A bright sunny afternoon – too good to stay at home, but the ground would be sodden after yesterday’s rain (this is becoming repetitive…). Would a walk entirely on surfaced ways be acceptable? There are some quiet lanes in the country west of the Wenlock Edge – let’s try it.

I’m not sure I’d want to make a habit of walking six miles on tarmac – but it was quiet. Perhaps no more than a dozen motor vehicles, half a dozen bicycles, a couple of joggers and a distant dog-walker – not too bad. Nevertheless, it nearly wasn’t the circular walk I’d intended. An impromptu ford blocked my way just beyond (appropriately) Plaish. It was deep – it would have filled my boots. Some minor gymnastics (do I mean acrobatics?) got me over the narrowest bit, but the only way forward then was along the edge of a field for a very short distance, before regaining the road. With very muddy boots.

Rhymes with “sogg”… An interesting and pleasant route for a mild and bright afternoon – but unbelievably wet underfoot. The path rises gently through the forest, though in places, it’s “forward two, slide back one”. On the crest of the ridge, the path switches to the field. There are ancient earthworks just inside Mogg Forest – impressive-looking banks and ditches (named “The Ditches” on the OS map). The footpath should now run across the field (and clearly does so in summer, if the Google satellite view is reliable), but there was no sign of it, a new crop was coming up and the earth looked very sticky. With no waymarkers to point me in the right direction, I followed the wide grassy margin of the field beside the forest instead. Foot- and horse hoof-prints told me I wasn’t the first. 

The path (waymarked again) descends to the road beside Cottage Pool, a little way up the valley from Brockton. I had intended to walk along what should have been a quiet lane to Easthope, but I think it must have been school closing time, so I took to the field path towards Lutwyche Hall (it would be slightly shorter too). Big mistake: it wasn’t too bad past the attractive little pool, but the field thence to the Hall farm was the most waterlogged part of the walk. The cows had been on it, leaving deep water-filled hoof holes in the squelchy grass. There’s a good view of the hall from the field, but navigating the morass took all my attention – by the time I was out of it, the hall was behind trees and hedges. No photos…

Note to self – a good walk for a dry summer…

An attempt to avoid the worst of the mud, on an afternoon when it was good to be out on the hills. This one is on lanes with a decent surface at lower levels – perhaps the upper reaches might not be too waterlogged. The rough lane from Cockshutford serves a few houses high on the hillside – beyond, it’s a bit soft for 100 yards under the trees, then we’re out on the hillside, and it’s a gentle stroll on the summit ridge. Admittedly, there are one or two soggy spots which require careful circumnavigation… The cloud has cleared for a while, and a shaft of bright sunshine catches an unexpected red spot amongst the heather. The poppy wreaths have been well tied down, on the memorial to the “twenty three Allied and German airmen who died in flying accidents on the Brown Clee hills, 1939 – 1945”.

The gate just beyond the radio mast on Clee Burf provides a view to the south-east, where the Malverns catch the eye and the Cotswolds provide a grey horizon. In the opposite direction, as we begin our descent down the road serving the mast (grassy ancient tarmac), a pale tower catches the light. It’s the cement works at Penyffordd – 55 miles distant.

Taking advantage of some bright sunshine, on the high ground at the northern end of the Wenlock Edge