{"id":7280,"date":"2025-08-07T00:29:03","date_gmt":"2025-08-07T00:29:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/phoenixwalks.xyz\/?p=7280"},"modified":"2025-08-07T09:13:45","modified_gmt":"2025-08-07T09:13:45","slug":"elementor-7280","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/phoenixwalks.xyz\/index.php\/2025\/08\/07\/elementor-7280\/","title":{"rendered":"250731"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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31 – 07 – 25\u00a0 \u00a0 ELSDON<\/strong><\/h1>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Distance 14.7 Km\u00a0 (9.1 miles)\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Ascent\u00a0 \u00a0303 m\u00a0 (994 ft)\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Average moving speed\u00a0 4.0 Km\/hr\u00a0 (2.48 mph)\u00a0 \u00a0 Start\u00a0 10.25 am\u00a0 \u00a0Finish\u00a0 17.14 pm<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Leaving the coaches beside Elsdon Parish Church on a cloudy but fairly warm day, 6 of us headed NE out of the village.\u00a0 After passing the community centre, we saw the Motte & Bailey castle on our left.\u00a0 We found the RoW which continued in a NE direction climbing up the field.\u00a0 The RoW did not exist for long and soon we were zig-zagging through the tufted grass until we reached a wall which bent around to the right thus heading E.\u00a0 After a short while, we passed through a gate and joined a minor road\/track initially heading E but then bending to a S direction before passing Landshot Glebe.\u00a0 It was a joy to be on the road after the tufted grass.\u00a0 At the subsequent junction we turned left and passed Landshot, after passing the non-existant RoW and skirting to the south of the buildings.\u00a0 There followed\u00a0 a steep descent to a stream where we met Florence waiting for us.\u00a0 The RoW headed to\u00a0 a stone wall and we followed this as it curved from NNE to ENE.\u00a0 When I say followed this, it was a case of keeping near the wall and finding the best way forward. As the climb was getting steeper and the route more difficult, I decided to have our coffee stop here rather than the top of the wall.<\/p>

After our stop, we continued climbing to where we joined another RoW heading SE below Landshot Hill.\u00a0 This part of the route involved fighting our way past large bushes of Fern (see photos) \u2013 not much fun.\u00a0 We passed a stile into the \u201cfield\u201d to the south, but I was not happy with it so we carried on, finding another stile which we crossed and then managed to find, with difficulty due to bogs, reeds etc., the RoW I was looking for heading slightly south of east.\u00a0 Once again this RoW (I refrain from using the word \u201cpath\u201d) was a mix of long grass, reeds and bogs which became even worse as we walked parallel to a stream as we headed to East Nook.\u00a0 At East Nook we joined a road (more of a track) but it was much better than the reeds etc.\u00a0 This took us down through the forest to Whitlees where we started looking for a RoW on our left, heading into the trees.\u00a0 Once again there was no path so we continued down the road and then turned E on a good forestry track.\u00a0 On reaching the point where the RoW should have emerged from the forest, again there was no sign, nor was there evidence of the RoW heading E thro Harry\u2019s Wood.\u00a0 Giving up on the idea of heading ESE thro Harry\u2019s Wood to Manside Cross, I decided to join a good track marked as a RoW and headed SE.\u00a0 Reaching another good track heading NE, we decided to stop at the junction for lunch.<\/p>

After lunch we continued along the track and met Ann\u2019s group travelling in the opposite direction.\u00a0 The two groups then exchanged tales of woe about their adventures so far.\u00a0 I advised Ann to keep to the roads as much as possible while she warned me about Rushy Knowe.\u00a0 So we parted and my group continued SE.\u00a0 I knew we had to leave the good track to follow a RoW but couldn\u2019t initially find it so we back-tracked and after a lot of searching found a slightly downtrodden route continuing SE.\u00a0 The fact that it was slightly downtrodden was probably due to Ann\u2019s group.\u00a0 So we continued SE passed Bellion Edge on a narrow strip of bog, reeds and tall grass, trees to the right and remains of trees and felled branches etc. to the left.\u00a0 After very slow progress, we arrived at Rushy Knowe.\u00a0 Well if we thought we had suffered problems previously, it was nothing compared to what lay ahead.\u00a0 Looking at the RoW heading to our right, WSW, there was no way we would get through, so I decided to head left for a short distance and then SSE on a track.\u00a0 There was only one problem, while there was an obvious gap in the taller trees, small trees and bushes littered the ground.\u00a0 We made only 30 m progress in over 2 minutes, and as we were already well behind the clock there was no way we would make the bus using this route.\u00a0 So I told the group to head to the right to find the RoW as I knew Ann had used this route, albeit with difficulty.\u00a0 It was difficult, but at least we kept moving and once on the RoW as it curved SW, we found a reasonable surface which led to a good track heading SSE.\u00a0 Down this track towards Harwood Head and we were soon on the minor road heading to Elsdon.\u00a0 At last we could build up a head of steam and we were soon at Winter\u2019s Gibbet where I took a group photo and relayed the Tale of Henry Winter who with two female accomplices murdered Margaret Crozier at Raw cottage, 2 mile N of Elsdon.\u00a0 \u00a0Then it was a long trek along the road, although we did have a misty view of Cheviot in the distance to keep us company most of the way.\u00a0 Approaching Elsdon, at a double bend we left the road and headed down a field with a grass cutting tractor for company.\u00a0 With less than 0.5 mile to go we hit a final problem, not finding a way through a fence to cross a stream.\u00a0 Taking a route back onto the road we arrived at the pub\u00a0 with only 20 minutes to spare when at the start I expected to have over an hour in the pub.<\/p>

What a walk, more than a mile shorter than planned and yet we lost at least 50 min.\u00a0 Two problematic walks in a row.\u00a0 I\u2019m pleased that Florence is leading the next one.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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\u00a0Click on any photo to view full screen.\u00a0 \u00a0 Move through the gallery using the\u00a0 \u00a0<\u00a0 >\u00a0 arrows.<\/p>