We are very lucky in Kempsey as, not only do we live in a beautiful part of the country, we have approximately 60 miles of footpaths and bridleways criss-crossing our Parish. We can walk on the Hams (flood meadows) and along the River Severn in both directions, across arable fields and pastureland, along green lanes and across several Commons. The views are stunning with a backdrop of the full spread of the Malvern Hills in one direction and, elsewhere, glimpses of Bredon Hill, the Abberley Hills and Clock Tower and even on a good day the Clent Hills.
Our paths and roads give us hints of Kempsey’s history, so that when you are walking along the Roman Road or the Saltway you are following footsteps from hundreds of years ago. Many paths from the hamlets enabled people to walk to the main village, including funeral parties following the coffin to St. Mary’s Church. Land where the M5 motorway now passes through our village was once allotment land, enabling villagers to ‘grow their own’ (and we thought that was a new idea!). Sand, from around Sandpits Lane (now Draycott Lane), and Marl clay, from around Marlbank, were used for road building.
There is a programme of path clearance in the Parish and the volunteer Parish Paths Warden (or Footpath Fairy) and lengsthmen work hard to clear vegetation and report issues to the County Council. It is possible to report issues online via the Worcester government website or by contacting the Parish Council office.
The book Walks Around Kempsey is still available but, as it was produced in the 1980s, some of the information is out of date. The nine walks in the book are beautifully described by the author, Rachel Evans. We are working towards re-opening blocked paths so that all the walks are accessible. Our current Parish Paths Warden, Lesley Cox, currently has three walks which are accessible. More will be added over time.
Please get out and walk our wonderful footpaths and bridleways. Regular footfall from lots of walkers keeps them clearer and therefore easier to maintain. Keep an eye out for the wealth of birds, insects, mammals and flowers which also call the Parish of Kempsey their home.