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A much more picturesque starting point for the latest leg of The Shakespeare's Avon Way. We haven't even parked up but the view across the Buttercup Meadow towards the Church is too good to miss.
When we do park up it is handily close to the Boar's Head Pub in Hampton Lucy. We are 4 mile North-East of Stratford Upon Avon.
The name derives from the Lucy family, to whom Queen Mary granted the manor. Nearby is Charlecote Park, ancestral home of the Lucy family.
It looks like we are all set and will be walking in a clockwise direction. Getting the road stretch out of the way first, which is also The SAW path .The weather too is set fair and the shorts are back on , with the long trousers in the rucksack, just in case.
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A poor Pheasant has been hit by a car, the body is still warm. My companion puts it somewhere safe in the shade for collection later on. We leave the road and pick up a beautiful footpath , a little overgrown in places but not too bad. To the right there is an occasional house in a perfect setting. Perched high over the Vale of Avon, The Cotswolds in the far distance. Best of all the River Avon flowing down below. There were some long and winding steps leading all the way down too. I nearly made the mistake of touching a Giant Hogweed. Chemicals in the sap can cause photodermatitis, blistering, burns and permanent scarring. Given my sensitivity to nettles I give it a very wide berth. It's great to see the River Avon again, not something that always happens on these routes..
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Whats that sound? It's only a Cuckoo in the distance! Soon to be followed by another one. It is good to hear them because they are getting rarer sadly. The slopes get steeper as we reach Welcombe Hills and Clopton Park. A nature reserve for walking and taking in the views across the landscape with flower-rich grassland, woods and ponds. Shakespeare may even have taken inspiration here for his 'Ophelia'. The most striking feature though is the Obelisk. Erected in 1876 by Robert Needham Philips to honour his brother Mark Philips, this obelisk on the hill above the Welcombe Hotel is visible for miles up and down the vale of the Avon. Mark Philips was also notable as Manchester’s first Member of Parliament.
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It's a lovely area, with great views towards The Cotswolds.
There are a few fruit farms around Snitterfield, where we are now. The largest being 'The Farm'. Once home to hundreds of apple, pear, plum and cherry trees, which produced for the likes of Waitrose and Mr Kipling. After becoming derelict a re-development in 2017took place. It is now a family run business that offers a unique food and a well-being
destination that showcases local Artisan produce and promotes ethical,
wholesome and sustainable food. They also have pigs!
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Some of the properties are superb, as is the surrounding countryside of course.
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The footpath across a field of Barley hasn't been cut... Thankfully it wasn't too itchy.
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It doesn't seem that long ago that we left the Obelisk behind. Already it has become just a speck on the horizon. It is amazing how much ground you can cover walking.
We get one final view of the River Avon as we arrive back in Hampton Lucy. There is also time to have a wander around the Church of St Peter ad Vincula. St Peter is a large church with the scale of a cathedral scale but is situated in a small village.
Construction in the 1820s was paid for by the Lucy family, of nearby
Charlecote Park. One of the family was rector at the church for nearly
60 years.
The East window shows the life of St Peter and was restored after an American aircraft crashed nearby in the Second World War.
It has been a beautiful leg of the walk in very warm weather. Nothing else to do but call into The Boar's Head for a refreshing pint of Wye Vale Brewery 'Bitter'. 3.7% in strength and went down well as you might expect.
The walk in total came in at 11.5 miles and was more elevated (709ft) than many of the other legs.
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