St James Church in Tedstone would be a scenic place to stop for a bite after buying your provisions in Whitbourne.

The village of Whitbourne sits among hills, valleys, woods and orchards between the River Teme and one of its major tributaries, Sapey Brook.

The village is in two main parts, with a scattering of outlying farms. The oldest part of Whitbourne centres on St John the Baptist's Church, with the more modern part, known as Meadow Green, just a short walk away. There are some beautiful houses near the church, from unassuming cottages to impressive mansions such as Whitbourne Court and the Olde Rectory.

Apart from the church, most of the village's facilities are at Meadow Green, including the shop. As your Worcester News reported last year, Whitbourne was faced with losing any opportunity to shop locally when the former village store closed. However, the community refused to accept the loss and the landlord of the village pub, the Live and Let Live, made space available for a new shop. It has been trading since August and is open daily (8.30am-5.30pm on weekdays, 9am-3pm on Saturdays, 10am-1pm on Sundays). Though run entirely by volunteers, it puts many village shops to shame, stocking home-baked goods as well as produce from local farms.

You can buy the makings of an excellent picnic at Whitbourne village shop and there are certainly plenty of beautiful places to enjoy a picnic on this walk, which includes the valleys of the river Teme and Sapey brook but also an uphill climb to Tedstone Delamere, for wonderful views south to the Malverns and north to Clifton and beyond.

There are plenty of flowers to see too, with primroses currently the most prolific, closely followed by violets and dog's mercury. There is blossom in the hedgerows and more shortly to come in the orchards, while the churchyard at Tedstone is full of daffodils. The woods are carpeted with wild garlic leaves, promising a spectacular show when the white flowers open next month.

A worthwhile extension to the walk can be made by exploring a Countryside Stewardship site at Lower Frith Farm - you'll pass the entrance to the site, marked by a map, as you follow the Clifton road uphill from Whitbourne. The site features steep slopes above Whitbourne brook, with semi-natural woodland on one side of the brook, orchards of apples and damsons on the other side. The grassland is managed without the use of pesticides or fertilisers, so producing a variety of wild flowers in late spring and early summer, and there is a series of small waterfalls along the brook.

FACT FILE:

Start: Meadow Green, Whitbourne (on minor road north of A44 west of Knightwick), grid ref SO720567.

Length: 6 miles/10.8km.

Maps: OS Explorers 202 and 204, OS Landranger 149.

Terrain: Pasture, woodland, orchards, quiet lanes; hilly, quite steep in places; one path turns into a minor stream after rain.

Footpaths: Mostly excellent, although waymarking is patchy.

Stiles: 11.

Parking: Whitbourne Village Hall, Meadow Green.

Buses: Worcester-Hereford services 419/420 serve Meadow Green daily; www.herefordbus.info or Worcestershire Hub 01905 765765.

Refreshments: Pub and shop at Meadow Green.

DIRECTIONS:

1 Walk north-east along the lane towards the old part of the village. After 200m take a path on the left and descend through fields to rejoin the lane. Turn right, then soon left by the Olde Rectory, passing Whitbourne Court and St John's Church. The lane ends at a waterworks but a footpath runs on ahead, soon continuing through riverside meadows. After passing a short stone wall, look for a stile giving access to the riverbank. Continue in the same direction, entering woodland. The path soon climbs uphill, leading eventually to a field. Walk straight across.

2 Turn left along a lane, then right at a crossroad, towards Clifton. Keep straight on at the Woodhall Farm junction but take the next left, a no through road' which soon descends, eventually bending left towards a black-and-white cottage. Go through a gate on the left just before the cottage, and descend through a steep dingle to meet Sapey brook. Cross the brook at a bridge and turn right on a waymarked path which is easily followed uphill. Keep straight on at any unmarked junctions, eventually meeting a road.

3 Turn left past Tedstone Heights. Take a bridleway on the left after 600m, which descends through an orchard and to the left of a farmhouse (Pixhill), then continues steeply down through woodland to meet a track. Turn right, but then go left after a few paces to continue your descent. Turn right in the valley bottom to find a footbridge where you can cross Sapey brook.

4 Turn right through a meadow, soon crossing another footbridge and keeping close to the right-hand edge of the meadow, eventually passing through a gate in the corner. When the hedge on your right comes to an end, keep straight on, soon crossing the brook again at another bridge. Walk through another meadow then turn right at the far end, going through a gate marked with yellow sticky tape. Follow the brook through two more fields to a lane.

5 The path continues opposite, still following the general course of Sapey brook, but taking a straighter line: in other words, don't follow any of the meanders made by the brook. After passing the stump of a fallen tree, head towards a very tall, narrow conifer. As you approach closer to it you'll see a footbridge beneath it, spanning Sapey Brook - don't cross this bridge but turn left instead, so that you're walking beside a tributary of Sapey brook. Cross this tributary at the next footbridge and go diagonally left to the far corner of a large field. Turn right along a lane, fork left at a junction and follow the lane into Meadow Green, Whitbourne.

2:59pm Monday 17th March 2008

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