Mature oak trees and rape make for a striking contrast on a sunny spring day on this walk near Martley.

APART from cherry plum, which is an introduced species, blackthorn is usually the first native species of tree or shrub to produce showy blossom in the wild (hazel flowers earlier but much less conspicuously).

You will see plenty of blackthorn blossom on this walk, although a few south-facing shrubs have already finished flowering. In full bloom, the delicate white flowers are prolific enough to obliterate the rather unattractive spiky black branches, which remain leafless until the flowers have finished.

At ground level, the delightful primrose remains the most abundant flowering species in fields, hedgerows and by woodland edges, despite having already been in bloom for at least two months. It seems to thrive particularly well close to pools, streams and ditches, all of which are a feature of this part of the county.

There are man-made attractions to enjoy on the walk too, with a group of three splendid buildings on Venn Lane. The oldest of them is Wichenford Court, a beautiful house with a long history, its mediaeval core now concealed by mellow brickwork dating from c1700.

Close to it stands a huge and impressive barn built with timbers probably taken from the house when it was remodelled. More famous than either, however, is the 17th-century dovecote which stands in the grounds of the court. It's a timber-framed building with wattle-and-daub infill, supported by a sandstone plinth, and it contains 557 nesting holes.

Dovecotes appear to have been introduced to Britain by the Romans and they remained popular for many centuries. In 1659 it was estimated that there were as many as 26,000 dovecotes in England alone. In the days when some farm stock had to be killed in the autumn because of a lack of winter fodder, and preserved by salting or smoking, dovecotes provided a convenient means of augmenting supplies of fresh meat throughout the winter.

But in feudal times only those with wealth and power had the right to build a dovecote and to hungry peasants it must have been galling to see their precious crops ravaged by doves destined ultimately for the already overladen table of the local lord or abbot.

Wichenford dovecote is maintained by the National Trust and is open daily from 9am to 6pm from 1 April to 31 October. There is a charge of £1 to non-members of the trust

Wichenford Court is one of the man-made highlights on this lovely walk.

FACTFILE

Start: The Mason's, at the corner of Martley Road (B4204) and Venn Lane, between Lower Broadheath and Martley; grid ref SO770594.

Length: 4 miles/7.2km.

Maps: OS Explorer 204, OS Landranger 150.

Terrain: Mostly pasture, no hills.

Footpaths: There have been tremendous improvements recently in what used to be one of the worst parts of the county for footpath maintenance. Some work remains to be done but there are no problems on this walk other than occasional gaps in the waymarking.

Stiles: 13.

Parking: Roadside, near the Mason's.

Buses: Bromyard Omnibus Company's excellent service 310 stops at the Mason's, while the same company's less frequent 308 serves Wichenford village, both Mon-Sat only; www.worcestershire. gov.uk/bustimetables or Traveline 0870 608 2608.

Refreshments: The Mason's.

PLEASE NOTE This walk has been carefully checked and the directions are believed to be accurate at the time of publication. No responsibility is accepted by either the author or publisher for errors or omissions, or for any loss, accident or injury, however caused.

DIRECTIONS

1 Walk along the road a little way towards Martley, crossing over to use the footway on the left then crossing back again to join a footpath next to a house. Walk along a field edge for a short distance before crossing a stile so that you continue in the same direction but on the other side of the hedge. Keep straight on at all junctions to reach a lane.

2 Go straight on along a lane opposite for 100m then take a footpath on the right. Walk along a field edge, with a wood on your left, until you can leave the field at a gate. Follow a track across King's Green to a lane and turn left. Soon after crossing Fitcher Brook the lane bends left and two paths are signed on the right. Take the left-hand one, by the left-hand field edge, and keep straight on at all junctions. An overgrown footbridge at one point is easily avoided by a short diversion to the left. As you approach within about 200m of Wichenford the right of way goes diagonally to a metal gate, but it's obvious from the well-trodden path that most walkers keep to the field edge instead. The gate gives access to a short path leading to Venn Lane.

3 Turn right and walk to Wichenford Court. There are wide verges for much of the way but care is required in places as traffic travels much too fast along this lane. Join a footpath opposite Wichenford Court, walking across a field and crossing a concrete bridge. Bear left across another field, going to the far fence then turning left. Go through a gate and across an arable field on a well-made path. Cross Fitcher Brook and walk across a pasture to a junction by a stile. Turn right to the far end of the pasture. Cross a stile and walk through another field, ignoring a stile on the left and continuing forward to cross a brook at a bridge.

4 Turn left beside the brook. Go through a gate in the field corner and turn right in the next field. Cross the brook when you come to a bridge and head towards a large farm for a short distance until you draw level with a solitary tree marking the line of a grubbed-out hedge. Turn left to the far side of the field, cross a footbridge and keep straight on to meet a lane opposite Poplar Cottage. Turn right, then take a path on the left after 200m. Walk through two fields to a junction and turn left to return to your starting point.

10:31am Tuesday 3rd April 2007

In 1659 there were as many as 26,000 dovecotes across England.

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