Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down

Posted bynickletjogPosted inDiary

LETJOG E2W – Day 15: Sunday 28 April – WORCESTER to BROMYARD (16.2 miles)

On the day that we reached wonderful Herefordshire

Some things happen for a reason, and our especially late night out in Worcester yesterday, and the ensuing lie-in this morning, allowed time for the wet weather front to blow through while we slept. Along with my brother Tim, joining me for the next two days on my LETJOG E2W trail, I had expected heavy rain today until mid-afternoon, but as things worked out the rain was easing as we sought a breakfast café in the city centre, and had all but blown itself out by the time we emerged to take on our day’s trek. As they say, it pays to be patient!

Our morning trek took us out of Worcester city centre, beside the racecourse and over the Severn, and then past the university, before leaving the town behind for a lengthy navigation around and across ploughed fields all the way to Doddenham village . . .
. . . then ensued a climb up Ankerdine Hill to our brief picnic lunch stop, before we descended to enjoy a pleasant afternoon’s walk along the lanes, eventually into Bromyard to our evening’s destination in the Falcon Hotel

So, having survived our ‘big night out’, and our rather noisy overnight studio in the ‘Party Quarter’, our walk through Worcester and out into the fields to the west turned out rather well. The country here is of rolling hills of grazing pasture for sheep and cattle, interspersed with a wide range of crops, from cereals to orchards and even the occasional vineyard. Add in some small copses and the half-timbered and red-brick cottages, and one has a human scale picture-book landscape that makes for a fine day’s walking.

Moments after the deluge, as we emerged from our coffee and breakfast in Worcester
The racecourse sits on the edge of the city centre . . .
. . . just by the River Severn crossing
Looking back behind us, over the city . . .
. . . and forward onto our rather sodden pathway
Views south-west across the fields to the Malvern Hills
Having strayed a few metres off the public footpath for a quick look at Sir Edward Elgar’s birthplace, I was moved along quickly by the National Trust’s Sunday volunteer corps
The likely lads
Out across the fields . . .
. . . and a walking portrait of ‘the man with the hat’
Another view of the Malverns, ‘end on’ from the north now . . .
. . . and another of Tim, this time crossing one of the small brooks on our route
Our morning water stop . . .
. . . and then into a golden valley
At Doddenham, an oasthouse . . .
. . . and a vineyard
Views, as we started our climb up Ankerdine Hill
Wild garlic . . .
. . . formed a thick carpet, as we descended back into the valley
The church at Knightwick . . .
. . . and sculpture in the local pub garden
The footbridge over the River Teme
Some delightful residencies . . .
. . . in some stunning locations
Rain in the air, sun at our backs
Arriving, at last, into Bromyard . . .
. . . over the River Frome

What a great day to share on my LETJOG E2W walk, in the great outdoors! Aside from a few raindrops in the air on a couple of occasions, Tim and I completely dodged the forecast deluge, and our waterproofs were never called into action. Our fine day concluded at the Falcon Hotel and, in the absence of any other hot food on offer in the town of a Sunday evening, another fine Indian meal – meaning curry three nights in a row for me; no complaints there!

Arriving at the Falcon Hotel in Bromyard this evening – for some reason we chose the ballroom entrance

‘Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down’ is the title of a 1969 composition by US singer-songwriter, actor and one-time helicopter pilot Kris Kristofferson. I have adopted this title as my Blog heading today as it seemed to fit the mood of an unusually late entrance onto the unfamiliar streets of Worcester this morning, in search of breakfast after a good evening out. The song itself was originally recorded in 1969 by Ray Stevens, but became perhaps more widely popularised the following year through the Johnny Cash cover version, whilst Kristofferson also included his own rendition on his debut album ‘Kristofferson’ also in 1970; speaking later he confessed ‘actually, it was the song that allowed me to quit working for a living’.

And there’s nothin’ short a’ dyin’
That’s half as lonesome as the sound
Of the sleepin’ city sidewalk
And Sunday mornin’ comin’ down

One thought on “Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down”

  1. Reading the blog each morning is most enjoyable. Hope you had a good night at the Falcon. Malvern hills getting ever closer. Where do the likely lads out in Worcester I wonder?

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