Hometown to County Town: Walking from Ledbury to Hereford with Slow Ways

Hiking a Slow Ways Route in Herefordshire

A couple of months on from dragging ourselves along the 18 mile Mini-Alps trail in the Malverns, it was time for another Midlife Crisis Walking Club outing. We really enjoyed that walk and the general feeling was that we needed to keep this going. Last time it was just me, Andy and Lee, but this time our good mate Scott joined us. Four dads in our mid-40s, all with young kids, once again swapping an evening catch up in the pub for a long day on our feet (with the occasional stop at a pub).

The plan was to walk from our hometown of Ledbury to our county town of Hereford, using the 17 mile Herled Two route from Slow Ways. It follows some of the Herefordshire Trail and some of the Three Choirs Way, creating a fairly direct path on well established trails. I had been an early supporter of Slow Ways when it was crowdfunded. I chipped in because I loved the concept of a nationwide network of walking routes linking all the towns and cities. It felt like a great idea. The only slight flaw was that I hadn't actually walked one yet. That needed correcting.

First 6 weeks of 2026 has been grim and I can't remember the last day it didn't rain. Properly relentless. The River Wye and the River Lugg had both been regularly high in places, and parts of this route cross their floodplains. I was fully expecting a lot more mud than we'd found on our walk in December. We picked a date that worked in our increasingly complicated diaries and agreed to meet at 7:30am at Ledbury Market House, with Andy then joining us closer to his home on the outskirts of town. 

Church Lane, Ledbury, February 2026

It was really cold, but the sky was clear and blue which felt unusual after such a grey and miserable month. When Lee arrived, it was pretty obvious that he'd dyed his hair. Much like the skies, it wasn't grey anymore. It was now a sort of dark brown with a tint of ginger. I decided not to mention it and Scott didn't say anything either.

After scoffing bacon rolls from Greggs, we started our long walk and headed west to meet Andy by the little bridge over the river Leadon. When we got there, Andy immediately said something along the lines of  "Lee, what the f**k have you done to your hair?". It was laughed off and we were ready to hit the muddy fields and get properly plodding towards Hereford. 

Scott, Lee, Andy, Me.

Given the grim weather we had endured in previous weeks, we braced ourselves for ankle deep mud within the first mile, and once again had all worn gaiters to stop our boots and socks getting saturated. It wasn't actually that bad and I guess an overnight frost had helped quite a lot. There were soft patches and the occasional bit of sloppy filth, but nothing compared to what we had feared. The gaiters were definitely needed later in the walk though.

The Herefordshire Trail

Muddy fields between Ledbury and Putley

Crossing a stile near Putley, Herefordshire 

The trickiest section came at "The Wonder" near Woolhope, where in the 16th century, approximately 26 acres of land moved down the slope, destroying a chapel and trees, caused by heavy rainfall. The path narrowed in places and had effectively turned into a stream flanked by sodden, slippy mud. What should have been a straightforward wander on The Wonder became a slow negotiation of a very long mud bath. It was the only time all day that we had to properly concentrate on where we were treading. No daft tumbles this time, thankfully.

Walking the muddy path of The Wonder landslip, Herefordshire 

View of the Malverns west of Putley

Walking flooded lanes in Herefordshire 

Next was a relatively brutal ascent up Marcle Ridge on a slick path. When we reached the top we were treated to a view of a snow covered Hatterrall Ridge on the border with Wales to the west, which reminded me of the huge white wall from Game of Thrones. A breathtaking place.

Walking up Marcle Ridge. This wasn't much fun.

Hatterrall Ridge from Marcle Ridge

We reached The Crown Inn at Woolhope in excellent time, which meant it hadn't actually opened yet. We settled for a bench nearby, got the snacks out, and had a brief rest in the sunshine. I had brought some hot chocolate laced with Amaretto. It turned out that the cheap flask my wife had brought from Amazon was absolutely useless and the drink was barely warm. It was a first world problem though. 

