One of those rare afternoons when the sun shines from an almost-cloudless blue sky. It’s cold, and there’s a chilly breeze on top, but it’s a great day to be out on the Shropshire hills.
I’d include a map of the route, but Google have introduced “new My Maps. Better tools for mapping”. ’nuff said.
9 Nov: I’ve been trying Scribblemaps – see below
Or view OS map on Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=358500&Y=284901&A=Y&Z=120&ax=358625&ay=284851
It’s no mountain – just 192 metres (630 ft) above sea level at the summit – but it’s a great viewpoint for the real hills of Shropshire and the borders. Not that it was particularly clear, nor did the sun manage to break through, but it was a pleasant afternoon to wander through deep carpets of fallen leaves, sweet chestnut husks etc. (the many squirrels have dealt with the nuts). The deeply-cut former quarries are worth a few minutes’ exploration.
At Clive we wandered around the village briefly before taking to the stone lane in its deep cutting beside the church and headed the highest point. As we walked back to the car, our eyes were caught by a bright flash of green (woodpecker), then the red of a pair of fly agarics. Peer over the wall – there are some deep dark holes…
There’s quite a breeze, and the clouds never quite clear – a few rays of sunshine would improve the outing photographically, but otherwise, it’s a good day to be out on the Stiperstones. It’s a Sunday afternoon, so there are quite a few other people about, but there’s plenty of space up here. And though the clocks may have gone back, the Bog Centre is open (for a few more days only, before the winter shutdown) for tea and cake. What more could one ask?
A wet morning, but the forecast promised a fine afternoon – somewhere that won’t be too bad underfoot? Haughmond Hill is mostly forested, but the tracks are pleasant, good to walk on, and there are some extensive views. The hill isn’t high, barely topping 500′ (153m, according to the OS) – but there’s little to get in the way of the long view in a 180º panorama from south-east to north-west – the Stretton hills, Stiperstones, Long Mountain, the Breiddens and the Berwyns.
There’s a café back at the car park – we made it with just minutes to spare. The cakes were pretty good too, eaten beneath tall pines.
Here’s a map – haven’t attempted to show the route (can’t see it for all the trees). We followed the blue waymarkers, anticlockwise…
I’m reliably informed that it’s pronounced “Delbury” (as in the nearby Delbury Hall). This was a very pleasant four-mile wander around Westhope, the most south-westerly “hope” on the Wenlock Edge. The woodlands are increasingly autumnal; the paths through the fields are not always obvious or well-marked (potato fields are not easy to cross). Westhope itself is a quiet hamlet; its college offers craft courses, of which there’s evidence on the wall, and its teas would be splendid, I’m sure, if this was high summer and the rooms were open. The nearby pigs are entertaining…
Most Salopians will know of Caer Caradoc – the hill near Church Stretton with the eponymous hill fort atop its summit. Few will be aware that there is another hill fort bearing the name Caer Caradoc, in the far south-west of the county, less than two miles from the Welsh border near Knighton. Undoubtedly less well known, it is by far the more impressive. High above the delightful hamlet of Chapel Lawn, in the Redlake valley, its earthen ramparts are steep and high. Many years have passed since the Iron Age, but those defences would still be effective today.
It’s a super viewpoint too – those ancient warriors would have had a clear view of potential aggressors long before they arrived – a great place to be on this unseasonably pleasant afternoon. Chapel Lawn is a good starting place – walkers are welcome to park in the village hall car park, according to the village website, and the eggs from the community produce stall (honesty box) look as though they are truly free-range (haven’t tried them yet).
We walked down to the Severn, using paths through the woodland where possible, then along past Craven Dunnills and the site of the land stabilisation work. It’s a mess at present, but no doubt, once the work is complete, the vegetation will soon grow up again. There’s a cup of tea and a cake in the café at Maw’s, before we cross the memorial footbridge and walk beside the canal, then up to the old Coalport railway track to take us to Coalport bridge. Back on the south side, we follow the old Severn Valley railway trackbed.
We’d intended to walk back to Coalport and up the dingle (that’s the route indicated on the map below) but, just a little way before we would leave the railway route, there’s an entry into the woodland to our left, and a sign to the effect that walkers are welcome to wander in the woods. Perhaps we can take a shortcut through to the top of the dingle? The path is clear at first, but gradually fades, until we’re picking our way through dense undergrowth and following nothing more than a sense of direction. An animal started in the woodland below – the size of a large sheep. but it wasn’t a sheep. A muntjac? Gone before we had a clear view.
We found our way out, further down the dingle than I’d expected. An interesting exploration; not a short cut…
We’ve done it before, more then once – from the end of the surfaced lane up onto the edge, then south-eastwards along the crest to the point where it peters out, almost at the main road. There’s a red kite quartering Corvedale, gradually working its way southwards and out of sight. The return route follows the stream, barely a trickle today, before tending away to its west and up to the manor house, where there’s tea and coffee, but we’re too late for the cakes – they’re all gone. A Twix will suffice – it’s not far back to the car.
There’s a regular bus service from Broseley to Much Wenlock – that’s one every two hours, from 9.30 am to 3.30 pm (ish). So today’s outing requires a little planning – it’s not wise to just turn up at the bus stop and hope – might be a long wait. The 1.30 (ish – it was late) gets us to Wenlock just before 2.00 – that’s a good time for the walk to Benthall Hall, which is open four days a week – we can call in for refreshments. The autumn days are becoming hazy, but it’s sunny and pleasantly warm. It can’t last…
A gentle stroll from the NT car park in Cardingmill valley – up to and around the reservoir, then to the Lightspout waterfall by the high level path. Iron pipes, visible in places along the route, suggest that the path dates from the construction of the reservoir, the pipes feeding extra water from the Lightspout Hollow. We climb up beside the waterfall (there are steps…) and onto the moorland beyond. Descending Mott’s Road brings us to the pavilion in nice time for tea and cake…
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