We’d been meaning to try the new Daffodil Line bus for a while and Sunday seemed the perfect excuse. Gloucestershire Council had decided to stop funding the Ledbury to Gloucester bus, so a new bus route was created by a local fundraiser called Buses4U. The Daffodil Line runs between Ledbury and Ross via Much Marcle and Newent, with connections to Gloucester. My wife, myself, and our two terriers Dottie and Wilf hopped on board at Ledbury and rattled our way to Much Marcle to simply walk back to Ledbury. We thought it would be a leisurely day of pub stops and a gentle stroll home.
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| Catching the Daffodil Line bus from Ledbury Market House |
The plan was simple. Pints at the Slip and the Walwyn, and lunch at the Scrumpy House at Westons. Then amble back along footpaths through the fields to Ledbury. What could possibly go wrong?
A mile or so in, we found out.
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| Pints at the Slip Tavern, Much Marcle |
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| Pints and lunch at the Scrumpy House, Westons Cider Mill |
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| More pints of cider at the Walwyn Arms, Much Marcle |
After enjoying a lovely walk through farmland, we discovered that one of the footbridges along the route was completely shot. A proper write off. Someone from Herefordshire Council had nailed a sign to it saying “Closed” but hadn’t bothered to suggest they mark anything on their online footpath routes or offered a viable alternative. Cheers for that. I did have a tentative go (visions of me plunging into the brook like some washed up Ed Stafford) but this wasn't supposed to be some sort of survival expedition.
So there we were, scratching our heads, with the dogs looking at us like “What now then, buddy?". In the end we spotted a hefty log across the stream and scrambled our way over. Stace was behind and thought the whole idea was stupid, but the only other option was to turn back a mile and a half to find another way. Dottie, being part mountain goat, made it look easy. Wilf was less impressed. On the far side my legs got torn up by brambles. I muttered a number of offensive words.
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| An impassable footbridge between Much Marcle and Ledbury |
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| The alternative route across the stream |
Once we’d recovered from that debacle, and continued walking through some more beautiful farmland, we made a sneaky little stop at the lake by Woodside Lodges. You’re not really supposed to stop there unless you are a paying visitor, but it’s a lovely spot, and the sun was shining. Out came some bottles of Henry Westons Vintage, which we polished off while the dogs pottered about and were generally annoying. It felt like we’d discovered our own private beer garden though.
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| A beautiful footpath to Ledbury from Much Marcle |
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| Farmland footpath in Herefordshire |
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| Enjoying some Herefordshire Cider at Woodside Lodges, Ledbury |
From there the walk mellowed into what we’d actually signed up for. Rolling orchards, views back to Marcle Ridge, and the autumn light spilling across the fields. The dogs tore about like idiots, chasing imaginary pheasants, and we ambled on with Ledbury’s church spire slowly edging closer on the horizon.
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| A cider mill on the outskirts of Ledbury |
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| Approaching Ledbury through fields to the West |
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| A footbridge over the Leadon |
By the time we stumbled back into town we were scratched, slightly tipsy, and more than ready for a sit down. But it had been a corker of a day out all the same with cider, scenery and a 6 mile walk.
Would I recommend it? Absolutely not mate. Unless you enjoy clambering over fallen trees and battling brambles, you might want to wait until Herefordshire Council fix that bridge. But as far as our local adventures go, it was definitely a memorable one.
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