The Mortimer Trail Day 1

After breakfast (and I was defeated by breakfast before we’ve started!) we set off down the hill into Ludlow. The town was busy in the sunshine, lots of interesting shops and market stalls, but we stopped only briefly to buy two absolutely enormous baguettes for lunch. Then after a quick selfie at the start of the trail, we headed off round the castle walls and down to the river.

On the other side of Dinham Bridge we immediately climbed up Whitcliffe Common, heavily wooded. I was expecting spectacular views back down to Ludlow but there were none. It was already hot and we were glad to be in the shade. After a mile or so we entered Forestry Comission land, with wider tracks and more conifers – and more flies determined to make a meal out of me. I retrieved the out-of-date Anthisan from the very bottom of my rucksack, added a slick of Avon So Soft (as allegedly used by the SAS as insect repellent but you’d smell them coming) on top of the factor 30 and slithered on my way. After a while the path descended into Mary Knoll Valley, then after crossing the stream we climbed, gently enough but for a long time, up the other side to Climbing Jack Common.

We had been promised views, and when we got to the very top we could see over the tops of the trees in most directions, and could pick out the Malverns to the east, the Black Mountains to the south, and rolling ridges to the north and west. But it was a little hazy and, living where we do, we have very high expectations of what constitutes a good view!

Heading onwards, we missed a waymark or two, but I was using the OS app on my phone and could see we were still on the line with green diamonds. Only after descending some way down a steep slope did I realise that we were now following the Herefordshire Way and not the Mortimer Trail. Back up the hill, and that felt like the steepest bit of the whole day.

A long section of pasture, with sheep crowded into every patch of shade by the field edge, then soon onto quiet lanes for the last couple of miles. We were very early for the arranged taxi pickup (to take us back to Ludlow for the night) so we walked an extra mile to a convenient and pleasant pub, and rearranged the pickup point. Good decision!