Author: geoffspages

Walking from Bedlam

On By geoffspagesIn Photography, WalksLeave a comment

It’s a handy place to leave the car! Too warm for energetic walks up hills – best to stay under the trees where possible, even if there aren’t many photo opportunities. If we walk downstream on the north bank, we can return to Ironbridge  on the south bank, along the old railway track – and we’ll have earned an ice cream by the time we’re there. Refreshments disposed of, it’s a short walk back to Bedlam, and we can do most of it away from the road.

View OS map on Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=368940&Y=302726&A=Y&Z=120

Finding the Pyramids

On By geoffspagesIn Photography, Shropshire hills, Walks1 Comment

A fine June afternoon – bright sunshine, white puffy clouds (and the chance of a shower? No, surely not?). It’s a sausage-shaped walk, where our outward route, below the crest of the Wenlock Edge, is only 100 yards or so from our return – but also lower by a similar extent. The path through the trees is very pleasant, with the sun at our backs, but the return along the ridge is more open – and here are the pyramids! They’re orchids, dozens of them, scattered here and there in the dry grass beside the path. With plentiful pink and white wild rose, honeysuckle and (as we used to call them) “dog daisies”, it’s a colourful part of the world.

View OS map on Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=359215&Y=298296&A=Y&Z=120

Visitors welcome

On By geoffspagesIn PhotographyLeave a comment

It’s probably indicative of poor gardening – if we’d looked after the grass (I can’t describe it as a lawn) at the back of our house, this wouldn’t have happened, I’m sure. Once again, we have a crop of common spotted orchids – twenty flower heads in total, from perhaps seven or eight plants. The tallest are just-about past it, others are just coming into bloom. They’re welcome visitors (even if they are a b***** to mow around!).

On the Chase in June

On By geoffspagesIn Photography, WalksLeave a comment

We’re heading for Cannock Chase – the weather forecast says it should stay dry (it did), while showers would affect western Shropshire in the afternoon (they did). It’s not a great day, photographically – the clouds are heavy and ominous, and there’s no real sunshine – but it’s very enjoyable to explore the heathland, which varies in appearance and feel as we make our way around. A fairly long one today – just short of 10 miles – so we’ve earned our tea and cake at the visitor centre…

View OS map on Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=399085&Y=317611&A=Y&Z=120