Thornbury Wayfinders

Septuagint (the Seventy) is the name given by Biblical scholars to the Greek version of the Old Testament, because it was translated from the Hebrew by seventy scholars (actually seventy two) on the island of Pharos.

Nearer to home the Seventy are the walkers who turned up to walk in Thornbury last week.

Nine turned up for the Walking Well walk on Tuesday to explore some of the boundaries of Thornbury.

Four took the bus to Falfield to walk the coffin walk back to Thornbury on Thursday with accompaniment from the Lyke Wake Dirge, borrowed from a longer coffin path over the North York Moors. The dirge strangely mirrored the Falfield route with Gorse Covert standing in for Whinny Moor, more than one candidate for the Brigg O’ Dread and the Anchor to remind us of hospitality.

Twenty one came out with Severnside Ramblers on Friday to explore the Streamside Walk. It is really interesting to tag along at the back when a new walk leader is using your published route for a walk. There were snowdrops and celandines out which made for a very pleasant experience. When we got back, five of us repaired to the Swan to enjoy a very reasonably priced VIP lunch at the Swan. It would be great to find a way to attract more walkers to take advantage of these offers. At least one couldn’t come because she was sharing a lift.

Saturday’s clement weather attracted a large crowd (26) to the Southwold Walk around the Biodiversity Ring. The numbers were swelled by a group of Nordic Walkers who I’d met on the banks of the Severn near Oldbury some time ago. The first path, past the Soay sheep, was horribly muddy, so I opted to take the alternative route past the Cemetery. This meant that I had to split the party to make it quicker to get over the stiles. There were more snowdrops to see at St Mary’s Church, but there were also people arriving at the church for the activity that was to keep Jenny busy, who was to open St Paul’s Church for us later on.

To make sure we didn’t get to the church for lunch too soon, I decided to lead us on another alternative route around the edge of the Park Farm estate, where we had a coffee stop near the stream. We got a bit strung out after a few of us took advantage of a kind offer of a toilet break, but we were nicely back together by the time we arrived at the “Country Park.”

The lunch break at St Paul’s Church was something of a highlight as the sun was shining and the primroses and snowdrops were doing their thing. Jenny had got there ahead of us to make us welcome and provided chairs from the church for those of us who hadn’t got sitting mats.

The yellow brick road through the Miller homes estate (not really brick) is nearly but not quite complete, but there is a woodside path around the temporary obstruction, which took us to a spring under a hazel tree that has the makings of shrine to St Milburgh after whom Milbury Heath may have been named.

The route back through Filnore Woods to the Leisure Centre car park was pleasant enough, but as I would have expected. I think I was in a bit of a hurry. Note to self – take your time and park nearer to the centre of town if that is possible.

There were another eleven for the Boundary Walk on Sunday with the Thornbury Ramblers, who turned out to be hardy bunch. All the other local Ramblers had cancelled due to threatened rain and gales. But Frances led us off regardless. We made our way via Streamleaze, Crossways Wood and the Hackett to the Parish Boundary Bench at Buckover on the edge of Milbury Heath, which celebrated the 100th anniversary of Falfield’s separation from Thornbury. I put out honey grain and wine to Terminus, the Roman god of Boundaries to mark the spot and we set off via the stile in the grounds of the White Horse at Buckover. So far the rain held off.

We followed the headlands through the land of Buckover Farm to the Knapp, via a pleasant strip of flowers and trees and a pond. Then across the Gloucester Road and up the hill towards the wind turbine as the wind rose and rain began to bite. We sheltered behind some plastic covered bales for a coffee break and were treated by a show from a herd of fallow does.

On to the gate by the parish boundary by the Iron Age Hill Fort, where some of us braved the elements to look across the river towards Lydney’s pagan temple and St Arild’s on Cow Hill. Ceromonies complete, it was down the hill to the stream , where we discovered the dodgy stiles had been replaced by gates and on the to the dreaded stile between St Oswald’s Rockhampton and the Mount Pleasant Tree Nursery. Frances had prepared a detour to avoid it, but lo and behold a pair of new gates! Saved!

On through the nursery and past Luce’s Farm past more evidence of stiles being replaced by gates, but then we ran into a series of three sets of stiles in need of replacement. By now the weather made it a bit of a struggle, but we persisted to Yew Tree Farm and a walk along a straightforward boundary between Rockhampton and Thornbury. We found a sheltered spot on the edge of a ditch under some trees for lunch.

After this it was on to Henridge Hill and another bit of jiggery pokery then back home along the newly opened path through the showmen’s ground. All was fine until we had to get over the gate/stile onto Oldbury Lane. The wet made the stile treacherous and I nearly did myself a mischief! It was even worse for those of us who had not had our hips and knees, which led to refusals at the next obstacle, which was a similar stile. Luckily there was a convenient diversion, and we soon got out of the rain, where half of us repaired to the Swan for tea and cake (and Guiness) accompanied by a pair of spouses (or is that spice?).

This is a really hardy group!