Sun 6 Apr 2014
By sheer coincidence the second time I accompanied
Colin on a section of the ODP it was exactly a year later to the date! We
parked in a small village called Forden, or Kingswood, because we were going north to join up to where Colin had reached, walking south, some weeks earlier. We set off initially
through a field and then on to a very steep and narrow overlay of a Roman road. Old trees on either side of the sunken track had thick exposed roots
that were so twisted and gnarled it seemed as though we were entering part
of Treebeard’s forest in
The Lord of The
Rings.
 |
| Treebeard? |
Soon we left it for a wide path through a real
forest, damp and gloomy. The muddy track twisted and turned, and at one stage
we were in doubt as to the correct fork to take. According to the map we located
Offa’s Pool; but there was only a wide bridge over a vegetation-choked stream.
Further on, the Path passed by a large pool and then followed a minor road for
a few yards before turning off east on a rising track by a wood.
 |
| Colin at the large pool |
At the top of
a field we turned left and this led over open fields directly to the Iron Age hill
fort known as Beacon Ring.
 |
| The ROW is actually on the right side of the hedge |
Here on wet grass we stopped for our lunch. Later as
we continued along the Path northwards a thin rain started. After a steep field
descent we reached the point at which Colin had finished his previous section.
The slog back up the hill was tiring and the rain set in further. However, as
we reached the Beacon for the second time the weather cleared and favoured us
with a little watery sun.
At one junction we took a wrong track for a few yards
but corrected ourselves and soon arrived back on the Roman road. Passing
between banks of lovely yellow primroses and white stitchwort we reached the
village and my car. A change of clothing was called for as we were quite damp,
and later we stopped by the roadside lay-by for a good hot brew.
This could have been a really good walk had there been some sun. The Beacon was the sole point of real interest. But for those who, like Colin, are walking the whole ODP, the completion of another stage provides much satisfaction.
