Walking, Sports
And Leisure
Walking is the favourite pastime of many visitors to Aymestrey Lodges. Enjoy stunning scenery on spectacular walks and trails right on our doorstep, or venture further along country trails.
Stroll peaceful paths through orchards and picture-perfect villages. Hike between monuments and castles. Spy spectacular birdlife or complete a circuit of Mortimer Forest or the county on the Herefordshire Trail! Below we’ve included some local walks and useful maps. More scenic places to visit are included on our “Geography and Nature” page.
Other opportunities to explore are horseracing at three famous courses, genteel pursuits like fishing, golf or pottery or – for the more adventurous – cycling, canoeing, quad biking and clay shooting. Choose your dream activity and rest assured that your very own hot tub will be waiting for you to end a perfect day the perfect way.
Walks around Aymestrey
Wigmore Circular walk
It is hard to believe, but as you walk through Wigmore you are walking through what was once a major town and centre of power.
In the 10th century it was the major civic centre for the region and sometime home of King Edward. Download the walking guide here.
Dead Tree Corpses – Row of Dead Trees Loop from Aymestrey
Don’t let the name put you off – the dead trees that give the walk its name are both magical and majestic.
The walk also takes you to Croft Castle and Bircher Common. Download the walking guide here.
Yarpole Circular Walk
St. Leonard’s Church in Yarpole is one of six Herefordshire Churches having an unusual detached bell tower dating back to the 1332 Century. These towers are strongly built with thick stone walls and are thought by some historians to have doubled up as places of refuge or safety when the village was threatened.
On the southern side of Bircher Common there are three large enclosures, this route takes you to the east of these. They are thought to represent stock and farmstead enclosures dating from the Iron Age indicating that this area has been farmed for over 2500 years. Download the walking guide here.
Croft Castle
Visit Croft Castle and the National Trust have mapped out 5 memorable walks
Walks range from 1.5 miles to 5.5 miles in length.
Titley Circular Walk
There are some fantastic views on this walk – you can look north to the hidden valley created by Hindwell Brook, a major tributary of the River Lugg. South you can look down into the river valley created by the Arrow. Northeast you look across to the important Iron Age fort on Wapley Hill.
These hill forts were probably less about defence and more about providing a tribal centre where the wider Iron Age communities could gather and shelter. A place to come to, to talk, trade, share stories and pass on ideas and good practice amongst each other. Download the walking guide here.
Shobdon Circular Walk
The outside of St. John’s Church and its parkland setting hide an extravagant Georgian “Strawberry Hill” Gothic-style interior. Everything except the 13th century tower was built in 1753-6 to the design of Horace Walpole.
The interior is a visual feast of Wedgwood blue and white with stucco panelling and gothic furnishings and is perhaps the finest example of its kind in the Country. Download the walking guide here
Mortimer Forest Trails
Straddling the Shropshire and Herefordshire border this thousand-hectare forest is a perfect place for some breathing space. Although originally made up of ancient royal chases and deer parks, the forest we see today was largely planted by the Forestry Commission in the 1920s.
It was named after the Mortimer Family, Norman Lords who held power over the region for some 300 years.
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Other local attractions
Images used with permission from The National Trust.
137558 View of the northern end of the Malvern Hills, Herefordshire, showing the Worcestershire Beacon. NTPL commissioned (NTPL) © National Trust Images/Joe Cornish.
