Fog’s gone: the edge in January

On 25 Jan 2017 By geoffspagesIn Photography, Shropshire hills, WalksLeave a comment

The morning’s fog dispersed, as instructed by the Met Office, to leave a clear blue sky – perhaps the last we’ll get for a week or so? Better get out there and enjoy it – Aston Munslow and the Wenlock Edge could be good. It’s not especially elevated ground here, just over 1000′ at the highest point, but it feels like the top of the world. Must be the rarefied atmosphere!

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On Breidden Hill

On 24 Jan 201724 Jan 2017 By geoffspagesIn Photography, WalksLeave a comment

A short walk to a landmark summit, just across the Welsh border. It’s no great height, nor the greatest height of this little clump of shapely hills which is a significant feature of views from further east. The top is marked by Rodney’s Pillar, memorial to the 18th century Admiral, and provides splendid views of the border hills – or would have done, that is, had it not been for the lingering mist. The sun tried hard, but only really succeeded, inevitably, when we’d come back down again.

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A cold afternoon

On 22 Jan 2017 By geoffspagesIn Photography, WalksLeave a comment

Murky too! Not a day for the hills, and it’s wet underfoot. The paths at Attingham Park are well-maintained – we can get a leg-stretch there. Many others have had a similar idea, though they’ve thinned out considerably by the time we reach the far perimeter. There are some attractive reflections in the Tern, and there’s some wonderful bracket fungus on a tree near the entrance. It’s still there when we return…

Attingham Park NT

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A walk from Wenlock

On 20 Jan 201720 Jan 2017 By geoffspagesIn Photography, Shropshire hills, WalksLeave a comment

We’ve taken the no 18 to Much Wenlock – it’s a double decker, so we’re in the front seats at the top – and we’re walking home again. We’ve had a succession of dull, grey, cold and murky days, so today’s wall-to-wall sunshine is especially welcome. It’s wet underfoot in places, but it’s great to be out in the fresh air on a perfect January afternoon.

Windy afternoon…

On 11 Jan 2017 By geoffspagesIn PhotographyLeave a comment

…but bright and sunny – we’ll have a leg-stretch, but we’d better avoid the hill tops. We follow the lane down to the Severn valley, which is well-sheltered, but mostly in the shade…

Silver birches

On 06 Jan 2017 By geoffspagesIn Photography, Walks2 Comments

Thursday 5 Jan: We have to be in Wolverhampton briefly, late morning. It’s a perfect January morning – quite the wrong kind for being in Wolverhampton, so we’ll continue on to Cannock Chase, for a snack lunch in the visitor centre, followed by a walk to make the most of the weather. To do that, we’ll need to drive away again (it’s fairly densely forested there), to a more open part of the Chase, where scattered silver birches predominate, their trunks really catching the light. It’s pleasant by the Sher Brook too – in places, the water is mirror-like, the reflections perfect. We could have walked further, but that would take us into the forest, so we’ll head back to the car as the shadows lengthen.

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The Mynd in January

On 06 Jan 201706 Jan 2017 By geoffspagesIn Photography, Shropshire hills, WalksLeave a comment

Wednesday 4 Jan: “We’ll be out most of the day – you’ll have to amuse yourself…” No problem – it’s fine, bright and intermittently sunny. I’ll start from the Carding Mill Valley and work my round to Little Stretton, then up to the top beside Small Batch, and come back down Mott’s Road. There are one or two tricky bits on the path through the woods – soft and slippery – otherwise it’s a very pleasant route. The sun’s trying hard, and though it doesn’t always succeed, it provides me with some fine sunbeams to the south-west.

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Benthall and Wyke

On 02 Jan 2017 By geoffspagesIn Photography, Shropshire hills, WalksLeave a comment

Wandering under a clear blue sky – a perfect January day, though it didn’t quite go according to plan, and a full day’s walk further afield became an afternoon’s local walk. There’s colour in the sunshine, and a surprising amount of green.

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Foggy day

On 29 Dec 2016 By geoffspagesIn Photography, Shropshire hills, WalksLeave a comment

At home, we’re just on the edge of it; along the Wenlock Edge, we’re well above it. It’s pretty thick down in Apedale, but we can see the Hope Bowdler hills poking out through the fog. We’ll keep going! The forecast says the clear blue above the fog will be replaced by cloud later in the day, so we’ll set off in the morning (after scraping a very hard frost from the car) and find somewhere on the hill to eat our sandwiches (the Battlestones). As we head slowly back towards the car, the day is changing. We’ve had the best of it!

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Monty

On 27 Dec 2016 By geoffspagesIn NT and EH, PhotographyLeave a comment

The sun was already low in the sky as we walked along the short path to Montgomery castle. It’s a good place for a cold afternoon – there’s no wind but it will be frosty when the sun gets lower. We’re soon warmed up again in the Ivy House – tea and Welsh cakes. An enjoyable outing!

Montgomery Castle CADW