The Firstfruits of Lockdown

May 2020. We had just been released from 12 weeks of strict Covid lockdown, during which my longest car journey had been to Tesco's – a not particularly thrilling 2 mile round trip. Now, blessed by a warm sun, we sped into deepest Herefordshire, determined to enjoy our newly-bestowed freedom.

An hour or so later we were relaxing in the shady porch of Bredwardine Parish Church, where some enterprising parishioners had set up a plant stall. Grateful for their enterprise, I helped myself to an oakleaf hydrangea and popped £3 into their high-security cardboard box. 

I'd never heard of an oakleaf hydrangea before, but Google Image gave me a taste of what to expect.  Would mine be white, pink or red? Well, here's what's grown...

 

 

 

There's no denying that it has oak-shaped leaves and it is rather pretty, but looks nothing like any of the photos on Google Image. Truth be told, it doesn't look much like an hydrangea at all. Is it, I wonder, a variety unique to the fertile plains of Bredwardine?  Probably not, though it will always have a treasured place in my garden – something good to have come out of Lockdown.

 

As well as this post, I've widened my reach to horticultural experts far and near by putting the photos on my Facebook page.  Perhaps someone will be able to put a name to it. 

One week later... and an answer

Thanks to my friend Lyn, the mystery has been solved.  It's a Rudbeckia.  If you look at the first photo again, you may notice that the leaves near the flowers are not oak-shaped at all.  They look like this:

 

I'd never heard of a Rudbeckia before, which just goes to show what a horticultural ignoramus I am.  Perhaps its a name that I will soon forget.  For me, this tall plant with its bright yellow flowers, that so beautifully graces the end of the garden path, will always be my Lockdown Plant – lockemdownious bredwardinium.
 

 

 

Offa's Dyke: White Castle to Pandy

The Offa's Dyke path between White Castle and Pandy is a pleasant one through undulating farmland, but there's not much of interest on the way to blog about.  Consequently, I had planned to combine it with an account of the walk from Pandy to the Hatterall Ridge, once I had completed it. However, there has been a change of plan (of which more later).

Once again we started our walk at White Castle, a 50 minute drive from home. This time, though, we headed west on a footpath that skirted the ancient fortifications before heading down into the shallow valley of the River Trothy.

 

The walls of White Castle, as the name suggests, were once white.  Apparently, traces of the 760 year old paint still remain, though I've never found any of it on my visits. 

 

 

They shall not pass! I always feel a little nervous when walking past cows or bullocks as there have been (thankfully rare) instances of walkers being mauled and seriously injured.  I console myself, however, in the knowledge that cattle must be used to walkers on the well-used Offa's Dyke path and content simply to watch them pass by.

No sunshine today. In its place, occasional belts of mist wafted over the countryside – not sufficient to make one wet, but hardly picnic weather. 

 

A notice outside St Cadoc's Church in Llangattock Lingoed invited us to step inside and view a remarkable 15th Century wall painting and Rood Beam. Unfortunately, the building was locked, with no indication as to where one might obtain a key. To their credit, however, the good church folk had set out several picnic tables in the churchyard for weary ramblers, but we had other plans.  Just visible to the right of the church is the roof of The Hunters Moon Inn, where we planned to have lunch on our return journey to White Castle.

St Cadoc's Church, viewed later that day from the Hunters Moon Inn

Whilst I admit to being nervous about passing close to cows, horses hold no fear – thanks in no small part to my friend Bridget, who has taught me almost to like them. The little one was especially friendly and was rewarded with a gentle pat and a stroke on his head.  

Notice, by the way, that the sensible Welsh authorities top their footpath markers with yellow caps, making them much easier to spot.

As we neared Pandy the mist thickened. I zipped up my coat, raised my hood and quickened my pace through long, wet grass.

 

 

 

Those houses beside the busy A465 marked the turning point for this ramble. We didn't linger, but rather headed back over the hill to sunnier Llangattock Lingoed and a welcome lunch at The Hunters Moon, where I can thoroughly recommend the hospitality, the Sauvignon Blanc and the Chilli con Carni.

 

A Change of Plan

For the next section of the walk, we had planned to park in Pandy and walk to a trig point on Hatterrall Hill, high above Llanthony Priory – 5 miles there and 5 more back. Then for the following walk, we would park in Hay-on-Wye and walk back to the trig point. However, that would be an out-and-back ramble of 20 miles, which is rather too long for me, especially as it would include a steep ascent from Hay.

So instead, the plan is to leave our car in Pandy, walk the 17½ miles to Hay-on-Wye and spend a night there, then return by bus to Pandy on the following day. That promises to be a lovely adventure, but won't happen just yet as the next three Mondays (our best days for walking) are already taken up with a routine breast screening appointment, an MOT inspection for Bluebird (our car) and a probable trip to Cornwall. Then there's a big holiday coming up, followed by Golden Wedding Anniversary celebrations, postponed from last year, so we probably won't hit the Offa's Dyke trail again until the Autumn.