Walk 3: Hill Court, Huddington

4.9 miles / 8.5 km (approx  1¾ - 2 hours)

Map Walk Three

A great walk that heads N and up a hill to Hill Court, a gorgeous late C16 red-brick timbered house with part of the moat in front of the garden. Hill Court, Grafton, British Listed Buildings 

On a clear day the views from this hill are wonderful, across the valleys to the Malvern Hills, Bredon Hill and sometimes as far as the Cotswold scarp with Grafton and Upton Snodsbury churches standing out among the trees.

This walk is always lovely but a crisp, cold, clear winter’s day is my favourite when the views can be outstanding and the short section of the route that crosses a cereal field is frozen hard.

Grafton Church from Huddington Hill

1. Start at the Village Hall cross Pershore Road (B4082) and go down the footpath to the L of Hillside Close bungalows into a field.  Go E straight down this field, across the stream and over a stile in the hedge.  The footpath veers off R in the middle of the next field then along the R side of fields to a lane.  Turn L to walk N up the lane, cross the A422 go up the lane to Libbery.
2. Follow the lane as it winds through the village until it becomes a track and continue on the track up the hill past barns on the L (Seagers Buildings), down the slope passing a big pond on the L, up past the mobile phone mast and round the R side of two more fields. (Wonderful views from here on clear days.)
3. At a junction of bridleways in the corner of the second field after the mast, turn R and go around 60m to a fork in the bridleways.  Take the R branch through two gates out on to Huddington Lane and turn R.  Walk along this quiet road for around 100m then turn L up a bridleway.
4. Walk up the R of fields to some farm buildings turn L by a gorgeous late C16 red brick timbered house with part of the moat in front of the garden.
5. Follow the footpath over a stile and through 2 fields down the hill keeping the hedge to your R.  The footpath then bears R across a field, through a gate in the corner by a small copse to Huddington Lane.  Cross the road, go through a gate onto the Public Bridleway opposite.  This Bridleway opened in 2010 and will not be shown on older maps; fortunately it is clearly waymarked and easy to follow.
6. Go straight on, past 3 oak trees to the R hand corner then turn R and walk with the hedge on your R along the edge of two fields toward Huddington Hill Farm.  Turn L in front of the farmhouse, down the Bridleway on L of the field through the gap in the hedge and walk alongside the brook to a small gate, between a big willow tree and the brook.
7. Turn R and continue about 50m alongside the brook then R through a small gate.  Go up R side of the field, through two sets of gates into a small field by Bow Wood.
8. Turn L and follow a bridleway along the L of two fields towards Upton Snodsbury.  Go through two sets of gates onto a rough track; follow this up the slope to the A422.  Cross the road and retrace your steps back to the Village Hall.

Follow this link to download a PDF of the route with sketch map:   Walk Three Route

 © Hilary Williams