A fine November afternoon – a walk in bleak grassy uplands on the slopes of Shropshire’s Clee Hill. The remnants of bygone industry scatter the land – derelict quarry buildings, a line of concrete blocks, the bases of pylons that once carried an aerial ropeway, odd pits and heaps here and there.

The walk starts from the roadside near Craven Cottage (don’t some of those footy chaps play somewhere with a similar name?), climbs to the old workings on Magpie Hill, skirts Random Cottage and arrives at Hoar Edge. Westward views encompass Titterstone Clee, whose modern embellishments are in stark contrast to the ruins on Magpie Hill. The return route, gently downhill all the way, follows hill tracks and roads back to Craven Cottage.

For more on the tree see this Geograph post…

A day of “wall to wall sunshine”, according to the weather forecast. It was, too – a good day for an arboretum visit. The river Lugg goes around it, the railway goes under it, the A49 goes over it – Dinmore Hill, between Leominster and Hereford, home of Queenswood and some beautiful autumn colours. The arboretum is no distance at all from the car park; there are short trails for families and dog walkers, and longer ones which lead away from the showpieces into more traditional woodland. A great spot for such a day!

Duntulm

Damp and windy…

   

   

Staffin

Over the hill to the rocky shore

   

   

   

Portree

“We walked the black rock
And we stopped by the loch”