A Walk on Hergest Ridge: Views, History and Randomness

If there’s one thing the British countryside teaches you, it’s that weather forecasts are unreliable. Also, that babies don’t care about your romantic notions of long walks and fresh air. This particular adventure took us to Hergest Ridge, just outside Kington in our home county of Herefordshire. It ended up being a short four-mile circular walk with history, views, and some random discoveries.

It was supposed to be a warm, sunny spring walk. In reality, it was cloudier and breezier than the Met Office predicted. It was also pretty cold. I'd hoped to do a 6 or 7 mile ish loop, but we ended up cutting it short. 

My friends from Bristol sometimes ask me about places in Herefordshire, like it's a tiny area so I should know all of the little towns and villages like the back of my hand. The reality is that it's quite a big county with some shockingly bad roads, so places that might even seem fairly close on a map are actually a bit of a pain to get to. There is only one motorway (the M50) and that barely grazes the south of the county near Ross on Wye. The journey from Ledbury to Kington took 1 hour 5 minutes, which is longer than it takes for me to get to north Bristol in the car. It was worth the drive though. For me anyway. We parked at "Hergest Ridge East Free Parking", from which there is a relatively gentle plod to the top. You can also walk it from the town centre of Kington which would add another 40 minutes or so in total. 

Molly, our 10 month old daughter, was perched on my back in the baby carrier like a tiny general surveying the land. My wife Stace followed us with our dogs, generally looking at her phone for places we could go for lunch after we had finished walking. The dogs, Dottie and Wilf, were on leads (by necessity, not choice). Wilf would have chased a rabbit to Shropshire given half a chance, and Dottie believes every other dog is plotting something sinister.

The Offa's Dyke Trail, Kington

Another family walk

The ridge itself is properly stunning. An open moorland with views across the Welsh border. You can see many recognisable hills in the distance including the Malverns near to our home. You walk along some of the Offa's Dyke Trail and the ghost of a 19th-century racecourse, now just a grassy loop, once home to actual horse racing on top of a 426m hill in the middle of nowhere. Why? Presumably because the Victorians were absolutely crackers. Molly was unimpressed by the history and began to grizzle as the wind picked up. We attempted a bit of soothing singing; she responded with louder grizzling. Fair play.

The Race Course on AllTrails

Mike Oldfield named his 1974 album Hergest Ridge after this hill that had become his escape from fame. Following the unexpected success of Tubular Bells, he retreated to a cottage near Kington, seeking peace, isolation, and a bit of sanity. When you visit, it's easy to understand why he fell in love with the place. It's peaceful, beautiful and interesting.

The walk from the car park to the Hergest Ridge trig point was just under 2 miles. We decided after reaching it that we should head back to towards the car, and find somewhere sheltered along the way to settle Molly down for a bit with some food. She wasn't feeling the love for being in the carrier on this walk for some reason, so it would have been a bit cruel to insist on doing the full circular walk. 

The old racecourse

A pond and a cairn near the summit of Hergest Ridge

Hergest Ridge summit

Then came the monkey puzzle trees. An odd and wonderful surprise up there. Apparently planted by a man called Dick Banks who once owned nearby Hergest Croft. They look like they should be guarding the entrance to the underworld or something, not growing on a Herefordshire hillside. It was a nice place to sit for a bit and enjoy the views. Molly was certainly happier with some freedom to crawl about. 

Monkey puzzle trees on Hergest Ridge

Hay Bluff in the distance

Molly sort of enjoying another walk

Hergest Ridge is a wonderful place and it was pretty quiet considering it was a bank holiday weekend. We didn’t linger at the top for very long though. A few photos, some snacks, and then we turned downhill, faster than planned, propelled by hunger, a grumpy baby, and the knowledge that we were heading to a warm pub. 

A walking sign that is almost begging to be altered

Unfortunately the warm pub we arrived at was already fully booked and there was no phone reception in the car park for us to find a decent alternative. We had passed somewhere to eat that looked quite quirky though, so settled for that. 

Which brings us to the OK Diner on the A49. I mean, the name is about right. The burger was basically on par with one from Spoons. The chips were hot though, the milkshakes were cold, and nobody cried (including Molly). It was, quite literally, OK. I'd heard really good things about it and the Google reviews were pretty good, so perhaps this was just an off day. Regardless, it wasn't that bad, we had full bellies and it was an appropriate way to end a random afternoon in north Herefordshire. 

OK Diner, Leominster

Inside OK Diner

So, to sum up: four miles, one displeased baby, two impatient dogs on leads, glorious views we barely admired because Molly had a bit of a tantrum, and a diner that lived up to a name that suggested it might be pretty average. I’d still do it again though, because that’s family life in rural England. Unpredictable at times and occasionally weird, but somehow just great.