Short walks with photos and a Google map.
Mid-March – any signs of spring? Very few – just a couple of hawthorns with a few buds opening (and possibly wishing they hadn’t), otherwise, the trees are still very bare. We’re walking to Benthall Hall, returning past the bluebell wood. Their green shoots are coming up, but we’re several weeks away from the flowers. At least the days are getting longer – it will get warmer.
View OS map on Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=365865&Y=302501&A=Y&Z=120
The road through Nesscliffe village is much quieter since the A5 bypass opened, though up on the hill the traffic noise from that bypass is somewhat intrusive. As we wander on around this little group of low sandstone hills, away from the road, the sound fades. It’s quiet here – although the afternoon is dry, it’s grey and gloomy, and there are few others about. Nesscliffe Hill is wooded, with few viewpoints; The Cliffe is more open, and though of insignificant height (157 metres – that’s 515 feet) the views are extensive. That is, they would be, on a clear day…
View OS map on Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=339110&Y=320151&A=Y&Z=120
We needed to call into the shops in Ironbridge – “We could walk down, have lunch and walk back the long way”. We did! It’s not warm, but we soon warm up, and it feels pleasant after last week’s Siberian snowfall. There’s a possibility of showers, apparently, maybe of hail or snow – and yes, there’s hail (which bounces off) and a little rain (which doesn’t). After the rain, the skies clear – to reveal more shower clouds approaching. We’d better not hang around.
View OS map on Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=368730&Y=301831&A=Y&Z=120
They were an unexpected bonus – we hadn’t realised the hostel cafe was open, and despite the cold, there was enough sunshine and shelter for us to sit outside. Other than the café, a couple of lambs and some catkins, there are few signs of spring. We’ve got some cold weather to get through before things warm up.
View OS map on Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=369350&Y=301556&A=Y&Z=120
So they say! It’s cold, with an easterly breeze – but it’s sunny and dry, and we won’t feel the cold if we keep moving. Just a short leg-stretch, roughly half-way between Much Wenlock and Broseley, from Barrow to Wyke and back.
View OS map on Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=365200&Y=301131&A=Y&Z=120
Saturday 17 Feb: It was cold, but clearly it was sunny too – just a day later, before looking through the photos, I’d remembered the weather being dull. Memory plays tricks! We’re walking in the Ironbridge area, following mostly quiet roads away from the Wharfage, which is always busy. There’s always something to catch the eye in this part of Shropshire.
View OS map on Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=367260&Y=304311&A=Y&Z=120
It’s cold and sunny – and there’s a chilly breeze, though we’ll mostly be sheltered from the wind at Attingham. The snowdrops are fully out, and the walk around the perimeter of the park (about 4 miles) is about right for this afternoon.
Monday 12 Feb: The wind felt stronger (and colder) and there was more cloud than the forecast had suggested, but it was still a good day (sandwiched between some pretty awful days) for an outing. We thought there might have been some shelter in Callow Hollow – and there was, beside the little Oakleymill waterfall, sufficient for a lunch break. The flurry of snowflakes waited until we were moving again – then, as we reached the summit plateau, the sky cleared, and suddenly the world was colourful once more. Given good weather, the top of the Mynd is a great place to be.
View OS map on Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=343480&Y=292591&A=Y&Z=120
The Ordnance Survey – and almost everyone else, I suspect – calls it Priors Holt. It’s barely a hamlet, just a couple of houses nestled at the foot of Nut Batch, one of the lesser valleys on the eastern side of the Long Mynd. However, Malcolm Saville seems to have had the place in mind when he wrote his “Witchend” children’s series, so that’s how we’ll think of it. Whatever the name, it’s a quiet spot, despite its popularity with muddy cyclists (we must have seen at least six of them), and the gentle slopes of the forestry roads (ideal for the bikers) make for an easy walk to the Mynd’s summit plateau. The trees are also good shelter from the wind… The forecast said “dry, bright and windy” – it was accurate, though we arrived a little early for its first two elements. By the time we were on the Port Way, walking south along the western edge of the Mynd, the “dry and bright” had arrived, providing us with some dramatic lighting for the extensive views of the border hill country.
View OS map on Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=340845&Y=290136&A=Y&Z=120
Friday 26 January: An easy stroll around Attingham Park, which became longer than intended. As we wandered through the snowdrops, we could see a wide spill of flood water where the Tern normally makes its well-behaved way through the grounds. If we walk back towards the house on the path beside the river, we can then cross over and walk up the other side. The result is (some of) the photographs below and the strange route shown on the map.
The inhabitants of the deer park wander about in stately fashion, posing for photographs until I lift the camera. Beside the house, the fine stand of cedars has taken a battering. The wind? Surely not! As we guessed, the highest branches, lying in broken disarray beneath the trees, were snapped off by December’s (literally) heavy snowfall. What a shame!
View OS map on Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=355137&Y=310421&A=Y&Z=115
