The Wellington Heath Circular Walk: A Beautiful Battle with Stiles and Sheep

Molly and I head into the woods, Wellington Heath

You can't beat a good walk close to home. No faffing about, just chucking the walking shoes on, grabbing the dogs, and heading out. That was the plan this afternoon when I set out on the Wellington Heath Circular Walk with my wife Stace, daughter Molly and our terriers Dottie and Wilf. 

I found the route on AllTrails, which I’ve started using quite a bit recently. It’s pretty handy for finding family-friendly walks nearby, with reviews that help you steer clear of anything described as “muddy in parts", which usually means "you will definitely end up on your arse."

Molly is 15 months old now, so she was in the baby carrier, full of giggles and still occasionally trying to slap the back of my head like she has on other recent walks. The day will come soon when her arms are long enough for the blows to actually connect. Stace handled the dogs, who immediately decided they were in charge of navigation.

The 4.5 mile route starts in the idyllic village of Wellington Heath just north of Ledbury. The walk takes you straight into Raven Hill Wood, a stunning little patch of woodland that looks like it should have elves living in it or something. We bumped into a friendly local chap in typical country attire who stopped for a chat and told us about the wood. Apparently it’s owned by Stace’s old boss, which is very on-brand for Herefordshire where if they aren't a relative of yours, then you probably at least worked with them or went to school with them at some point. Then he started talking about pheasant shooting. I’m totally against killing animals for fun, but it didn’t seem the moment to start a full moral debate in the middle of the path, so I just smiled politely and nodded.

Looking over to Cannon Heath Wood from Raven Hill Wood

Raven Hill Wood, Wellington Heath

After leaving the woods, the path winds through open fields. The first gate had a lovely little sign warning about a bull, which is exactly what you want when you’ve got a baby strapped to your back and two feral dogs. We didn’t see him straight away, but further along we spotted him across another field. An enormous, muscular wall of beef that made me deeply thankful for fences.

Ideal

Scenic views in Wellington Heath

A footpath through farmland between Wellington Heath and Coddington 

There are loads of stiles on this route, clearly designed by someone who has never tried to walk anywhere with dogs. Dottie and Wilf are small enough to lift over, but if you’ve got a big dog then good luck to you mate. You’d think after a few hundred years of countryside rambling, someone might have realised that gates exist and just made everything gates. But no, we’re still lifting our pets over like we're daisy chaining sand bags during a flood.

Eventually we reached Coddington Vineyard, which was beautiful. Tidy lines of vines and a large pond in the grounds. It's a welcoming place too where the signs encourage you to hang around. From there, the path leads through the graveyard of All Saints Church. It was built in 1823 to replace the unsafe sandstone church which had been on the site since some time between the 8th and 10th century. Nearby is Adhisthana, a Buddhist centre tucked quietly among the fields. We didn’t visit, but it’s an interesting little spot to pass by. They run retreats, study programmes and community living based on Buddhist teachings. 

From this pleasant little religious corner of the Herefordshire countryside it was onwards and upwards to Oyster Hill, the bit where the walk started to get a more challenging. 

A pond in Coddington Vineyard 

The public right of way through Coddington Vineyard

A sign at Coddington Vineyard. We read this after we'd walked through the middle

All Saints Church, Coddington, Herefordshire 

The climb up Oyster Hill was a bit of a leg burner, but it's only about a 15 minute ascent through fields, lanes and woodland paths. At the top, the trig point was covered in random clothing. For a moment I was worried there was some sort of rural streaker on the hill, until I spotted a family nearby collecting conkers. The trig point was their basecamp, and to be fair, it’s not a bad spot for it.

Oyster Hill, Wellington Heath

Stace with Dottie and Wilf on Oyster Hill

The footpath from Oyster Hill to Wellington Heath village

Heading back towards Wellington Heath, we crossed a big meadow and suddenly realised we had company. A flock of sheep had decided to follow us. They weren’t aggressive, just weirdly invested in our progress like they wanted to come back to our house for lunch after. It felt like being part of some slow-motion parade. The dogs, of course, acted like they were guarding us from a dangerous mob, even though they were clearly a bit scared 

Inquisitive sheep in Wellington Heath

Being stalked by sheep

The last stretch back to the village is familiar territory for us, and it was good to complete the walk. By the time we reached the car at the Farmers Arms, Molly was asleep in the carrier, completely oblivious. Waking her up felt like it would be cruel, so we decided the only sensible option was to stop for a pint. The sign in the car park says “patrons only", so really we were just obeying orders.

I had a pint of 1985 lager from the local and brilliant Wye Valley Brewery. Stace had a shandy, which she kept whining was actually about 90% lemonade but the same price as 100% lager. We sat in the beer garden, which has amazing views across Frith Wood. I got chatting to an Irish couple who were in this neck of the woods celebrating their first wedding anniversary. They said how beautiful the area is, and they’re right. They were currently living in Milton Keynes though, so I imagine pretty much everywhere looks beautiful to them. I told them that when I was 18, I thought Ledbury was painfully dull and couldn’t wait to leave. Now, at 44, I wouldn’t trade it for anywhere. It’s funny how age turns “boring” into “peaceful.”

The Wellington Heath village sign

A pint of local lager while the baby sleeps in the Farmers Arms, Wellington Heath

Sitting there with a pint, Molly still snoozing and with glorious views of the surrounding hills and woodland, I felt genuinely lucky to call this place home.

My first ever job was in that very pub, washing dishes when I was 16. The landlord back then used to give me loads of free pints of Stowford Press during my shift, which Mum was always delighted about when she came to collect me and I was half-cut. Different times, same pub, same view, and a reminder that rural life gets better and better as you grow older. 

Walk Details

Route: Wellington Heath Circular Walk

Distance: About 4.5 miles starting at the pub

Difficulty: Generally easy, with one sweaty climb up Oyster Hill

Time: Roughly 2 hours at a steady pace or longer if you stop for sheep selfies

Terrain: Woodland paths, open fields, country lanes and the occasional stile challenge

Dog friendly?: Yes, but expect to have to lift them. There is a lot of livestock so they will have to stay on a lead for most of the walk. 

Pub stop: The Farmers Arms, Wellington Heath. Excellent beer garden and they do a good Sunday lunch.

Found on: AllTrails – Wellington Heath Circular Walk

If you fancy a countryside walk with beautiful woodland, a hilltop with a trig point, some livestock drama, and a decent pint at the end, this one is well worth the effort.