From Woodland Wild Camping in Ledbury to the Berlin Wall

Sleeping in a Herefordshire woodland, then wandering through quiet countryside to Eastnor Deer Park and the Berlin Wall (I'll explain).

Wild camping in the Conigree Wood, Ledbury

People often think an adventure requires a long drive, a train journey or a flight to a distant place. This weekend I decided to see if I could have a decent little adventure without even leaving my postcode area.

After what had felt like a long week at work, I fancied a night of wild camping and a good walk the following morning. I wanted to do something simple but meaningful. A bit of time outside, a stretch of the legs, and a reason to head somewhere I’d been meaning to visit for a while.

Once my daughter Molly was asleep, and with my wife Stace agreeing to cover bedtime and the early morning shift, I loaded up my backpack and headed into the woods about an hour before sunset.

Conigree Wood sits on the hills above my hometown of Ledbury. I’ve walked through that woodland countless times over the years, but turning up with a tent made it feel a bit different. The same paths I’ve always known suddenly felt like the start of an expedition rather than just somewhere I pass through.

The Conigree Wood, Ledbury

I found a quiet spot away from the main tracks and pitched up amongst the trees. Through gaps in the branches I could watch the sun setting and the evening light fading across the town below. It was exactly the sort of peaceful scene I’d been hoping for.

It was peaceful for a bit, anyway.

Wild camping in a Herefordshire woodland

Sunset in the Conigree Wood

As darkness settled in, the local muntjacs began their campaign of psychological torture. If you’ve never heard a muntjac bark in the dark, imagine a small deer trying its best impression of a much larger and more dangerous animal from the very depths of Hell. They seemed to be scattered throughout the woods in all directions, taking turns to remind me that I wasn’t entirely alone. It doesn't actually bother me now, but on my first wild camp in the woods a couple of years ago, I found it quite unnerving.

The hourly chimes of church bells from Ledbury drifted up through the trees as well, along with the occasional car engine noise from a boy racer circling the town, for whatever reason. Arguably no less logical than sleeping in the woods on your own about a mile from your house, I suppose.

The view inside my tent as darkness set in

Eventually I drifted off. At first, I struggled to settle and woke up more than once wondering where I was. Sometime in the early hours, though, I fully switched off and slept surprisingly well.

At around 5.30am I woke to daylight filtering through the tent. A quick look at my Garmin watch told me I’d somehow managed my best sleep of the week. As the parent of a two-year-old that often wakes up crying, that’s not exactly a high bar, but I’ll take it.

After packing everything away and leaving nothing behind except a slightly flattened patch of leaves, I set off.

Morning view from my tent in the Conigree Wood, Ledbury

Leave no trace

I planned to walk from Conigree Wood to Eastnor Deer Park, stop at the Berlin Wall (I’ll explain later), head up to the Obelisk at the highest point in the park, and then make my way home. Roughly 8 or 9 miles all in.

Once I left the woods and reached the open fields above Ledbury, I was met with one of those mornings that makes you glad you made the effort. A hazy, beautiful light with the outline of the Malvern Hills slowly coming into view.

Walking through a field east of Conigree Wood

A view of the Malverns from outside Eastnor

The Herefordshire Beacon from Eastnor

By the time I reached Eastnor Deer Park, I had the place entirely to myself. I was too early for a coffee and a sausage roll at the Woodshed Café near the park’s entrance, but I was happy to sacrifice a flat white for some solitude.

The Woodshed before opening time

Back in December, a section of the Berlin Wall was installed here. Despite living only a few miles away, I’d been saving a proper visit for a walk like this rather than just popping over for five minutes.

My gran, Marie Barnes, spent much of her life in Eastnor, where she raised my dad, his brothers and his sister. She also spent several years living on a British military base in Germany where dad was born. One of my earliest memories is sitting with her as she watched news coverage of the fall of the Berlin Wall. It clearly meant a great deal to her. She was sat there clapping with tears in her eyes.

She passed away in 2008 and we scattered her ashes beneath an oak tree in Eastnor Deer Park.

I’ve never been to Berlin and seeing that piece of the wall in my local area brought everything back into focus. They placed it just up the hill from the oak tree where her ashes were scattered. Just a coincidence, but a kind of perfect one.

A section of the Berlin Wall, Eastnor, Herefordshire 

The oak tree where we scattered my Gran's ashes

From there, I walked down to the oak tree and spent a few quiet moments there before continuing on towards the Obelisk.

After that, it was time to crack on before my wife’s patience would start to wear thin.

The climb up to Eastnor Obelisk is hard enough on a normal walk, let alone with a backpack full of camping equipment. My legs were definitely feeling it, but I got my head down, dug in and made it to the top for some incredible views.

Morning sunlight stretched across the Herefordshire countryside and the ridgeline of the Malverns heading north.

Approaching the obelisk, Eastnor

Me at Eastnor Obelisk

The Malverns from the obelisk

After a while of enjoying the scenery and a rest, I accepted I was not going to get away with standing there all morning and started the walk home.

It was definitely far easier heading back than it had been reaching the obelisk. I had a spring in my step and was really pleased to have completed my objectives for the walk.

Eastnor Castle

Please stop doing this. It's grim.

The Church of St John The Baptist, Eastnor

After plodding through the park and an alternative route through the southern edge of the Conigree, I rolled back into Ledbury shortly after 9am. I dived into Greggs because by that point a bacon baguette felt deserved, and then headed home to resume normal service as husband and dad.

A different route home

The south east of Conigree Wood, Ledbury

This did bring me some joy

The whole thing took around 13 hours and I never left HR8.

It wasn’t really about ticking off places or pushing myself to the limit. It was more about finally making the walk I had been meaning to do, linking up a few familiar spots, a bit of family history, and a night in the woods just above town.

Not a bad way to spend time in the outdoors in your own little part of the world.