Category: Shropshire hills

Gogbatch and the pond

On By geoffspagesIn Photography, Shropshire hills, WalksLeave a comment

It’s cold on the Mynd this afternoon – the wind’s in the north-east, biting after a few spots of rain. We’re walking from Gogbatch up to the pond on the Portway, a very pleasant and easy ascent. The forecast had suggested brighter conditions, which we begin to enjoy after the first mile or so. The sun’s low in the sky now – the clocks will soon be going back – and it’s dropping noticeably as the afternoon progresses. The light is everything it wasn’t during the summer months – warm in colour and directional, picking out the detail in the landscape like a spotlight. Weather permitting – and today it did – this is a great time to be out on the hills.


View OS map on Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=344442&Y=296456&A=Y&Z=120

Old ways

On By geoffspagesIn Photography, Shropshire hills, WalksLeave a comment

We’ve parked at Bedlam, beside the old furnaces (I wonder how they got that name…). Our route takes us up the hill towards Madeley, where we’ll walk around three sides of the old (closed in 1920) Meadow pit mound. On and off, we’re following the trackbeds of the pre-railway age tramways of the Madeley Wood Company – as far as the All Nations (a last remnant of times long before “craft beer”, when pubs brewed their own beer). Now we’re walking down the route of the Coalport branch railway, which closed to passengers more than 60 years ago. Descending to the canal, at the foot of the Hay Incline, we cross the river to Jackfield, and for the first time walk the new path through the stabilisation works. Beyond, we’ll walk where Severn valley railway trains once ran – before crossing the Severn again on the modernistic new “Free Bridge” to return to the car.

View OS map on Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=368575&Y=303426&A=Y&Z=120

Around the estate: Barrow, Willey and Shirlett

On By geoffspagesIn Photography, Shropshire hills, WalksLeave a comment

They sound like a firm of solicitors, don’t they? Wednesday afternoon: we’re walking around the Willey estate. Sadly, there are few public footpaths through this pleasant patch, and a significant part of the route is on roads – very quiet ones, apart from the B-road from Barrow. There’s a fine crop of blackberries along the field edges, though of course the devil’s in them now. The clouds begin to thicken as we make our way through Willey, and though we weren’t expecting rain, we have to shelter for a while (still plenty of leaves on the trees). It soon clears, and we head on up through the forest to Shirlett, where one or two more extensive views open up.


View OS map on Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=366190&Y=298996&A=Y&Z=120

October on Lyth Hill

On By geoffspagesIn Photography, Shropshire hills, WalksLeave a comment

We could do with being in Shrewsbury around 4pm – how about a short walk beforehand? Lyth Hill could be good… We’ve walked this route before – out along the dog-walkers’ grassland to Spring Coppice, then along rough tracks and quiet lanes to Exfords Green.  After that inevitable bank of cloud on this otherwise-bright afternoon, the sun comes out again as we pass the Scots pines on the end of the hill.  The stags at the venison farm are bellowing – there’s a public footpath through their field, but we’ll perhaps stick to the road on this occasion, and brave the occasional passing car.

View OS map on Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=346671&Y=306234&A=Y&Z=120

The Speller

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This little corner of the Hopedale woodlands, between the Wenlock Edges, sounds almost other-worldly, doesn’t it? Its spell was certainly cast yesterday afternoon – our intended circular walk became an out-and-back, with wiggles. Blame cows, non-existent paths, forestry workers… We’ll try again another day – in the meantime, given that we weren’t entirely on rights-of-way (‘cos they weren’t there), we’ll make do with a few photos (it was a beautiful afternoon) and an OS map to show where we were.

View OS map on Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=351560&Y=288096&A=Y&Z=120

Pole Bank and Adstone Hill

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Monday: We’re walking up to the Long Mynd, from Bridges – a very enjoyable wander on a fine, bright and breezy day.The gradients are very gentle to the summit plateau, before our descent to Medlicott and down the unsurfaced lane to Adstone. It’s uphill again, but not for very far, to the sheepy ridge of Adstone Hill. It may be early October, but everywhere seems remarkably green.

View OS map on Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=339965&Y=295305&A=Y&Z=120

More Wenlock

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Back on the Wenlock Edge again, starting from the same point as a week ago, for a different route – up the Blakeway Hollow lane, then back along the edge to Smokey Hole and beyond. We’ll skirt Much Wenlock on our way back to the start. The hedgerows are full of all kinds of fruit, from very tempting blackberries and bitter sloes to the poisonous (red) black bryony.

View OS map on Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=361392&Y=300173&A=Y&Z=115

Brown Clee and Boyne Water

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Perfect for a fine and sunny afternoon, with just a pleasant breeze. Taking the direct route to the summit, there are others about, but as we continue towards Boyne Water and the track down through the estate lands, we realise we’ve left the crowds (perhaps a dozen in total?) behind. We followed this route back in the spring, but today we’re doing it anticlockwise for subtly different views.

As we near the equinox, the sun is noticeably lower in the sky. Those shorter days of misty distances are getting closer.

View OS map on Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=359955&Y=285891&A=Y&Z=120