Hergest Ridge

March 2007

"Hey and away we go"

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In common with many people, I suspect, the first time I heard of Hergest Ridge was in the mid-70s, when Mike Oldfield released his second album bearing the name of this whalebacked hill on the Herefordshire - Radnorshire border (the first, I hardly need add, was Tubular Bells). Curiously, it was the album "Ommadawn" released the following year that contained the song "On Horseback", which suggests "...if you you feel a little glum, To Hergest Ridge you should come". ("Hey and away we go, through the grass, across the snow" etc etc).

We felt a little glum last May when we first attempted this walk - the BBC's forecast was for one or two little scattered showers, but the aftercast (is there such a thing?) showed the large area of rain that settled on the area. We reached the top, decided we were wasting our time in the driving, persistent rain, and returned to Kington and the car to eat our sandwiches. Inevitably, it stopped raining shortly after we drove away...

Enough of this! On a fine, bright and breezy early March Saturday, we parked in Kington and set off up the ridge. No great height, Hergest Ridge tops out at just under 1400', but in this wild border hill country it feels bigger and higher, with extensive views in all directions. To the west is Radnor Forest, which doesn't seem much higher despite being over 2100', and away to the south are the dark ridges of the Black Mountains. I guess we should have been able to see the Brecon Beacons too - but it wasn't sufficiently clear.

Offa's Dyke path runs the length of the ridge - there is no problem with pathfinding - and leads inexorably over the Welsh border and down into the little village of Gladestry and the Royal Oak. "Are you serving food?" - "Yes, here's the menu - oh, and there's fresh cod and chips..." It was just the right fuel for the walk back to Kington - great fish, clearly battered and deep fried to order in wonderfully crisp batter, and home-made chips too (none of those frozen imposters!)

Well fed and watered, we headed back towards the car - this time following a route along the lower eastern slopes of the ridge, via Upper Rabber and its dingle. The very pleasant path skirts the edge of open country, climbing to around 1100' before eventually regaining the outward route to descend past Hergest Croft and its gardens to Kington.

Books and Maps:- The walk illustrated is shown in its entirety on both maps -