At last! The car told me it was 82 degrees in the old money – about 27.5C – as we drove the short distance home. It had certainly been hot in the sunshine, though most of our walk was pleasantly cool amongst the trees. Still plenty of bluebells, and a fair smattering of early purple orchids. The air seemed too clear for settled warm weather though, and the forecast is for a cool down over the coming week

A sunny afternoon – a walk down to the river and back, and at last some real signs that spring is here.

Yes, the year’s first violet, and the year’s first butterfly (a comma)

The forecast was much better than reality –there wasn’t much sunshine, but the air was fresh and mild – just right for this walk from Broseley, via Benthall and Buildwas bridge, to Coalbrookdale.

The crocuses are out, and there are fluffy white clouds sailing through a blue sky. And it’s not cold. It’s not warm either, but that biting easterly cold seems to have gone. Just right for a wander beside the Severn, near Linley, just a couple of miles north of Bridgnorth.

This part of the Severn valley is pretty inaccessible – just a mud road along the old railway track. Linley station is intact and inhabited, though the trackless trackbed below the platform is a reminder of what the rest of the route might have looked like, had it not been for the SVR.

A sunny Saturday afternoon at last! Just right for a wander across the fields, on those uplands that mark the northern end of the Wenlock Edge, between Much Wenlock and Broseley.

There were some huge shower clouds about too – great for photographic skies…

The weather’s still cold – the month started with heavy snow; today, there’s another sprinkling. Blists Hill might look good under a bit of snow? Yes, it would – but the sun stayed behind the clouds.

Sunday afternoon – an outing to the Kerry Ridgeway. There’s a car park where the Clun – Kerry road crosses the ridge, which provides  for a reasonably level stroll (it was hardly a stroll, given the depth of snow) with, potentially, wonderful views of the Welsh borderland

More on Flickr

Cold Caradoc
Originally uploaded by geoffspages

…but very photogenic, with a couple of good leg-stretches, yesterday on Stapeley Hill (Mitchell’s Fold) and today on Caer Caradoc, with bitterly cold winds on the summit, and great conditions for a photo or two…

Deer in the park, snow on the Wrekin
Originally uploaded by geoffspages

Happy New Year to all visitors to Geoff’s Pages!

Photo: New Year’s Eve at Attingham Park, Shropshire

Clee sentinels
Originally uploaded by geoffspages

It’s cold on the Clee hills! Snowy scenes from south Shropshire – more at Flickr