Walking from Corve Dale to Hope Dale, from Hungerford to Topley and back – some familiar ground and some new. It’s dry but gloomy – the sun’s trying to break through in the distance, but never quite succeeding here – we’re in the wrong place. The weather may be dull but the seasonal shades are eye-catching.
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…beside the Severn again. We walked this way in late September (see
Colemore Green and Astley Abbotts), when there was “plenty of increasingly-autumnal colour”. The season has moved on – most of the colour we enjoyed then has fallen to the ground, but there’s still no shortage of autumn shades in this quiet corner of Shropshire.
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Enjoying some intermittent late-morning sunshine, with a walk down the lane to the top of the bank (and back). It’s a good place to pause and contemplate the view to the east, aided by a little chocolate…
… there’s colour in the woods, and there’s a splendid bank of toadstools beside the path back up the hill.
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Along Ned’s Lane, pale particles are sifting down through the trees. I should say from the trees… Larch needles, doing what they do in autumn, covering the path with a snow-like coating. Elsewhere, there are still plenty of toadstools, though most of the ‘Flying Erics’ are well past their best, and the puffballs have puffed!
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We ate out on Tuesday – outside the Tea Emporium in Ironbridge. The ambience for today’s lunch was on a different plane – nearly 1500ft above sea level, beside Boyne Water on Brown Clee. A bit draughty perhaps, and just a plain wooden plank to sit on, but much superior views – a great place to dine! A little later, we’re enjoying our second lunch (a fine tradition is developing in these parts…) – biscuits on the bench near the Five Springs. With the Brecon Beacons in view, 55 miles to the south-west, and Cader Idris (57 miles) peeping over the Long Mynd, the views are even better.
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When the sun shines at this time of year, it’s low and directional, restoring a dimension that’s lost in flat summer lighting. It brings out the colour too, and there’s no shortage of autumnal shades in the quiet country below the Wenlock Edge
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“We could walk from Bedlam, over to Coalbrookdale, then back through Ironbridge – pick up some tea at the Emporium”. Good idea, and we’ll go this morning – it will be cloudier after lunch, with showers. The timing was good too – it’s just lunchtime as we arrive in the Square. The bacon baps weren’t on the plan, but they were rather good…
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It’s a regular destination – in the season we can have tea and cakes at the youth hostel. Out of season, we can use their benches for our chocolate stop. The forecast thinks it should stay dry, but as we reach the plateau on our way back, we can see there are one or two little showers around…
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Strong winds and blustery showers – we could get soaked! Let’s risk it! Apart from a few drops in the wind (followed by a rainbow) it stayed dry, and with mostly bright skies and interesting clouds, it’s a very enjoyable little outing.
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