We’re heading for Shrewsbury (a quick shopping trip) – “we could go before lunch, and have a walk in the woods on Haughmond Hill” (and we could lunch at the café – excellent bacon sandwiches). Shopping? The Oxfam bookshop in Dogpole was possibly the most fruitful bit, certainly the most interesting…
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A fine afternoon in a quiet part of the county – starting from the end of the Hurst Farm lane, we’re heading up Round Hill, down Ned’s Lane and around the Willey loop. We’ll start with the cows – the Round Hill belties – and end with sow thistle and cow parsley…
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Another blue sky Sunday! It would be good to take a picnic lunch and eat en route – let’s go to Mortimer Forest. We can walk up to High Vinnalls (there’s a bench for our picnic on the way), admire the view, then walk across the top of Hanway Common and drop down to Richard’s Castle.
The picnic place was perfect (only two other walkers passed), the view from High Vinnalls was wonderful. The descent to Richard’s Castle was not on… There’s a herd of cows with young-looking calves in the field we must cross, and one of us had read, just a day ago, of the fate of two walkers trampled in such a field – one killed and the other paralysed. “No!” We’ll retrace our steps to an alternative. The descent of Hanway Common, was pleasant; the sheep and lambs entirely harmless…
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A short evening wander around Astley Abbotts and Colemore Green. The sun is low, highlighting the undergrowth and bringing out the colours, the birds are singing – and it’s not raining!
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But will it stop raining? It was dry for a time this morning, and we almost got back to the house without getting wet… Despite the weather, the season is moving along. The wild rose is coming into flower, and there’s a yellowhammer in the oak tree.
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We’ll stay very close to home… A typical bank holiday – showery rain forecast, and (yet again) looking better in the morning. Shirlett, along the lane to the chocolate gate, will be far enough.
The last photo – we’re home again: it’s the unmown bit of the back garden, where the common spotted orchids are coming up in their dozens, if not hundreds (the benefits of benign neglect!)
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Deja vu – at 9am, the forecast thought it could be showery this afternoon, so we’re out before lunch – same route as last Saturday, when the forecast was similar too. At 2pm, as I write, the forecast showers seem to have vanished. “Sunny intervals”…
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Colourful at this time of year! After more than 24 hours of rain, the well-made pathways through Comer Woods could be ideal. There’s a little mud away from the main routes, but it’s not a problem, and it’s very pleasant to wander here.
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We’re in quiet south-west Shropshire today, walking in the woods to finish up at Bury Ditches, a fine hill fort with extensive views over the surrounding countryside. Under a clear blue sky and in strong sunshine, it’s very pleasant to walk in the cool air on the fringes of the woodland, where conifers give way to deciduous trees, the sunshine dappling the pathways. The day’s high point in every sense is the fort, where a clear path winds along the rim of the main earthwork, through heather and glowing broom. Finally, a short straight path leads back down to the start.
Bury Ditches (Forestry England)
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A wander on a hazy morning – there could be some rain around this afternoon. Doesn’t seem long since the depths of winter when the verges and hedgerows were brown and bare. The scene has changed hugely in the last month or two.
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