Just published to “Geoff’s Rail Diaries”, illustrated accounts of two excellent days out in Staffordshire and north Wales. For more on “Tracks to the Trenches”, visit TTTT2 – then have a look at Diana’s Debut on the Bala Lake Railway
Author: geoffspages
Late spring and early purple
The contrast could hardly be greater – this morning I was driving through busy Birmingham; this afternoon we were wandering on Wenlock Edge. Everything seems to be in flower now, and the early purple orchids should be in bloom.
Diana’s Lakeside Debut
We’ve been to the Bala Lake Railway, for a ride behind Diana, on her first day in public passenger service. She was built in 1917 for service on the Kerry Forest tramway, but soon found her way to the north Wales slate quarries, where her working life had ended by 1950. Remarkably, she survived (through several changes of ownership) – and following a full and thorough restoration, is in action once again. Doesn’t she look great! There will be more photos etc. on “Geoff’s Rail Diaries” – eventually…
100 years later
Apedale again – for Tracks to the Trenches: six fine steam locomotives in action, mostly dating from WW1, and an uncountable (they won’t stay still for long enough) number of Motor Rails of similar vintage. The first TTTT was in September 2014 – the icon of the event proved to be the Motor Rail in the shell crater. There it was again! Has it been there since the last event, poor thing? If it has, 
it’s turned itself round in the intervening period. An excellent afternoon – well done, once again, the Moseley Railway Trust. There will be a “Rail Diaries” page in a day or two, in the meantime, here are a couple of tasters.
The Chase in May
It’s hard to believe that Tuesday, yesterday and today could have been consecutive days. After a day and a half of almost continuous rain, the skies are clear and blue, the sunshine warm and the breeze very pleasant – we need to be out somewhere… We’ll go for Cannock Chase – there are one or two wet places, but it’s mostly well-drained, with shingle and sand underfoot. It’s a great place to be on such a day, with plenty of bright green new growth everywhere. The bacon rolls at the visitor centre, conveniently half-way round our circular route, are pretty good too.
View OS map on Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=398960&Y=316261&A=Y&Z=120
Berrington outdoors
It’s another warm sunny day (with the possibility of a shower later?) – we’ll throw together a quick picnic and find somewhere to eat it (Whitcliffe Common, Ludlow) on the way to Berrington Hall. We explored the interior about this time last year – today we’ll take a walk around the lake. It’s easy going, even on such a warm afternoon, and the ice creams in the gardens are very welcome, though I’m not sure we’ve really earned them.
The Mynd and XXX
Another ideal afternoon for wandering on Shropshire’s hills. We’ve parked at Bridges (very handy for the Horseshoe Inn, which seems to be called the Bridges now), and we’re heading north-east beside Darnford Brook, to reach the skyline at Betchcott Hill. The last short ascent is by the aptly-named “Golden Valley”, lined with glowing gorse. This is a walk of four parts: part two now begins as we turn through 90 degrees and head south-east along the ridge of the grassy hill, following the ancient Port Way. Part three starts when we reach the heather-clad Long Mynd – another 90 degree turn, still on the Port Way, taking us to the Shooting Box. Now it’s downhill (almost) all the way, with heather giving way to grassland near the derelict ruin that bears the unlikely name of “Priory Cottage”, according to the map. From Coates Farm, a quiet road takes us back down to Bridges, and a most welcome pint of Three Tuns – a perfect pint in a perfect spot on a perfect afternoon – XXX
More on XXX here https://www.threetunsbrewery.co.uk/pages/our-beers
View OS map on Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=341105&Y=296796&A=Y&Z=120
Jitties
The bank holiday rain has cleared – we need a little leg stretch. A quick tour of the Jitties might be fun… It’s quiet this afternoon – the high street exceptionally so, providing a rare car-free scene for a few moments as we head for home.
Note for grammaticists and pedants: Some of the names may be possessive (e.g. Maidens Jitty – it’s a local name, so perhaps it is the jitty of Maiden. Alternatively, it could be purely informational…) However, none of the signs have apostrophes, so I’ve left them off the captions (whether they should be there or not).
Taking flight…
Sunday 24 April 2016: let’s step back just over 12 months: “He’s sent us vouchers for a helicopter trip!”. The facial expression said it all – I think she nearly took flight there and then… With a busy summer ahead and lots of unknowns, we didn’t get round to redeeming them until the autumn. The first booking was cancelled due to the weather – as was the second, and the third, and… (it’s reassuring really). Eventually, we made it, and with plenty of time to get used to the idea, “we” were quite looking forward to the flight. “Is that it? It’s tiny!”. Yes, a very modern-looking (I’m no expert) little four-seater job – driver and three passengers.
We’re flying from Halfpenny Green – “Wolverhampton Airport”, though its WW2 origins are still pretty obvious. We’re strapped in (car-type seat belts) in minutes and away – and despite the clattering of rotor blades while we waited to board, it’s quiet and peaceful (thanks partly to the headphones, I guess) – a very relaxing way to travel over the Shropshire countryside, bobbing and swaying gently in the breeze, with little sense of forward motion. First we’re heading for Bridgnorth, then turning to fly above the Severn, passing Stanley Hall, the fishing lakes at The Boldings and Apley Hall. Soon Broseley is over to our left, and in moments we’re above Ironbridge. As we pass the power station, we begin to turn back, viewing the huge bends upstream in the Severn before buzzing Benthall Hall and skirting Broseley again. Staying west of the river, we’re soon looking down on Bridgnorth, then Chelmarsh reservoir and, crossing the river, Dudmaston Hall. Not far to go now – losing height again to make a gentle landing back at Halfpenny Green. What a great trip! Many, many thanks, T. “When can we go again?” ‘Nuff said!
A new angle on an old subject…
…but where did I take it from? All will be revealed in due course.
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