Fri. 19 May: can’t remember when we last looked around the house at Attingham. Have we ever?
Category: Photography
Just photos – no particular theme
Flying Scotsman
Fri. 19 May: 60103 “Flying Scotsman” is due to haul “The Cathedrals Express” south from Shrewsbury. I’d better go and see that. It’s a day of sunny intervals – there’s plenty of blue sky, but quite a lot of cloud too. These trains can sometime run a little late – but not on this occasion. It was one or two minutes early through All Stretton, which was a great pity – if it had been on time, the sun would have been shining…
Damp Docklands
Weds. 17 May: A long-planned trip to London, to explore the Docklands Light Railway. The weather could have been kinder… For more on the trip, visit “Docklands” on Geoff’s Rail Diaries
Staffordshire Centenarians
Sun. 14 May – a birthday celebration in Staffordshire. Stanhope and Diana are both 100 this year; their friends Joffre and no 9, also actively attending, are 101 years old. Roger will be 100 next year – and his little friend Jennie is just 12 years old… Yes, it’s the Apedale “Stanhope” gala weekend. For more pictures, and (a little) more on the day’s events, visit “More Birthdays at Apedale” on Geoff’s Rail Diaries.
Steam in the streets
Sat. 13 May: as part of the celebrations marking the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Ironbridge Gorge Museum, around 30 steam road vehicles – traction engines, steam rollers, steam lorries – have assembled at Blists Hill – and at 10am, they’re off to explore the local roads. They’ll be coming up Bridge Road into Broseley, down the High Street, then down the Ironbridge Road and off to the Half Moon for lunch. At 2pm, they’re off again, past Craven Dunnill’s, over the level crossing (it’s an awfully long time since so many steam engines crossed here!), past the Black Swan and back across the river. I’d better get out with the camera – record this wonderful one-off event, and perhaps incorporate some of the local landmarks to complete the picture.
Horseshoe Falls
Fri. 12 May: Llangollen: a pleasant walk beside the canal to the recently-restored chain bridge at Berwyn, and the Horseshoe Falls on the Dee. On my first visit here, over 40 years ago, the falls came as a disappointment. After seeing down through the trees to the rushing waters of the Dee, tumbling over the rocky river bed, we came to the curving weir. “Is that it?”. It’s there to provide a feed for the canal, which flows like a clear stream down to Llangollen, and it’s well worth a visit, whatever its origin.
Why did we do it? See previous post “Future Steam”
View OS map on Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=320446&Y=342859&A=Y&Z=120
Future steam
On 12 May, I joined a group visiting the locomotive works at Llangollen – where no fewer than four new-build steam locomotives are under construction – a GWR “Grange” 4-6-0, a GWR 47xx 2-8-0, an LMS unrebuilt “Patriot” 4-6-0, and an LNER B17 4-6-0. Fascinating stuff! For more on this trip, go to “New Build” on Geoff’s Rail Diaries
Quiet flows the Severn
Weds. 10 May: we’re out for a leg stretch, on a perfect May afternoon. It’s warm too – perhaps we could cast a clout or two. I’ve never been sure whether the saying relates to the month or the May blossom of the hawthorn, which is truly “out”. We’re walking down the lane to Lower Severn Hall – there we’ll cut across to the river, and walk back along the bank as far as the Apley bridge, then return along the old railway track and up through the woods. There are one or two other people about, but it’s certainly quiet beside the Severn here.
View OS map on Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=371365&Y=296926&A=Y&Z=120
Dudmaston: mostly floral
Tues. 9 May: a short outing to Dudmaston, near Bridgnorth. We’ll have a look around the house (no photography), then wander down through the gardens and around the lake. The rhododendrons are coming into flower, and the Canada geese have young (skulking in the long grass) so they’re keeping an eye on us.
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Uig and the Fairy Glen
Fri. 5 May: tomorrow, we’re heading for home. This afternoon, we’ll take a leisurely stroll around Uig – a walk up the road to the Fairy Glen, then, ending as we started, a wander down by Uig pier. The contrast between the cold grey weather of last Wednesday and this afternoon’s bright sunshine couldn’t be greater. There was only one cloud in our sky today (the thought of the M6 perhaps?).
