Wye Valley Walk: Hereford to Monnington-on-Wye, May 25

May 25

Hereford to Monnington-on-Wye

She Said:
Yesterday afternoon we arrived at the Norfolk House B+B in Hereford, after a pleasant stroll along the Wye through town. We sat on a bench in a lovely park along the river bank with a view of Hereford Cathedral, a surprise find. We took good showers and headed off to the local Tesco. Since our room was so awesome (top floor, fourth story, view of the garden) we were happy to buy salad stuff and eat in the room. On the way back from Tesco, we walked through the old part of town and the Cathedral grounds. It was a warm and balmy night and the old town was quiet and tranquil. The Cathedral is usually closed at 5, but that night they were holding a choir evensong and we went in, sat down and were treated to absolutely heavenly voices bouncing off divine (ha!) acoustics. Love that serendipity thing.

Slept like logs.

This morning a bee flew in our window and I shooed it out with my shirt which followed it out the window and floated down four flights to the garden. We went down to breakfast to find it neatly folded on my chair, retrieved and left there by Audrey, our excellent innkeeper. Breakfast was fresh and delicious and we had good conversation with a couple of German guys who were staying at the Norfolk House while they were doing business in Hereford. They said they always stayed there because they loved the cleanliness and chicness of the accommodations and warm hospitality. We agreed.

We've had a good run of accommodations - The Fairfield House, run by the gay guys (need I say more?), The Saracens Head, overall the best so far, The Green Man where, even though the room was small it was hip and so comfortable and The Norfolk House, described above. The Royal Hotel in Ross-on-Wye was a dud, and tonight's accommodation, the Portway Inn, is a real dump (R is killing flies with a rolled up towel as I write this, no kidding). It is true that we are out in the middle of nowhere and after walking 12.5 miles we weren't about to walk the 9 miles further to the next town, but still. We had our pints outside in the yard so that we didn't have to spend any extra time in the room.

Back to today's walk... R feels we are now qualified to write a book about walking in the UK - our working title is Walking in the UK for Dummies.

Dead animal count - 4
2 Birds
1 Giant Beetle
1 Frog

We came upon another church along the path (no town or people anywhere nearby, so who knows why there was a church there) and did our normal poking around in the churchyard. Doors were locked so we headed out. On the way, we saw a classic country guy sitting happily in the tall flowers, sketching (we had missed him on the way in). I walked to him, expecting to see a muted, charcoal exact likeness of the church. Instead, his pastel work was a riot of bright and even day glo colors (pink trees!) - the church in a decidedly modern light.

Cow Encounter:
On walks in other years, we always came upon teenage cows (I call them juvenile delinquents.) They are very rambunctious and curious, but beat it whenever we would step towards them. We walked near a bunch today though, that was positively bold. First one walked near, then 4, then 8, then 12. They didn't want me to rub their heads, like cats, or pat their flanks, like dogs or horses. They wanted to lick my hands and arms! They must have loved the salt taste of my sweat (it was another hot day). Cow tongues are like rough sandpaper, but it was such a surreal experience that I let them have at me. I left them feeling weirdly part of the countryside and all things basic.

We had about 1/4 mile of the trail today through thick and tall stinging nettles (ouch) - R bushwhacked ahead of us with his tripod as best he could, but we still got stung. Luckily, the sting and itch only lasts for a hour or so. (To add insult to injury, when the nettles ended the path was bordered by a farm and giant, stinking piles of manure.)

We had a fair amount of road (country lanes, really) walking towards the end of the day. We came upon two old men who seemed to be old friends, walking along the lane. One was walking his bike. They explained that they walked every day - one once he had his ill wife settled for a few hours, the other meeting him with his bicycle so he could walk with him for an hour and then ride home again. A sweet and seemingly life-long friendship. They chatted with us for 10 minutes or so, then we picked up our pace and carried on.

On approach to our inn, we walked through acres and acres of the Bulmer orchards, apples grown for their world famous hard ciders. The trees are flowering now and the fragrance was heavenly.

Over and out for tonight.

12.5 miles

He Said:
Again, we have found that some places have no internet at all, so we are just now updating the May 25 and 26 walks from our place in Hay on Wye.

May 25 was another in a series of long, hot days of walking.
In our previous trips to the UK, we have never seen this many warm days in a row.
Sunny is always better than rain, but it does hinder us when it's so warm.

This stage of the walk starts and ends with long sections of riverside paths, warm and humid, and after a time redundant. There were several hamlets along the way, places without a store or even a pub; just a few houses. Yes, we are in the middle of nowhere, the back of beyond... and that's OK
We visited a couple of now lonely churches, one was open (in Byford), very small but still in use, and had some 400 year old paintings on the wall.

Here are some photos: