024 17:00:15 UTC
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Travel StoriesThe Middle West Of England