Category: Walks

Short walks with photos and a Google map.

The Closed Severn Valley Railway

On By geoffspagesIn Photography, Shropshire hills, Walks1 Comment

North of Bridgnorth, the track has gone; for much of the way to Coalport, it’s a private road with permissive access, a rough but very walkable surface, and plenty of shade. We’ll need that – not a cloud in the sky. The last train passed through Linley station more than 50 years ago, and given that there are no public roads, this stretch of the valley feels closed off from the outside world. It’s very quiet – just birdsong, contributing to the peace rather than disturbing it (and the odd cyclist, one or two walkers, a gaggle of canoeists and couple of farm vehicles – but who’s counting on a day like this?).

It’s downhill all the way from Broseley to the river; the railway track is more-or-less level. To get to the bus stop in Bridgnorth, we face a long flight of steps, which comes as a shock to the system after about 8 miles of walking. With 45 minutes to kill before the next bus, a pint will be a perfect remedy…

View OS map in Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=369185&Y=297306&A=Y&Z=126

Benthall Buttercups

On By geoffspagesIn Photography, Shropshire hills, WalksLeave a comment

It’s a beautiful afternoon – too good to stay at home, too warm to walk far in the sunshine. If we leave the car at Benthall Hall we can do a circular walk, much of it in the very pleasant woodlands of Benthall Edge and nearby. It’s lovely down in the woods today, as the song goes, but we must leave them to walk back through the fields towards the car – fields full of buttercups, yellow in all directions.

View OS map on Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=365735&Y=302716&A=Y&Z=120

Magpie, Titterstone and Clee

On By geoffspagesIn Photography, Railways..., Shropshire hills, Walks2 Comments

Walking in south Shropshire with a “railway” friend: one who appreciates the interest in the remnants of industry in these very quiet hills. They’ve been extensively quarried for stone – parts are still being worked – and the coal measures were exploited too, many years ago. There are former railway trackbeds, of the standard gauge line which took stone down to Ludlow, and the narrow gauge lines which threaded the workings. Magpie Hill’s stone went by a different means and route – an aerial ropeway took its stone down to Detton Ford, on the long-gone CM&DP. The concrete bases of the pylons are still in place, and there are bits of rail here and there, mostly in use as fence posts and similar. Long-abandoned concrete structures stand here and there, slowly crumbling, like the remains of some lost futuristic city. They can feel rather spooky when the mist comes down, but there’s no such nonsense on a fine sunny June day.

View OS map on Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=359845&Y=276831&A=Y&Z=120

Croft Ambrey and Bircher Common

On By geoffspagesIn Herefordshire, NT and EH, Photography, WalksLeave a comment

We arrived at the Croft Castle car park at midday, to find it almost full, but once we were beyond the immediate surroundings of the house, we saw few other people. One or two were making their way up to Croft Ambrey, but we had the woodlands almost to ourselves when we chose a more roundabout route to the hill fort. Bircher Common is quiet too – just us and a few sheep. It’s very pleasant on a day like this – warm sunshine and a cooling breeze – on these Herefordshire hills.

View OS map on Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=344730&Y=266330&A=Y&Z=120

Coalport cakewalk

On By geoffspagesIn Photography, Shropshire hills, Uncategorized, WalksLeave a comment

What better reason could there be? The youth hostel at Coalport, beside the china works, is a quiet and sheltered spot for refreshment (with the added entertainment of watching visitors trying to park their cars – yes, we’ll sit outside), perhaps a little over half-way on this enjoyable (and easy…) walk. And once again, after some showery weather, it’s a very pleasant day for it. There’s colour everywhere – the oilseed rape may be past its best, but there’s plenty more yellow in the hedgerows and verges – and purple, and blue, and white to set it off. There’s a cool breeze when we start out, but it’s quite still in the deeper parts of the lane, and the air is heavy with the scent of the May blossom.

The Chase in May

On By geoffspagesIn Photography, WalksLeave a comment

It’s hard to believe that Tuesday, yesterday and today could have been consecutive days. After a day and a half of almost continuous rain, the skies are clear and blue, the sunshine warm and the breeze very pleasant – we need to be out somewhere… We’ll go for Cannock Chase – there are one or two wet places, but it’s mostly well-drained, with shingle and sand underfoot. It’s a great place to be on such a day, with plenty of bright green new growth everywhere. The bacon rolls at the visitor centre, conveniently half-way round our circular route, are pretty good too.

View OS map on Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=398960&Y=316261&A=Y&Z=120

The Mynd and XXX

On By geoffspagesIn Photography, Shropshire hills, WalksLeave a comment

Another ideal afternoon for wandering on Shropshire’s hills. We’ve parked at Bridges (very handy for the Horseshoe Inn, which seems to be called the Bridges now), and we’re heading north-east beside Darnford Brook, to reach the skyline at Betchcott Hill. The last short ascent is by the aptly-named “Golden Valley”, lined with glowing gorse. This is a walk of four parts: part two now begins as we turn through 90 degrees and head south-east along the ridge of the grassy hill, following the ancient Port Way. Part three starts when we reach the heather-clad Long Mynd – another 90 degree turn, still on the Port Way, taking us to the Shooting Box. Now it’s downhill (almost) all the way, with heather giving way to grassland near the derelict ruin that bears the unlikely name of “Priory Cottage”, according to the map. From Coates Farm, a quiet road takes us back down to Bridges, and a most welcome pint of Three Tuns – a perfect pint in a perfect spot on a perfect afternoon – XXX

More on XXX here https://www.threetunsbrewery.co.uk/pages/our-beers

View OS map on Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=341105&Y=296796&A=Y&Z=120

Walking back…

On By geoffspagesIn Photography, Shropshire hills, WalksLeave a comment

…from Much Wenlock to Broseley, after a ride on the no.18 bus. The spring lambs are out and about, but there’s not much gambolling going on – it’s too cold, despite the warm (but intermittent) sunshine. It’s not very quiet either, especially between Wenlock and Benthall Hall. We passed more people than in our last half-dozen walks – mostly teenage schoolchildren on some kind of organised outing – and a dog near Wyke was noisily expressing its displeasure at being kept in a cage. I think I would too.

View OS map in Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=364895&Y=301456&A=Y&Z=120