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| This is where
the placid River Lugg squeezes its way through the hills
around Shobdon and Aymestrey in Herefordshire, creating a
secret and secluded little valley. There’s a wide space on
the road at Lyepole Bridge where you should be able to park.
The first leg is necessarily through lanes as there is no
right of way along the river bank. Head up the hill (north) to
the small village of Upper Lye. |
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| Turn left here
and follow the lane through quiet farmland until you reach the
corner at Lower Yeld. The path carries straight on, down a
short lane and presently into fields. |
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| The river snakes
around across the meadow on your left. After about 1km the
valley narrows down to a shallow gorge and you enter Yeld
Wood. |
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| Upper Kinsham is up on the
bank to your right. Where the river bends away, the path
becomes a lane and, passing a house on your left, you emerge
at the corner of the road to Lower Kinsham. |
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| Go left towards the bridge.
In 150m the road takes a right-angle left and climb through
high-sided banks towards Byton. As you come out into open farm
country, you begin to get a sense of the vale towards
Presteigne, nestled in its circle of hills. |
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| The road dips down through a
stony, tree fringed gully and you are in Byton. This is where
the Mortimer Trail (from Kington to Ludlow) starts climbing
Shobdon Hill. Take one of the lanes on the left up to the
church and follow the road round until it runs out under Byton
Common. The path climbs steeply across heath land and then
doubles left up the ridge, the views improving all the while. |
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| Where the bracken gives way
for trees you turn right and follow the stony track up to the
crest. From here you can see the Black Mountains 30km to the
south. |
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| Head east along the ridge
path that cuts a break through the trees for 2km. The track
bends right and starts to dip down the southern side of the
hill. |
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| Above Covenhope Farm, the
forest road turns north again and you stick to the tree line,
still on the Mortimer Trail, until you are facing Lyepole
Bridge again. A short scramble down the slope brings you back
onto the road and then it’s just a quick 300m to finish
point. |
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