Just cross the road from Cound’s Guildhall and we’re in the fields beside the brook, which today is truly babbling, the water sparkling in the sunshine. We leave the brook to cut across the edge of the woods and over to Harnage, where we’re spoilt for choice – far more footpaths than we need! The quiet lane takes us back to the Guildhall – we’ll have a look in the charity bookshop before setting off for home.

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Soft hail is pattering on our shoulders as we leave the house – is this outing a mistake? There are showers about, obviously, but once again we succeed in dodging them, until the very last minute of our walk, when a few more soft white blobs descend. Along the old Corvedale road, we’re following a chattery group of walkers, but after pausing at Tigger’s Ickle Shop, they continue along Rowe Lane. We turn away from the lane, to pass Thonglands – now all we can hear is curlews in the fields. Much better!

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A morning walk at Shirlett. It’s cold and not exactly clear, but there’s no wind and the sun’s trying to shine, picking out the new year’s growth in the woods. It’s quiet up here, very pleasant for a short stroll.

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On the map, the public footpath along the north bank of Linley Brook, east of Linley Bridge, looks inviting. When we tried to access it a few weeks ago, we encountered thickets of brambles and, unable to see a path, gave up. When I heard, earlier today, that the obstruction had been cleared, I decided we ought to try again.

As we’d hoped, there was little difficulty today in starting along the way, and the path looked usable. At times it’s close to the brook, which runs here in a mini-gorge on a rocky bed – beautiful! However, it became increasingly clear that we were the only two-legged users of the path for some time, and eventually it seemed to peter out as more brambles gathered. We might be able to continue in the field just beyond the jungle – let’s try it. Yes, sure enough, there are the waymarkers – we’ve made it, and we’re soon back to civilisation! A most interesting and enjoyable exploration, but emphatically not to be attempted in shorts…

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A (not very) circular walk on a cold grey afternoon – got to keep moving to stay warm! Down Stanley Lane and across to the old railway trackbed, which we follow northwards for a couple of miles. then back up through the trees to Colemore Green. Between here and the car, the fields are sunshine yellow – it’s that time of year again.

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… with a few puffy white clouds to break the monotony!. The sunshine’s warm but the air’s very cold – more like January than April! The brisk northerly breeze doesn’t help, though this route is fairly well sheltered, and despite the cold, the year’s first bluebells are beginning to bloom. There will be warmer days!

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The Ditches: an ancient hill fort, well hidden in the depths of Mogg Forest. If this was grassland, it would be a spectacular landmark. It would probably be much more popular too. On this glorious Easter Sunday we passed one other walker (the weatherman says we’re going to pay for it tomorrow, when the temperature will probably be 10°C cooler…)

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It’s that Shirlett round again. Much has changed since we walked this way in February – white blossom, violets, leaves appearing on the trees (and it’s much drier underfoot!). As expected, it’s quiet – though we did meet one other person on the stretch across the fields (after I’d commented that we’d never met anyone else on that part of the walk). The sunshine is misleading –  the air’s cold, though it warms a little as the afternoon progresses, and it’s very pleasant to be out.

 

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We attempted this walk back in October (see Timber!) but had to turn back when we met some “serious-looking forestry operations”. Today there’s no forestry work taking place, and we’re able to complete the circuit of Causeway Wood. That final section (we weren’t certain it existed!) was very pleasant, after the forestry tracks we’d followed – a single-file footpath just within the forest’s edge, with views to the wooded ridge to the east. Worth returning for! Perhaps next time we’ll make an attempt on the summit (no great height, but the undergrowth was overwhelming last time we tried it…)

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Another Wenlock Edge walk. It’s warm again – the car said 21ºC as we drove home – but there’s some thin high cloud veiling the sunshine. The light is flat, and it’s hazy. Not ideal for the camera, though there are some colourful things of interest close to hand.

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