Abbey Dore
Abbey Dore
Abbey Dore
This walk took us to Herefordshire, where we parked outside Dore Abbey. Crossing the road a footpath went south across quite a steep field and signposts indicated that we were on the Herefordshire trail. Ewyas (pronounced you us) Harold Common presented us with a plethora of footpaths through dense, high bracken. Woodland areas have a tree canopy which is mainly English oak, silver birch, ash, sycamore, field maple and wych elm.
The common covers 50ha on a plateau above Herefordshire’s Golden Valley. Parts of the common are bounded by ancient sunken lanes, and other parts by medieval parish boundaries. All the common British reptiles have been found here including slow-worms and common lizards. A spring that rises on the common, through limestone outcrops, is known as St Martin’s well and it supplied water to many generations of people living close to the well. Several old boundary stones mark the border between Ewyas Harold and other parishes.
Emerging onto a hard track we could hear a horse and were surprised to see a lone horse with no rider trotting down the track. It seemed to follow us, but in a while the rest of the herd were spotted grazing on the common and the puzzle was solved.
We had views of the surrounding hills and the rolling English countryside. We passed through Ewyas Harold village where the primary school displayed a colourful wall of tiles created by the school pupils in 2017. The village boasted two pubs, a butcher, post office and other businesses. Outside one house ‘the old malthouse witch no. 29’ made from twigs, stood guard and fruit, vegetables and flowers were for sale with an honesty box.
Just outside the village a noticeboard declared that we were at the remains of Ewyas Harold Castle, which is believed to have been built by the Saxons before the Norman conquest. Today only earthworks remain. Nearby ‘Old King Street farm’ has holiday cottages where it is possible to walk with llamas.
Now we walked west and came across clusters of unusual fungi on large old trees. Herefordshire boasts a high concentration of ancient oak trees due to a combination of historical land management practices and the favourable conditions for oak growth in the region. Specifically, the Norman Conquest in 1066 led to the establishment of deer parks and royal forests, which, while intended for hunting, inadvertently preserved ancient oaks. These areas with their woodland and grazing practices, provided ideal habitats for oaks to thrive and reach great age.
The day had heated up and as we approached a trough, Misty – a spaniel decided it was time for a dip and instead of just taking a drink jumped into a trough. She gave us all a laugh.
We passed Dulas Court, originally a 16th century house; it was rebuilt in the mid-19th century and incorporates some of the original house – oak panels, Norman doorway. The original church was demolished and the site cleared to make a lawn! It is now a care home.
There is a dilapidated church down the road (closed and barriers surround it) where we stopped for lunch. The churchyard had a row of identical gravestones each of which was dedicated to a musician. They all died in the 1980s in their 80s and 90s; we wondered about their story. A military 1940s grave of someone from the Hereford regiment is pristine.
Now we entered a nature reserve and found ourselves climbing over some very high, slightly rickety, ladder stiles. After walking across open grassland, we realised why as a herd of deer ran in front of us!
A brief walk along the road past Abbey Dore Court brought us back to the beginning of our walk and the highlight of the day, Dore Abbey. There is free access, and we spent some time exploring the magnificent church. Established in 1147, it was founded by Cistercian monks from Morimond, France. The Abbey was dissolved in 1536, but Dore is the only Cistercian Abbey in the country still used for worship as a Parish church. The original medieval altar was found on a local farm being used for salting meat and making cheese. The Abbey expanded its land holdings, particularly through the acquisition of good quality farmland granted to them by King John in 1216. This enabled the Abbey to become wealthy especially through the sale of wool. It is well worth a visit.
A return to Ewyas Harold by car enabled us to enjoy refreshments in one of the village hostelries after a satisfying day.
Walk 6.7m 915ft Map OL13