Short walks with photos and a Google map.
It’s another dry, bright afternoon – once again, too good for indoor duties. We’re off to Haughmond Hill, near Shrewsbury – the woodlands should be pleasantly late-autumnal, and the views to the south Shropshire hills will be good, though it’s not particularly clear today.
View OS map on Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=354385&Y=313946&A=Y&Z=120
New routes around the Dudmaston Estate’s woodland have recently been created by the National Trust, adding to some pleasant waterside walks. It’s a grey afternoon – perfect for a walk amidst the autumnal colours.
View OS map on Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=374855&Y=289516&A=Y&Z=120
Sounds like something from the Wild West, doesn’t it? This is England’s “Wild West”, not far from the Welsh border, and it’s quite a strange kind of place. The quarry on Clee Hill is still active, but there are many remains of old workings and their associated buildings and structures. There are more strange and tottering structures at Magpie Hill – we make our way there via the remarkable three-forked pole, near a place called “Random”.
When we started out, it seemed like a perfect day for an outing, but the weather grew increasingly gloomy as we walked back from Magpie Hill. The first drops of rain fell as we unlocked the car – how’s that for timing?
Cleehill or Clee Hill? One’s the village, the other? Guess!
View OS map on Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=360205&Y=276346&A=Y&Z=120
(Monday 29 October) That’s where the Battle Stones are – a perfect objective for a short walk on the hills, on a bright but bitterly cold afternoon. It’s a regular route for us, though we’re having to use a different departure point – this is half-term week, and there’s no space below the Gaer Stone. So we’re starting from Hope Bowdler village, walking a short way along the road, past the end of the inviting-looking footpath to the church, tucked away behind the houses. We’d better accept the invitation.
Curiosity assuaged (what an interesting spot!) we’re off up the lane onto the hill. It’s a more-or-less circular walk, with an out-and-back to the Battle Stones. Once we’re away from the road, it’s quiet – almost totally silent in places. And the views – wonderful! It’s not especially clear, but the light (unlike the air!) is warm, and there are autumnal shades everywhere in the landscape. It’s a shame to have to return to the car, but the light is fading – it’ll be dark soon.
View OS map on Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=348105&Y=293496&A=Y&Z=120
Monday 22 October – a regular route, starting from Aston Munslow, across the fields to Munslow, then up a sunken lane to the ridge, which we’ll follow south-westwards as it drops gradually towards the Middlehope road, before crossing the fields and back to the start. Didn’t see anyone else until we’re back in Aston Munslow.
View OS map on Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=351340&Y=287806&A=Y&Z=120
Autumn on Cannock Chase, and the toadstools are in full bloom, so to speak. They’re all over the place – there’s a magnificent fairy ring in one spot, and there are fly agarics (“Flying Erics” – the red ones with white spots, and a little door for the gnomes) in profusion. Sadly, someone has a grudge against them, and many have been kicked to the ground (who would do such a thing?), but many more have come up to replace the fallen. It’s fun up here at this time of year!
View OS map on Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=399490&Y=316371&A=Y&Z=120
It was neither as clear or sunny as we’d hoped, but it was still very pleasant on the Long Mynd this afternoon, and we made it back to the Carding Mill in time for tea and cakes, which meets the criteria for “pretty good outing”, I reckon…
View OS map on Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=343100&Y=294861&A=Y&Z=120
…is an old-fashioned little pub in Madeley. Just opposite the Blists Hill museum, it’s a bit of a time capsule in its own right, one of the last of the original home-brew pubs. Within walking distance too, not far off one of our regular routes. So instead of tea and cakes at Coalport, we’ll have lunch at the All Nations. Remarkably, it’s warm enough on this beautiful sunny day to sit outside (we’ll pay for it over the next few days…).
Suitably replete, we’ll follow a wonderful woodland way back to the “Free Bridge”, before rejoining our usual route homewards.
View OS map on Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=369270&Y=301836&A=Y&Z=120
Tuesday 9 October: an autumn wander around Attingham Park. The deer are busy with the rut (so we won’t disturb them), the leaves are turning nicely, and the squirrels are out in force making the most of the abundant nuts. There are some interesting fungi too (this is proving to be a recurring theme), though I’ve no idea what they are.
View OS map on Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=355235&Y=309991&A=Y&Z=120
Sunday 7 October: a walk from Stokesay to Aldon Gutter. There are valleys, dales, hollows and batches (and beaches – same thing) in this county. And gutters! They’re all valleys, one way or another; the only difference is perhaps their scale, and if that’s the case, then a gutter must be at the lower end – a fairly minor feature of our varied landscape. Today we’re walking from Stokesay to Aldon Gutter, for no better reason than (a) we’ve never been there before, and (b) it looked inviting on the OS map. It’s a very pleasant, and very quiet walk. The only people we see are the farmers at Aldon, moving their heifers indoors for the coming winter. Aldon Gutter (what a lovely place!) is thickly populated – with pheasants. There are hundreds of them, blissfully ignorant of their ultimate fate in the hands of so-called sportsmen – if, that is, they don’t stray onto the roads nearby.
Only one problem faces us. As we descend towards the Onny, with just a mile to go, the path fades to nothing (dense undergrowth in the woods). There’s no obvious way over the fence… Tricky! (We made it, of course, but a stile would have been good)
View OS map on Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=343885&Y=279956&A=Y&Z=120
