It was bright first thing, but the clouds are gathering… A wander around the Willey lanes, on a cooler and breezier morning than of late.

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No, it didn’t rain, though the clear blue skies have gone for now. The sun was there, and from time to time we could feel some warmth (very welcome – the wind’s cold), but it shone from a classic watery sky of thin, high cloud. Below, more substantial clouds drifted about with a threat of precipitation. Between the Harnage Grange lane and the minor road from Harley to Kenley,  at the back of Bull Farm, there’s a quiet hidden valley. The public footpath is well marked, and climbs out of the valley through bluebell woods. It’s very pleasant down here below the Wenlock Edge.

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A walk from Cound, along paths which can be unwalkable (except in waders) in wet winter weather, but very pleasant in this dry and sunny spell (will it last?).

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A walk from Sheinton, via Belswardyne to Bannister’s Coppice on yet another fine and sunny afternoon. We haven’t been that way for a while – the woods can be really muddy. Once again, there’s a cool breeze from the east, and once again there are more seasonal ‘firsts’ – a comma butterfly beside the lane to Belswardyne, butterbur and garlic flowers in the woods beside Sheinton brook, and just beyond Sheinton church there are flowers of garlic mustard beside the lane.

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More firsts for 2025: green alkanet, yellow deadnettle, herb robert – and a small tortoiseshell butterfly. Just a few days ago we read in the paper that they’d suffered their worst year on record – and there he was, feeding on dandelions as though everything was fine! We’re enjoying a late-morning walk from Willey, along the lane through the Smithies, up Round Hill and back down through the woods along Ned’s Lane, which after a particularly muddy autumn and winter, is almost dry along its length. (Please could someone dig out that spring and divert its water off the path…)

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We’ll start with blue – the year’s first bluebell, and end with white – the first stitchwort. In between, a wander through Chestnut Coppice, down to the riverbank, back up to Colemore Green, along the road and back to the start past Boldings Pools.

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…and he’ll still be around tomorrow, I expect. We’re walking from Wenlock, out to the derelict farm at Perkley and back. We’ll stop for a minute or two at the chocolate seat. “Look, there’s a hare!”. A minute or so later there was another, neither of them in any hurry. Then, as we approached the field corner, we saw one heading back towards us. Stay still and quiet… He paused and posed just yards away, then a few seconds later (ears down now!) took off like a rocket. A moment to remember!

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There’s no hurry, and the sunshine is warm… It’s a day or two since we had a proper leg stretch – we’ve spent too much time sitting in cars and train. Dudmaston will be perfect!

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