Wall to wall

On 20 Apr 2016 By geoffspagesIn Photography, Shropshire hills, WalksLeave a comment

That’s what the forecast said about the sunshine – we had to go… Stiperstones in April – warm sunshine, cool air and a pleasant breeze, perfect conditions for a walk on this rocky ridge. We started at the Bog car park – so that we could end at the Bog Centre (tea and cakes again). If we walked to Snailbeach, along the hill-edge paths, we could come back up through the Hollies and follow the ridge. The now-obligatory red kite wheeled over the far hillside, and a little later, a rarer bird, so to speak: a red grouse stalked carefully along just yards from the path. We’ll sometimes hear them up here, gurgling comically and telling us to go back, but this one remained silent. Minutes earlier, we’d noted how quiet it was. He must have heard us…

The Bog Visitor Centre

View OS map on Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=337095&Y=299856&A=Y&Z=120

Tea at the hall

On 19 Apr 2016 By geoffspagesIn Photography, Shropshire hills, WalksLeave a comment

An unexpectedly bright and sunny afternoon – we’ll walk to Benthall Hall for a cup of tea, and perhaps a cake – and check out the bluebell wood. The latter need another couple of weeks, perhaps, but the tea and cake are perfect – just what’s needed for the walk home again.

Benthall Hall NT

Forest paths

On 17 Apr 2016 By geoffspagesIn Photography, Walks1 Comment

We’re in the Wyre Forest this afternoon. It’s very pleasant wandering through this woodland, often fairly open, with deciduous areas and grassy clearings. It’s not always pleasant underfoot – several of the streams resemble paths (or maybe vice versa), and there’s an unexpected ford where culverts are blocked (the new boots perform admirably). There’s plenty of water in the Dowles Brook too, though it’s rather muddy. The heron is watching intently – he’ll need patience as well if he hopes to see anything edible.

View OS map in Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=374430&Y=277401&A=Y&Z=120

Blooming spring!

On 13 Apr 2016 By geoffspagesIn Photography, WalksLeave a comment

That’s what it’s doing! We’re walking down to Coalport for tea and cakes, and everything is bursting into flower – the blackthorn, the bluebells, the garlic and the coltsfoot. As we drink our tea, a primrose flutters past – or perhaps it’s a brimstone butterfly.

Priors Holt to Black Knoll

On 10 Apr 2016 By geoffspagesIn Photography, Shropshire hills, WalksLeave a comment

The day changed: it was bright and sunny when we left Priors Holt (or “Witchend” to Malcolm Saville “Lone Pine” afficionadoes), but the forecast was right. It was windy too – we’d planned a different route from Black Knoll, but the wind was strong and bitter on the exposed south-eastern flank of the Mynd – much more so than on the ridge path – so we retraced our steps to the forest. A red kite wheeling nearby was never close enough for the camera, and the three deer in the woods, just yards away, were gone in seconds. No photos of them either…

View OS map on Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=340535&Y=289336&A=Y&Z=120

Back to the Munslows

On 31 Mar 2016 By geoffspagesIn Photography, Shropshire hills, Walks1 Comment

A pleasant five-mile stroll in a quiet part of the Wenlock Edge – and once we’re away from the road, it really is quiet. The birds are singing, but that doesn’t count as noise, and the only other sound, as we approach the highest parts, is the gentle rustling of a very light breeze in the trees. It’s clear too – the Black Mountains stand out to the south-west. At home, the grass needs cutting, but it will have to wait…

View OS map on Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=351485&Y=287911&A=Y&Z=120

Double spring

On 30 Mar 2016 By geoffspagesIn Photography, Shropshire hills, WalksLeave a comment

The spring flowers are in bloom, and the tea-room’s open at Benthall Hall. On a fine and sunny afternoon (a touch nippy in the shade perhaps), what more could one ask?

Mary Knoll – 40 years later

On 20 Mar 201621 Mar 2016 By geoffspagesIn Photography, Shropshire hills, WalksLeave a comment

We’ve walked many times in the woodlands to the south-west of Ludlow – this walk was probably our first. Today we retraced our steps, visiting Mary Knoll Valley for the first time in 40 years. The valley, with its pleasant but well-hidden little stream, cuts deeply through the land. Near its head, there’s a herd of deer, and beyond Mary Knoll itself, there are woodpeckers hammering away in the trees. Earlier, as we drove towards Ludlow, we’d passed a pair of red kites, wheeling in the warming air. Oddly, this walk seemed shorter than it was in 1976, though the trees have grown, and Ludford weir has been tidied up. How will it all look in 2056? (Will we care?)

Photo note: it was a dull, slightly murky day in 1976, so I used a roll of FP4 (monochrome) film – which I reversal-processed for black-and-white slides. I was rather pleased with the results, though I never tried it again…

View OS map on Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=349675&Y=273336&A=Y&Z=120

Telford to Ironbridge – along old lines

On 19 Mar 2016 By geoffspagesIn Photography, WalksLeave a comment

Monday: We’ve taken the bus to Telford town centre, and we’re walking back. For roughly half the distance (just over 6 miles in total) we’re on, or close to, the Silkin Way, which follows the track of the old Coalport railway. In places, its predecessor, the canal, is also still in water. We leave the trackbed of necessity – there’s a gap, where it used to cross the railway to Ironbridge power station – both now out of use. From this point (near to the old windmill), we’re roughly parallel to the Ironbridge line, and as we descend from Lightmoor, we join the track of an older way – one of the many pre-railway age tramways that ran in these parts. Arriving in Ironbridge, there’s time for tea and cake…

View OS map on Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=369040&Y=306086&A=Y&Z=120

Mitchell’s Fold and Bromlow Callow

On 13 Mar 2016 By geoffspagesIn Photography, Shropshire hills, WalksLeave a comment

We’re on the western fringe of Shropshire today, in a part of the county where the distant past has some significance. Mitchell’s Fold stone circle is a well-known ancient monument, whose location on this high grassy ridge makes up for a lack of stature – it’s not Stonehenge. Walking on, we arrive at Castle Ring (a pretty straightforward name for a hill fort) – again, not the biggest in these parts, but its situation is dramatic. We take a detour on the way there, to visit the top of Rorrington Hill. No cairn or OS column – the highest point must be found by guesswork. Eventually, we come to Bromlow Callow. I’ve no idea what its history might be, but the round hill topped by a clump of tall trees makes it a distinctive landmark in these parts. The view would be tremendous on a clearer day – it’s hazy again, and we can only just make out the Long Mountain (it may be long, but it’s hardly a mountain) barely five miles away. Our return takes us to the highest point of Stapeley Hill – again, it’s not a mountain, but at least its highest points are marked by rocks and cairns. We could have had better views today, though we did see a hare – he must have been just a few yards away when we startled him. With sunshine and light winds, it’s been another great day out on the hills.