Cross Country

Cross Country, as in most schools, was an important PE activity and the school prided itself on its team runners. The school was in no way a borstal but the novel The Loneliness of the Long distance Runner by Alan Sillitoe comes to mind! On Facebook there has been some discussion of the Cross Country route, the Glen and tales there of!

In this photo - Teachers - Walker? (PE Maths) Rev Lovatt (Divinity / Music)
Back row  L to R Omerick, Richard Clarke, David Mansell, Mick Burns, ?
Middle row L to R Graham Jones, ?, ? , John Vark, Martin Pickering?, Christopher Appleby.
Front Row L to R Trev Teasdel, Michael Rowsell, Stephen Hymer, Michael Shepherd, Franco Fazulo

I think they showed this film at one of the Saturday film shows!

Michael Billings The cross country course was past the headmasters house and turn right up the hill past the school to Six Ashes, Down the lane from Six Ashes, over the railway crossing and turning left just before Neen Savage church along a farm track past the Haunted House (Derelict house)to the River Rea footbridge. Over the stile and beside the river to the river bridge at the entrance to Cleobury. Over the style and up the Glen crossing the railway and down the mudslide. Running alongside the stream and emerging over the stile opposite the school. Turning right near the cricket pitch, past the headmasters house again and finishing on the field next to the cricket pitch. I last run it in 1958 but can remember it as if it was yesterday.


Trev Teasdel  By that's a good description Michael - I'd forgotten bits of it although I was in the school team at one stage. It all comes back - The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner! They showed that film funny enough in Main hall once. 

Rosemary Webb Rehill  Brilliant, Michael! I could follow that. I remember going to watch the boys splash down that mud bank just beyond the field on the other side of the street.

Peter Lund

I remember the cross country course with fondness. Their were two courses one for Juniors and one for Seniors which was a longer version of the Junior course. Out the school entrance turn right right up the hill to the crossroads then down the long-steep hill towards the church where you turned left onto a dirt track along which I and a few others used to take the opportunity to have a cigarette haha. My sporting history at the school was High Jump, Triple Jump and of course my favourite sport which was Rugby. As a smoker does anyone remember the old air raid shelter behind the medical centre which was a favourite hangout. Oh those were the days my friends (with apologies to the Beatles)


Trev Teasdel  I think there was an Intermediate route as well for 5th formers which went through the river just past Neen savage church,. Can't remember the differences in the route but i think it went part way down the back lane to Cleobury - past or near child's school.



David Partridge and back through the river before the long drag up the glen!


Michael Billings When we had Child's School from Cleobury against us in the cross country. The course was extended. At the Rea footbridge you went over the bridge and up the track towards the edge of Cleobury around a field and over a couple of stiles before going back over the bridge and resuming back onto the original course.

George Forrester I can still picture you in my minds eye, leading the field up the "glen" in cross-country


Rosemary Webb Rehill Ah the ford. How many hours did we used to hang there? Did you actually run through that? It used to get quite high.


Trev Teasdel  Rosemary - we went over the bridge when the river was high (or no one was looking!) and through it otherwise. I last run it in 1967 - almost 10 years later than Michael.

Michael Billings The Glen featured the mudslide which pitched me into the brook at the bottom a few times. On my next visit to Cleobury i must walk across the fields to see what remains of the Glen.


Trev Teasdel Looking at it via Google Maps - both the aerial view and the Streetview, it looks like the railway embankment on the way to the Glen has gone along with the various places the Cleobury Flyer was alleged to go - along both ways to the village. Flattened or ploughed over.

Rosemary Webb Rehill I went back last summer and the field across the road is now part of the pioneer center. Tony Booton still works there. Do you remember him?



Rosemary Webb Rehill As you go over the stile from the field by the Jacks' house. This was your view looking to the right. The railway would be at the end of this field.

Trev Teasdel I remember running up the steps of the embankment and that mud slid most. You'd be knackered by that stage in the run. There used to be winter sledging on the other side that dipped to the Cleobury Mortimer entrance.


I was in the school team for Mortimer and sometimes we'd go to Cov to run against other schools at the Memorial Park on a Saturday morning. We could stay at home until Sunday tea, so on the Saturday afternoon I'd either go to see Cov city play at home or somewhere like Wolves or go to the Gaumont - I remember seeing Goldfinger and Help on release."


Michael Breslin Remember running past this on freezing Sat mornings, down to Neen Savage, along the river and up the Glen which was always freshly plowed somehow and back to the school - nice cross country run. Try it on Google Earth.....


David Stuart  that is the top of the glen,from what use to be the railway track to the paddock before the road

Michael Billings Home made sledges seemed to appear from nowhere when the snow came. Wood was collected and lots of feverish sawing and banging to build your own and if you were lucky you managed to put metal strips on the runners so you could go faster. It was ingenious to see the variety of sledges. Grazed my knees a few times on the slope i can tell you.


Rosemary Webb Rehill Back in the 60's, it just seemed to snow for ever. I remember flying down that hill in the glen on a large white sled. We had to jump off before it hit the trees at the bottom!!


Mick Gajic anyone remember we all chipped in to make a sled run from the air raid shelter by the swimming pool,down the football pitch/cricket pitch,and we made a tunnel and took it in turn's to go through,just as i was going down the run some lads crashed in the tunnel,and i went straight into them,no one was hurt seriously,after tea every night we watered the course to make it icy.

X country Winners Blount House 1981
In this photo: Adrian Mulhall, Peter Niceley, John Brown (Photos), Dean Watson, Gavin Mulhall, Warren Niceley, Tovey, Aubrey Wood?, Harris, Harrison, Richard Hull, Rob Grant, George Bell, Patric Jones, Rob Wood, Alan Brown, Adrian Steane

The Glen (Now) Caravan Park