8:00am Saturday 6th June 2009
THE Colonel was positively bristling with indignation. He was thinking about the familiar slopes and pastures of Hanway Common.
He’d spent his formative days up there above Rock Farm. They were carefree times with the lads from the neighbouring farms. Just up the road, the triangular village green was a good place to launch the day. Now quite a tranquil spot, it had once been a bustling market area in the forgotten Richards Castle of the early middle ages.
From Old Church Cottage, he could turn right for the direct route up to the common and walk the county border with Shropshire. But The Colonel preferred to go left by the church with its detached tower and into the dingle below the very old castle mound.
There wasn’t much to see now of the castle, built in 1050 by the Norman Richard Le Scrob to deter the Welsh.
Roughshod, he was always well equipped to stride over the frog’s bones at the stream just beyond.
Once he was on the wide open spaces of the common sloping high above the village, he was in his element. That was his favourite stamping ground. He didn’t tend to stray beyond the trees all the way up to the top at High Vinnals.
If he had ventured there on a clear day, he would have been able to see as far as the Cotswold Hills and the home of the partner who would make him famous.
But now he was champing at the bit.
Instead of careering away in his usual unbridled way, he was held up behind all the other runners. Every time he tried to make a bit of progress, the prima donna on his back gave him a tug.
If he could nip about so easily on the switchbacks of the common, why was he galloping so slowly today on such a flat circuit of grass?
His partner – George Stevens – had accepted this ride on The Colonel for the Grand National of 1869 purely on his instincts for the horse’s potential over fences. He’d been over hurdles lots of times, but had no formal jumping training, and had run in just one steeplechase before Aintree. He was only six years of age, so his legendary rider wasn’t taking any liberties.
It occurred to The Colonel that he was racing further than usual and over much bigger obstacles. After picking his way around some jockeys walking back and after clearing Valentine’s Brook a second time, at last he was encouraged to use his more accustomed speed. An impressive turn of foot took him to a famous victory and his ears pricked to a tumultuous welcome.
Despite the horse’s inexperience, many had backed him to win on the strength of George Stevens’s reputation. Indeed, when the partnership was back the following year, without having one outing on a racecourse in between, The Colonel was sent off as a hot favourite. This time he was less indignant because he remembered he was playing the waiting game.
Although a rival employed the same tactics, The Colonel beat him by a neck in virtually a sprint finish to the line. Thus it was a Grand National double nurtured in Herefordshire. It was also a (still) record fifth win for Stevens.
Our exceptionally good walk undulates two miles further than the National. The going is mostly good to firm and over gradual gradients, but there are one or two stiffer ones. There are 30 fewer stiles than fences in the race and, from Peeler Pond, an all-weather gallop leads to the shady stream course of the Mary Knoll Valley. Only one circuit is necessary.
Richards Castle, High Vinnals, Mary Knoll Valley.
Common, woodland, great views, no stiles. Six-and-a-half miles more moderate than energetic walk, good terrain.
Map: OS Explorer 203, Ludlow. Public transport: Bus No. 492 calls at Castle Inn.
The Route.
1. Start from ‘The Green’, Richards Castle, three-quarters-of-a-mile above Castle Inn, by St Bartholomew’s Church. Facing ‘Old Church Cottage’ TL through Herefordshire Trail gate, down paddock below church through second gate on to wide gravel path.
TR and follow path three-quartersof- a-mile over planks by Boney Well, gently up through gateway, passing two gates (right), more steeply through high bridle gate and along right field edge to Mortimer Trail.
2. TR through gate along avenue, through next gate and gap left up to left upper edge of Hanway Common, with marker post. Hug top left across driveway to ‘Vallets’ past seat in the gods and through hunting gate in top left corner, start of wood. Follow wide bridleway to Herefordshire Trail marker post (quarter-of-a-mile).
Don’t go left, keep on ahead to post with green Mortimer Trail logo, bear left and immediately right up the wide gravel path.
Continue climbing beyond ‘Climbing Jack’ and ‘Vinnals Loop’ Marker posts, on wide path, to summit with seat and tower.
3. High Vinnals Tower. Enjoy (hopefully) 60-mile views, continue ahead on main gravel path, dropping past bench (left), ignoring two narrow left turns, right around main bend to marker post 120 metres beyond, on right. Now turn very sharp left down through trees on ‘Vinnals Loop’. Bend further left, more steeply down to path junction, keeping left across clearing to seat facing (Peeler) pond. TR down through clearing to find wooden four-way signpost 150 metres below.
4. ‘Easy Access Trail’ signpost. TR along Easy Access Trail, ignore two options to the right and twist down to the left over a little stream and tunnel to a three-way wooden signpost. TR on the ‘Climbing Jack Trail’ which is the broad path to follow downwards and right, generally, one mile into the Mary Knoll Valley to reach a fairly obvious ‘H’ junction after a right bend. TL to cross stream, then turn immediately right to put stream on your right. Pass above a pond down to your right, and keep on to take lower right fork past ‘Sunnydingle Cottage’ marked private. Re-cross stream and go 215 metres past Sunnydingle Forestry Commission notice to leave main path on to right upper bridle path fork.
5. Overton Common. Climb narrow path through trees, TL at first cross path, ignore a left turn, and drop to road at ‘Forest Walks’ park-sign. Go ahead (R) 180 metres along road verge and TR through two metal gates by Black Pool.
Climb, initially steeply, edge of Haye Park wood, along gravel track behind ‘Woodcroft’, bear right, down, left, and up behind outbuildings. Fork left down to marker post, down track, across drive (leading to) cottage, ahead past stone barn, through gloomy wide gate. Go 40 metres through next waymarked gate, along sunken lane, up field through two gaps (left) in hedges and kissinggate on to lane.
6. Richards Castle. TR along lane to church and ‘The Green’.
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