a "what's new" guide to the whole of Geoff's Pages, and a selection of bits and pieces that never made it to the site
The harvest has taken the barley that was growing in these fields. The land has been ploughed, harrowed and re-sown – and next year’s wheat or barley (hard to tell at this stage) is starting to come up. There’s the green sheen of spring in this early autumn landscape! In the hedgerows, the season is more obvious.
View OS map on Streetmap https://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=367540&Y=298191&A=Y&Z=120
We walked this way two months ago, trying some new (to us) paths on the Wenlock Edge, just a couple of miles from Much Wenlock, We’re extending the route a little today, which adds distance but not much more interest. It’s a hazy day; despite the clear blue sky and sunshine, July’s colours are long gone, and the autumn leaves are still mostly ahead of us. Nevertheless, it’s good to be out – infinitely more enjoyable than long drives down busy motorways…
View OS map on Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=360205&Y=297700&A=Y&Z=120
… from Shirlett – a route we’ve trodden before. We walked this way a couple of times in July, on two very different days. Today, although it’s a warm and still afternoon, there’s change in the air and on the ground. The barley’s been cut, the oats are looking ripe, blackberries and sloes abound and the toadstools are proliferating. A fine fly agaric stands half-way up Ned’s lane, first of the season. There will be more, I suspect.
View OS map on Streetmap http://streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=366190&Y=298996&A=Y&Z=120
Once again, we’re seeking the shade – it’s warm, there’s not a cloud in the sky and there’s no breeze worthy of the name. We’ll walk down through Chestnut Coppice, then follow the well-shaded old railway track northwards to Linley. A wander along the riverbank leads us to Dean Brook, where we can rejoin the railway and head back. Very pleasant, perfect for a day like this.
View OS map on Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=370965&Y=298125&A=Y&Z=120
Quiet ways on a warm afternoon – not a cloud in the sky!
View OS map on Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=356015&Y=299000&A=Y&Z=120
The toadstools are really coming into season now – there’s a wide variety of shapes and sizes down Ned’s Lane. Further on, as we approach Round Hill, I remember the dragonfly that posed for us here a week or so ago. Today there are two of them, both posing obligingly (a brown hawker and a southern hawker – I think…). Elsewhere a red admiral basks in the sunshine. It may be autumn meteorologically, but astronomically it’s still summer…
View OS map on Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=366240&Y=297950&A=Y&Z=120
There are toadstools galore in the woods! Later, stopping to gaze upon the river, there’s a flash of blue as a kingfisher flies to a bush on the opposite bank. Perhaps if we wait he’ll re-emerge? Yes – to fly away downstream and out of sight. Sometimes it’s the briefest of moments that make the day special.
View OS map on Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=372095&Y=296415&A=Y&Z=120
It’s a beautiful afternoon for exploring some quiet ways in Corvedale – revisiting the old road (see https://geoffspages.blog/2020/07/05/the-old-road/) and finding a well-hidden bridleway, perhaps two-thirds of a mile between high hedges, with occasional glimpses of the world outside.
View OS map on Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=354242&Y=288215&A=Y&Z=120
Sunset is coming earlier – the nights are drawing in, and there’s a distinct lack of light this evening .Soon such walks will be out of the question. Deep in the woods below Hawthorn Bank it’s really gloomy, but the camera can just-about cope.
View OS map on Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=365200&Y=297975&A=Y&Z=120
There’s a lovely aroma wafting through from the kitchen – a jam pan of crab apples, simmering gently. We had a reasonable haul yesterday, but we could do with a few more. Perhaps there will be some up at Shirlett?
View OS map on Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=366070&Y=298060&A=Y&Z=120
