We were in Cardiff on Friday – a trip to St Fagans was in order, though on this occasion it could only be a flying visit. There are new developments in the pipeline here – will have to come again before too long.
St Fagans National History Museum
Author: geoffspages
7th June at Statfold
A day that turned out much better than expected: more photos and an account of the day’s activities – and weather – at Rain and shine at Statfold on Geoff’s Rail Diaries
Rainy day, sunny day at Statfold
I had a feeling, when I booked the tickets, that it was going to rain on the 7th June, for the Statfold open day. It did, too – the forecast had been dire all week, and we were woken by a thunderstorm in the early hours of the morning. Happily, the BBC thought things were going to improve in the afternoon, and they were right.
A (fairly brief) “Rail Diaries” page will follow in due course; meanwhile, here are a couple of tasters.
Dorothy Clive Garden
It’s just inside Staffordshire, not far from Loggerheads. A pleasant afternoon’s exploration, with tea and cake to follow…
The same but different
A wander around Blists Hill on a warm and pleasant afternoon, followed by a wander around the darkroom on a quiet evening…
The pipeworks
The first time I found the tiny bottle kiln, abandoned and apparently forgotten, in a quiet corner of Broseley, I was amazed. It had been used for firing the clay tobacco pipes made in the small factory alongside. With the industry in decline, it was closed and left to decay nearly 60 years ago. It’s now part of the Ironbridge Gorge Museum, one of their lesser-known sites. Other than necessary safety measures, the factory is preserved as found – a real “time capsule”. Well worth an hour’s exploration.
After the rain…
… a breath of fresh air and a change of scene. Following 48 wet hours, the sky tried to clear on Saturday evening, and the sun broke through. Photos taken between Brockton and Much Wenlock.
Coalbrookdale – dingle and riverside
A walk north of the river, from the top of Coalbrookdale – up the Loamhole Dingle into the fields above the Severn. No bluebells today; instead, wild garlic in the damp and shady spots (welcome in the strong sunshine), and buttercups in the meadows.
Dudmaston and the Dower House
Two pleasant and lazy afternoons after Saturday’s leg stretch. The Dower House garden is at Morville, and is open to the public on Sunday and Wednesday afternoons. The house adjoins Morville Hall, which, though a National Trust property, is not open to the general public. Dudmaston is on the other side of Bridgnorth, and at the other end of the scale – a pleasant spot for a wander around the lake. It was too warm for anything more energetic.
Dower House garden, Morville
Dudmaston Estate
Mucklewick in May
Sounds charming, doesn’t it? We started out from The Bog… It was warm, clear, sunny – beautiful! Gone are the pastel shades of the winter months – it’s all in technicolor today.
We leave the Bog car park by the new path beside the road, heading north-east on a walk that would be south-west of our starting point. There’s method in our madness – we’re avoiding a short stretch of path that can be seriously muddy. Later, as we descend from the ridge, a fairly comfortable rock beneath The Rock provides us with table and chairs (I exaggerate) for lunch – a near-perfect spot, away from the wind (a light breeze, very welcome later in the afternoon) and the gunfire. It’s not the quietest part of the county…
Quiet tracks (on the opposite side of the ridge to the shooting range) and a very minor road take us down to the West Onny valley, then via Nind back up onto the hills. Mucklewick Hill is another pleasant spot (enjoying that breeze now) for the last of the day’s provisions before, after a short descent, the long gentle rise to tea and cakes at the Bog Centre (highly recommended!).