A break in Woolhope 

Onto the Three Choirs Way, Woolhope, Herefordshire

After our rest stop, we headed through the churchyard and into more muddy fields. One of them gave us our next challenge. It had four horses and the largest one was stood right in front of the gate to exit the field, perfectly placed to give you a firm, leg breaking kick. The horse seemed quite happy for us to be there though so we tentatively snuck around it and thankfully escaped the field without having to call for an ambulance.

Horses in a Herefordshire field

A nerve-wracking walk through a gate in Woolhope

We then walked though Boadmoor Common Nature Reserve and into Haugh Wood, which is amazing on a sunny day. Tall trunks and sunshine filtering through the branches. It felt like being in a remote and beautiful place until we spotted that some lazy rotter had hung a bag of dog poo on one of the trees. If you are reading this and you do that when walking your dog, please stop. I don't care if you intend to collect it on the way back. It makes our local countryside look grim and there's no excuse for it. 

The Three Choirs Way, Haugh Wood, Herefordshire 

Haugh Wood

We didn't talk much when we were walking through the wood. It was peaceful and picturesque. Breathing in fresh winter air in the woods is one of the best stress relievers and we were all just plodding along enjoying some quiet time. 

Eventually we dropped down towards Mordiford, past the interesting sculptures of the Mordiford Dragon Trail and, better still, into The Moon Inn. This time our timing was better. A pint at lunchtime after a decent number of miles tastes incredible. We compared notes on our aches and agreed that the walk so far had been absolutely brilliant. We were about 11 miles in with another 6 to go. 

One of the sculptures on the Mordiford Dragon Trail

The Mordiford Dragon

A very enjoyable pint at the Moon Inn, Mordiford

The final stretch took us along the Lugg Stank, which is a raised earth barrier along the banks of the river Lugg which conveniently is also a footpath. We then joined a section of the Wye and trudged closer and closer to Hereford. After weeks of flood warnings, both rivers were high, but back within their banks, sliding past fields that had clearly spent much of February underwater.

The Lugg Stank, Herefordshire

Between the Lugg and the Wye

The Wye, east of Hereford

Walking into the city felt a lot more satisfying than arriving by car or train, but we were quite conscious that we were caked in mud. We rolled into Hereford feeling tired but solid. No navigational disasters this time and no near disastrous dismounts from fallen trees. Just a long, varied walk across our home patch with good mates and a lot of laughter.

Approaching Hereford Cathedral 

Hereford Cathedral 

We dived into the Lichfield Vaults for well-earned drinks and then joined my wife Stace and Andy’s wife Julie, along with my daughter Molly and Andy’s son Joey. They'd travelled to Hereford to meet up with us. Both our kids are under two. Both were entirely oblivious to the significance of seventeen or so miles walked in their honour, but it was great to see them. 

The walk was exactly what we hoped for. A route with real variety. Orchards, history, woodland and riverside paths, linked together into something that makes you appreciate Herefordshire. Slow Ways delivered on its promise. A practical path between two significant places to us. It reminded me why I backed the idea in the first place.

It was hard work at times, but it was brilliant. Four old friends, a rare dry February day, and the simple pleasure of walking from one familiar place to another. The Midlife Crisis Walking Club is officially two walks strong and we're definitely not packing it in just yet.

Walk Details

Route: Ledbury to Hereford on the Herefordshire Trail and Three Choirs Way

Distance: 17 miles

Difficulty: Moderate to Hard, depending on the time of year. 

Time: 7 hours at a steady pace

Terrain: Fields, woodland tracks, quiet lanes and riverside paths

Dog Friendly?: Mostly yes, but some livestock and potentially muddy stretches after heavy rain

Pub Stop: The Butchers Arms and Crown Inn in Woolhope. The Moon Inn at Mordiford. The Bunch of Carrots in Hampton Bishop. Plus plenty of options once in Hereford. 

Found on: Slow Ways Herled Two