Category: NT and EH

National Trust, English Heritage, museums etc.

Walking from Wenlock to Broseley

On By geoffspagesIn NT and EH, Photography, Shropshire hills, WalksLeave a comment

Tea and cake at Benthall Hall…

We’ve done it before, but last time, the Hall was only open at weekends. Now, it’s open (March to October – closed in the winter) on Tuesdays and Wednesdays too. There’s a tea room, with some tables and seats outside – and it’s just nicely half-way on this walk – perfect!

There are only four buses each day, but the Arriva no. 88 service is ideal for this one (and there’s entertainment value in the negotiation of some of Broseley’s narrower streets, where “anywhere” is the rule for car parking).

There are several possible routes from Benthall Hall to Broseley; most involve field paths and tracks before walking through the streets. On this occasion, we walked down surfaced lanes, to enter Broseley by the “Fiery Fields”.

NOTE for tea drinkers: the tea room is inside the hall, which would require payment of an admission charge; the outside area is not accessible though the hall, but whether one should pay, I’m not sure – we’re members anyway. The Hall is well worth a visit – but muddy feet (and ours were) would not be appreciated…

Bus timetable | Benthall Hall NT

Bring me sunshine

On By geoffspagesIn NT and EH, Photography, Walks1 Comment

Two bright, sunny afternoons – too good to waste…

Monday: a walk from Linley to Bridgnorth. I had a lift to the starting point, for a walk which should be well-timed for a lift home again. Down in the valley, out of the wind, I began to wonder if I should have left my jacket behind. The old railway track would provide a reasonable surface if the river-bank path was too sticky – in the event, it wasn’t bad at all.

Tuesday: A walk to Benthall Hall – an old favourite. The tea-room at the hall was a bonus – hadn’t realised it was open mid-week, so early in the season…

Benthall Hall NT

 

Border Castles

On By geoffspagesIn NT and EH, Photography1 Comment

Goodrich, the White Castle, Grosmont – three impressive ruins with similarities and differences. Goodrich is in England, beside the Wye near Ross, in the care of English Heritage. There’s lots to see and explore here – spiralling ways up to the heights, dark dungeons and passageways. A walk around the dry moat reveals the rocky foundations.

Goodrich Castle EH

Further west, in Wales, are the “Three Castles”, from 1201 the property of one Hubert de Burgh. We’ve been to Skenfrith before – let’s look at the White Castle. It really was white once, apparently. Its deep moat is still water-filled, and the ruins are extensive, but there’s only the one tower which can be climbed for a fine (but today hazy) view to the west, where the Skirrid – “Ysgyryd Fawr” –  and the Black Mountains are prominent.

Grosmont Castle, third of the “Three Castles” would be on our way home, and there’s still plenty of time. Once again, there’s an entrance across a bridge (which originally would have been a drawbridge), and there’s one way up onto the walls for a good overall view. That chimney is amazing!

White Castle and Grosmont Castle CADW

Sunshine, showers and snowdrops

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A short wander around Attingham park, near Shrewsbury, on an afternoon of bright sunshine (too good to stay at home) and sharp showers. We managed to avoid the latter, apart from one which had us scuttling into the bothy for shelter. The “Woodland Walk” is still closed after the recent high winds – there were numerous casualties of the storms in those parts of the park that remain open – and the website warns of mud, though the paths didn’t seem too bad. Perhaps we’re getting used to it…

Attingham Park (NT)

Attingham Afternoon

On By geoffspagesIn NT and EH, Photography1 Comment

It was a popular destination on this fine bright Boxing Day, though there’s plenty of space for crowds to disperse – there seemed to have been far more cars than people. We were just in time for the deer feeding, before a short wander through the park and back beside the flooded Tern. Perhaps a cup of tea before setting off  for home? Perhaps not – the others had already had the same idea.

NT Attingham Park

Beeston

On By geoffspagesIn NT and EH, Photography1 Comment

It’s a castle in Cheshire, not far from Tarporley. Set on a rocky crag above the plain, the views are potentially extensive; the ruins perhaps not so impressive, apart from their dramatic situation. This was a good day for a visit – cold and clear air to make the most of the views. The hills of the southern Peak District form the eastern horizon, with Jodrell Bank clearly visible in the plain. The Wrekin, over thirty miles away, is there on the southern horizon. To the west are the Welsh hills, a reminder of why the castle is here, and to the north-west, the chimneys of the Ellesmere Port refineries frame the towers of Liverpool’s cathedrals, across the blue water of the estuary

Beeston Castle: English Heritage website

Yorkshire contrasts

On By geoffspagesIn NT and EH, Photography, Railways..., WalksLeave a comment

The visitors30 Oct: Firstly, the trip into York – the local bus goes to the railway station, from where it’s a short walk to the NRM. I stayed long enough to record the gathering photographically, then walked back into York (via the Minster and the Shambles) to collect the household authorities at the agreed time. See Six A4s on Geoff’s Rail Diaries for more…

It wasn’t just the railway museum that was busy – so were the streets of York. It’s half-term week up here – perhaps that’s the reason. For the afternoon’s entertainment we chose a much quieter option – a walk to the deserted village of Wharram Percy, in the Wolds to the east of York. Other than some earthworks in the fields, little remains of the village, apart from the ruins of St Martin’s church. The English Heritage sign warned of the dangers of the site – somewhat over the top, I thought, before hitting my head on the “Wolds Way” guide post after taking the picture… In fact the afternoon was a chapter of minor accidents – I’d left the map behind (successfully relying on memory). The light had gone as we walked up beside Deep Dale – so had the camera battery. The spare was in the car…

English Heritage: Wharram Percy

Kenilworth

On By geoffspagesIn NT and EH, Photography2 Comments

Forty-two years later… I visited the castle at Kenilworth on a cold, clear day in late autumn, 1971. “Must go again one day”. Here’s the outcome. It’s changed a bit over the years… It was cold and rather grey (ideal for exploring the gatehouse), then later in the afternoon, a spell of bright directional sunshine. Great while it lasted, which wasn’t long.

There’s almost too much to take in here in a day – we’d better come back yet again. Probably won’t leave it another 42 years…

Kenilworth Castle – English Heritage