Local Walks Around our Parishes
The Parish Council now sponsors the production of leaflets featuring pleasant walks around the Group Parishes. There are currently four leaflets detailing local walks each devised by members of the Luston Group Parish Plan Action Team. The leaflets can be obtained from The Balance Inn, The Quarry Farm Shop or the Tourist Information Centre in Leominster. All of the walks are circular, start at the Balance Inn, and also feature an alternative shorter route.
Copies of the leaflets are now also available for download (and printing out, if you wish) by clicking on the blue title to each walk. Our first three walks leaflets were amended in March 2012 to correct some minor errors, so you may wish to update your own copy.
Although car parking is available at the Balance Inn, I am sure you would wish to call in for refreshment, either before or after your walk, although they are not currently open at lunchtime. Map: OS Explorer 203. Bus: 492. Stop: The Balance Inn - or the end of Eye Lane.
Please remember The Countryside Code, Be safe, plan ahead and follow any signs. Leave gates and property as you find them. Protect plants and animals; take litter home. Keep dogs under close control and consider other people.
Walk 1
3.75 miles (6 kms.) - mainly flat.
This walk goes out of Luston Village into the beautiful surrounding countryside. It is mainly through fields, with a short stretch along the edge of Oaker Wood and a short section along Croft Lane. There are wonderful views from Luston fields across to Bircher Common, Croft Woods and beyond to High Vinnals in Mortimer Forest and Titerstone Clee.
Walk 2
3.5 miles (5.6 kms.) - mainly flat.
This walk is mainly through fields, crossing several streams and the railway line, with a short stretch along Eye Lane. It passes the Church of St. Peter and St. Paul, and has wonderful views across to Bircher Common, Croft Woods and beyond to High Vinnals in Mortimer Forest and the Clee Hills.
Walk 3
5 miles (8 kms.) - mainly flat with gentle hills.
This walk is mainly through fields but with several stretches along quiet minor lanes, edged for much of the year with wild flowers. It passes the charming church of All Saints at Eyton and has lovely local views to Oaker Woods and Bircher Common, and in the distance, to Hay Bluff to the south west, and High Vinnals in Mortimer Forest and the Clee Hills to the north.
3.5 miles (5.6kms) - mainly flat.
This latest addition to our list is a circular walk from Eye Church via Shuttocks Hill.
It may also be started from Cawley Hall, and the description includes a shorter 2.5 mile (4.1 km) option.
Other Local Walks
National Trust Walks
The National Trust have created a 5 mile (8 km.) walk, which mainly follows local footpaths, from Berrington Hall to Croft Castle. A map can be downloaded here, and full details can be found here, on a separate sheet.
They have also published a leaflet showing four short circular walks on the Croft Castle estate, the details of which can be found here, together with a detailed map giving full directions on a separate sheet. We hope you will find these of interest.
Walking for health in Leominster:
These are guided walks lasting about an hour, in and around Leominster. The scheme is a fully accredited member of the National Walking for Health Project, and all walks are led by trained leaders. They meet every week as follows: Tuesday at 11.00am, Thursday at 11.00am and Thursday at 6.30pm. All walks start from the Tourist Information Centre in Corn Square, where a Tourist Information leaflet entitled "Walks by Bus" can also be obtained.
Nearby Places of Interest:
Berrington Hall:
Near Leominster, Herefordshire, HR6 ODW.
Tel: 01568 615721. Fax: 01568613263.
More information, including opening times etc. can be found on their website.
Email: berrington@nationaltrust.org.uk
Croft Castle and Parkland:
Yarpole, near Leominster, Herefordshire. HR6 9PW.
Tel: 01568 780246.
More information, including opening times etc. can be found on their website.
Bircher Common:
The Common sits on a hillside overlooking the beautiful Herefordshire countryside and offers plenty of walking opportunities extending into several woods, Croft Ambrey and the Mortimer Trail. There are extensive views from the top across several counties, and into Wales.
Mortimer Trail:
This is a long distance walk (48 km - 38 miles) which starts in Ludlow, Shropshire but soon enters Herefordshire. It covers a variety of terrains through an area dominated in mediaeval times by the Mortimer family, one of the most powerful Norman earldoms.
Five loop walks connect with the trail, the nearest one being the Yarpole Loop.
Yarpole Loop Walk:
This is a circular walk from Yarpole via Bircher Common and Croft Castle, a distance of 5 miles (8 km) which is also mentioned in the link above.
Herefordshire Trail:
This is a longer circular walk of some 150 miles in total, around the county of Herefordshire.
An interesting ring bound colour guide can be purchased at the Leominster Tourist Office for £5.95, which describes the walk in some detail, and breaks it down into 15 manageable sections.
The Trail actually passes through Luston, crossing over the road close to the Balance Inn.
