A few weeks ago during a bout of absolutely gorgeous spring weather (read more here!) Adam and I got invited to our first barbecue of the year.
It was in the nearby village of Welland, just outside of Malvern. It normally only takes us 10 minutes or so to drive to Welland from the house Adam and I live in, so instead of taking the car we decided we’d make use of the local public footpath network and walk.
I’ve spoken before about my love of England’s public footpaths – I think they’re just a fantastic asset and a real encourager to get out and explore. Around Malvern alone there must be hundreds and hundreds of kilometres of tracks, so you’d never have to walk the same path twice.
We quickly found ourselves in the middle of a farm, walking through paddocks full of ewes and their lambs. As an Australian, who’s spent a bit of time reporting on agriculture, I still find a bit novel to be able to walk through a working property. My mind automatically thinks about the biosecurity concerns a similar scheme in Australia would no doubt raise, as well as issues surrounding privacy. Here though, it’s just part of life, and I relished being able to look at the lambs up close.
Our path then took us through a paddock of flowering canola (or rapeseed as its known in the U.K.). For me, it was like I was suddenly transported back to the Riverina region of regional New South Wales, where canola is one of the main crops grown. When I worked in Wagga Wagga, seeing the region’s paddocks burst into the most cheery shade of yellow every spring always brought a smile to my face. I loved wandering past the tall stalks and couldn’t help but admire the density of the crop.
After climbing over a fair few stiles, Adam and I entered a paddock near a dairy farm. The grass was so lush and thick- something some Aussie farmers must dream about. It was so thick, you could almost liken it to trudging through snow. That paddock will certainly keep some lucky cows happily full for some time.
The early evening sun covered the entire countryside with a lovely warm glow and we couldn’t help but stop and admire this small pond we came across. With the new spring leaves emerging on the trees, the scene looked like something out of a Beatrix Potter story.
After around 40 minutes of walking we found ourselves on the road coming in Welland. It’s a gorgeous little village and I think could spend hours walking around it taking pictures of all the beautiful cottages.
We had a lovely dinner – though the temperature did drop rather quickly once the sun set – and took advantage of an offer for a car ride home. As much as Adam and I enjoyed the walk, doing it in the dark with full bellies and tired eyes, wasn’t so appealing!
Wattle and Ash 