On an overcast morning, 17 walkers set off on a 7 mile walk led by Philip Lock from the recreation ground of Middle Woodford towards Lower Woodford, where a footpath led across several fields and stiles, before reaching the imposing drive into Little Durnford Manor.
Here there were horses, pigs and llamas in the grounds but no camels, as there had been on a previous walk done in the same area. Leaving the grounds along a tree-lined avenue and after a gentle climb, the path reached a ridge which gave a good view of the Avon Valley and the Woodfords. From there, the group continued along the track which led through a pig farm where there were crowds of young pigs of various colours. After further walking, lunch was taken overlooking the village of Great Durnford, which the group then walked through before crossing the river by a mill house and continuing on to Upper Woodford, where they stopped to admire a 300 year old Holm Oak.
A short walk along the road past the entrance to Heale Gardens led back to the starting point. This was a very pleasant walk through lovely countryside and pretty villages and one in which, unusually, the walkers encountered very little mud.
Report by Philip Lock
