The first person to complete the Kington Six Walks Challenge, says ‘it was fascinating to see another side of the area’

Angela Dyer started the six walks around the area last November and finally finished them earlier this summer.

In total the walks cover about 28 miles.

The  six walks include a four mile gentle wander  from Kington to the Small Breeds Farm Park and Owl Centre, a three and a half mile walk around Park Wood and Offa’s Dyke with an optional loop around the old racetrack,  and a four mile walk up to and around Bradnor Hill.

The fourth walk is four and a half miles to The Arrow Valley, walk five is Along the Tracks to Lyonshall a six and a half mile walk along the disused Leominster to Kington railway and the final walk takes in Kington Mills and Weirs, an easy two and a half mile walk.

Angela who lives in Leominster heard about the challenge, which you complete in your own time, when she called in to Kington Tourist Information Centre at the end of last season.

She got a copy of the 6 Great Walks Around Kington Challenge booklet and registered for it.

Two orienteering style clippers have been placed on each of the walks to mark the card you receive at the tourist information centre when you enter to confirm that each walk has been completed.

Angela said she was surprised when she was told she was the first person to complete the challenge.

“I was quite surprised and thought the good people of Kington didn't know what they were missing,” she said

She did not receive anything for doing it, apart from being first on the Roll of Honour.

Angela said: “I first heard about this area when I was given a copy of Mike Oldfield's Hergest Ridge LP over 50 years ago and then in the 1990s often stayed at my brother's cottage on Hanter Hill. 

“We would walk over the hill to shop in Kington and the contrast with the rather dull Home Counties landscape I usually walked in was remarkable. 

“We retired to Leominster ten years ago and Hergest Ridge remains my favourite place to walk.

“Having recently walked on Bradnor Hill  in fog I thought it would be useful to have some lower level routes for the winter and they all covered ground that was new to me. “The volunteer at the TIC told us about the clickers and this appealed as I used to be an orienteer.”

When not walking with my Nordic walking poles, Angela helps run Leominster Repair Cafe and volunteers for Caring for God's Acre, who manage churchyards for wildlife, every week working in a different historic churchyard.

She said she would not do the challenge again but she would do all the walks individually again.

Angela said: “It is difficult to select a favourite but there are not many walks where you can get a cup of tea half way round, so that is Number 1 and the Small Breeds Farm. 

“There were some low points where I got lost, in most cases because land owners had replaced gates and fences and the way marks disappeared .

“Walk 5 was the site of some desperation, it was a warm day and I could not find the way from the hill down to A411 and had a long trek on the main road. I also missed an earlier turn and finished up talking to some very kind people at Rhodds wood. 

“All these glitches I reported to Geoff Cooper of Kington Walks and I think the footpath volunteers will be putting them right

“It was fascinating to see another side to the Kington area. 

“Walk number six appealed to the local historian in me and I was recently able to tell a couple of visitors who asked about the Castle in Leominster (there isn't one) that there was a Motte in Kington, off they dashed to look for it.”

“The clickers were sometimes hard to find and I broke off some fast growing ivy hiding one checkpoint. I was a bit worried about the clarity of the imprint of the clickers, sometimes having two goes.”

Geoff from Kington Walks confirmed that Angela is currently the first and only person to have completed the challenge so far. He encouraged others to try it

Anyone interested should contact the Tourist Information Centre where it is £2 per person which includes a free brochure and a clipper card with locations.