Croft Ambrey Walk

Starting from the village of Yarpole, this 3.5 km route heads into the wooded parkland of the Croft Estate, one of Herefordshire's finest tracts of ancient woodland and veteran trees. The path leads past Croft Castle and Parkland, where you can pause to admire the fortified manor and its surrounding grounds, before continuing uphill through mixed woodland.

Along the way you pass the curious Gothic Pumphouse, and there are opportunities to detour to the Grotto, Sunken Chamber, Sir James Croft's grave and the estate Icehouse. The gradient steepens as you climb towards Croft Ambrey, an Iron Age hillfort perched high above the surrounding countryside, with sweeping views across the Marches into Wales, the Shropshire Hills and the Malverns beyond.

From the ramparts the route descends through woodland and pasture to finish in Aymestrey, a small village in the Lugg valley. With 205 m of ascent packed into a short distance, it's a satisfying half-day outing that rewards steady walkers with big views for modest effort.