
Imagine a huge grassy back garden. It's on your wishlist, right? Now add a lazy meandering river. Better? How about a 5 arch 18th century stone bridge. Too good to be true? Nope. It's all here on Brockley Meadow in sleepy little Leintwardine.
What better place to start than with an open view from the lovely beer garden of the award-winning Lion Hotel. Perfect for a spot of Zen relaxation, quiet contemplation and a pint of Ludlow Gold. Brockley Meadow, in all its glory, has been owned and managed by the same Harley family since the time of the Domesday book. It is now left for sheep to graze, huge flooding issues and kindly given over for the general public to enjoy.
And enjoy they certainly do. Lazy hot summer afternoons see the village swamped under a seaside vibe, the pubs packed and the insensitive car parking yet again blocking the fire engine access road. Climb over the little wooden stile, away from the juggernauts that constantly thunder over the bridge. The further from the road the better - the quieter. Keep vigilant avoiding the empty drinks bottles, vaping paraphernalia, interminable Doggus Poous and find yourself your own quiet place. It's traffic free with plenty of open spaces. Heck, there’s even a precarious rope swing from a tree if you want to relive your youth for a while.
The Meadow, part of an ancient water meadow system is also a paradise for bird-watching. Serious twitchers have recorded almost 40 different species in a single day, including mallard, heron and kingfisher down to the smaller finches, wagtails, skylarks and sandpipers. The River Teme, providing the background burble and splash, is punctuated by little trout and grayling breaking the surface. The eagle-eyed might even find pottery shards washed down from the former Roman forts to the south of the village.
Brockley Meadow swings like a pendulum between serious road closing floods after heavy Welsh rain, through to dried out river beds requiring human intervention and physical movement of fish stock to deeper waters. It is a rare haven, a paradise even, in these days of mass building on greenbelt sites. A place to stop, rest, close your eyes and drift back to a simpler, slower pace of life.
So where are your Quiet Places? We'd love to hear from you.
Dave Fletcher @ 2022
Photo by Dave Fletcher
www.cariadwelllbeing.co.uk
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