Time for a walk somewhere a bit different. While perusing the OS map, I'd noticed a footpath running down to the River Frome on the map next to the farm in Winterbourne where I went horse-riding for a couple of years in my early teens, and, thinking maybe I'd get a glimpse of those fields again from the river that meanders its way through the valley and under the Huckford viaduct, I packed Cwtch into the car and headed for it.
Horse-riding sounds very posh but it was more a case of messing about in jeans and borrowed riding hats on a motley group of ponies owned by a former jockey. (Except I had my own hat because I have a large head and rummaging through crates in the porch of the farmhouse trying to find one that fitted was a pain.)
About Me

- Deborah Harvey Poetry
- Bristol , United Kingdom
- Poet and poetry facilitator. Co-founder of the Leaping Word Poetry Consultancy, which provides advice for poets on writing, editing and publishing, as well as qualified counselling support for those exploring personal issues in their work - https://theleapingword.com. My sixth poetry collection, Love the Albatross, is now available from Indigo Dreams or directly from me.
Thursday, 15 May 2025
Out and about around Huckford Viaduct
Down the cow parsley-lined lane, then, though we soon diverted into woodland running parallel to it ...
... where I found my second jay secondary - and third jay feather of the year - which was pleasing, this one having a little more blue on it than some of the ones I've picked up.
Near the bottom of the hill, our path led under Huckford viaduct and along the Frome. I decided to explore as much of the area immediately around the viaduct as possible, and headed first in the direction of Winterbourne Down.
We were mostly walking through woods but every now and then a view opened up, like this one of the viaduct, which was bulit in 1902 and is part of the Bristol Parkway to Paddington line, so in frequent use.
We also explored a steep side path, where the steps were formed by roots.
After a while, I started to hear traffic up ahead, so rather than put Cwtch back on the lead, we executed an about turn and retraced our steps to the viaduct.
Next we explored Huckford Quarry, which was apparently mined to provide material for the viaduct, and is now a nature reserve. It felt like it had its own microclimate; a miniature temperate rainforest. One thing that never used to affect me when I was younger but does now is vertigo, so I took it very steady on the higher paths, as there were some precipitous drops.
One sign of nature was this dead mouse, almost buried under leaf litter.
We then passed under the viaduct again and headed along the river in a north-easterly direction towards Coalpit Heath.
Some of the whitethorns were still flowering, which was a bonus as they've mostly stopped now in the other places we walk.
Charlock
There was little to see of the fields of my youth, however, as the banks of the Frome are now mostly wooded, which wasn't the case in the seventies. I think it's great there's so much more tree cover, though seeing pretty big ones growing that weren't there before is a reminder of how much time has elapsed between then and now. And when I could glimpse the occasional field, it was unrecognisable.
After a while we again turned about and retraced our steps, as we'd been out two hours already and there were jobs to be done at home.
In places the path was thick with fallen whitethorn petals, and I wondered why it's so much pinker on the ground than on the branch.
Golden chervil, ground elder and hemlock water-dropwort
Common Carder on Comfrey
Hoggin, including some willow pattern
Back up the path
Cwtch and I drove home rejoicing at having found another lovely new walk. We'll be back.
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