Usually, at this time of year, we can be sure of seeing some early purple orchids on the Wenlock Edge, but this afternoon, along the ridge path from Presthope towards Wenlock, there were none. Not a trace of them! Are they late this year, or is it us? There will be others later – pyramids and common spotted (dozens of the latter coming up in the grass in our back garden). We’ll be back! There’s plenty of other interest along the way, close at hand and in the more distant landscape, on this watercolour day.

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There’s no shortage of woodland around here, not all of it noticeably managed. Away from the paths, it’s pretty-well impenetrable jungle. Stay on the paths, and it’s still a different world from the houses, roads and traffic just a few yards away. We’re heading for the river, and we’ll walk down to Coalport, crossing over to the youth hostel…
…whose cafe is closed today! Oh no! It’s a good thing that we brought some chocolate.
The return, uphill all the way, is via “The Dingle”, a most attractive rocky-sided wooded gorge. Exit from the woodland at the top of the hill and look around – buttercup meadows, and little to suggest the other world we’ve left behind amongst the trees.

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Oilseed rape – looks like the sun’s shining, even when it isn’t. It’s shining this evening – can’t help it, there’s not a cloud in the sky, but with a stiff breeze from the east, it’s not warm. Keep moving!

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No great height (375m, 1,235ft), but a great viewpoint. For now, that is – the trees are doing their best to obscure the views… From the summit the mass of Radnor Forest predominates in a wonderful panorama of borderland lands. On the approach, over Climbing Jack Common, the Shropshire heights are at their best. Descending again, the Black Mountains fill the horizon, but it’s the spiky little peak of Skirrid Fawr that catches the eye.
Descending through the forest, there are few long views. We’ll concentrate on things close at hand, starting with a small herd of roe deer trotting through the trees. Mostly gone by the time the camera was raised and zoomed, the last two paused conveniently (and very briefly) for a grab shot.
It had seemed busy near the Black Pool car park, but as ever, the numbers thinned rapidly as we drew further away from the start. Other than the deer and a lone cyclist, we had the woodland return to ourselves

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Inevitably… It’s been a week or two since we were last along here – what a change. It may look idyllic (it does!) but looks are deceptive. This mornings peace is shattered by the unbelievable racket of a clay pigeon shoot. Are the “sportsmen” unspeakable? They’re certainly in pursuit of the uneatable…

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Spring is well under way – everywhere looks green now. It’s hardly monotonous though. The bluebells are coming to the fore in the woods and the verges, while in Britons Lane there’s a spike of unwholesome pink – toothwort, almost hidden by the rapidly rising green tide.

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Sunny though, and the sunshine’s warm. There’s sunshine in the fields too – oilseed rape, not quite fully in bloom, but eye-catching in the landscape. We’re out fairly early (after a surprise overnight frost) – the clouds will build and there will be showers later.

We’ve been playing with AI recently, mainly to try (with some success) to revive some seriously faded old slides (dare I mention Agfa CT18 and Perutz?). It can also paint! “Please create a watercolour painting from this photo” – here’s the result, another way of looking at this morning’s outing

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More a wonky egg-shape perhaps…
…which begins up Round Hill, then along Shirlett Lane, cuts across the fields and join the lane past Hannigan’s Farm and the Hurst Farm pools. The Shirlett – Hannigan’s stretch always feels remote – a public footpath without a visible trodden way, well-hidden and possibly little-known. Perfect for a quiet walk on an equally perfect afternoon.

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It’s bright and sunny, but there’s a biting wind. We won’t get the full benefit of the sunshine in Comer Woods, but it’s sheltered there, and it’s warm on our backs at times. It’s the first week of the school Easter holidays – lots of children out with mum and dad, or perhaps their grandparents – but we hadn’t realised so many dogs went to school. There are dozens of them today…

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Once again: dry sunny weather, pleasant temperatures, no wind… It can’t last, so we’ll make the most of the afternoon with a walk, from the NT car park at Benthall Hall to the hamlet of Wyke. It’s a good circular amble. The first mile or so via Posenhall is along surfaced roads, but then we take to the field paths to Wyke (really quiet!), and continue past the Vineyards back to Benthall.

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