Category: Walks

Short walks with photos and a Google map.

Birch Coppice

On By geoffspagesIn Photography, Shropshire hills, Walks1 Comment

It’s a wooded ridge, west of Wenlock Edge; beyond is the eye-catching Lawley. I’d only recently realised that this little bit of country is access land, and the Google satellite pictures appeared to show that the highest ground, with a nameless summit (304m) and trig point, had been cleared of forest. They had – but new growth is shooting up, and away from the taller trees, a thick undergrowth of bracken and the occasional bramble make the going slow. Not to mention the soft peaty ground and deep horseshoe-shaped hoof prints… We retraced our steps to easier walking back along the ridge towards Hoar Edge, before following the lane back down to the car. We’ll perhaps return for further exploration – in early spring, before the new season’s growth has begun.

opentopomap.jpg

View OS map on Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=351550&Y=298548&A=Y&Z=120

The mist came down

On By geoffspagesIn Photography, Shropshire hills, WalksLeave a comment

Blue sky by lunchtime, with lots of nice wispy cirrus – an ideal afternoon for the hills? We drove out to Hope Bowdler, but the clouds regrouped (despite the forecast) and, by the time we arrived at the Battlestones, the mist was coming down. No return along the ridge today – we’ll take the lower path and keep the views.

opentopomap.jpgView OS map on Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=347905&Y=293531&A=Y&Z=120

Autumn in the dale

On By geoffspagesIn Photography, Shropshire hills, Walks1 Comment

That’s Coalbrookdale – and Ironbridge – a good place for a pleasant walk on a sunny afternoon, after a couple of rainy days. There’s no shortage of visitors in the vicinity of the bridge (it is half-term week, after all), but away from the bridge it’s quiet. The leaves are coming down rapidly now – the trees will soon lose their colour.

opentopomap.jpg

View OS map on Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=367255&Y=304041&A=Y&Z=120

The Munslows – an afternoon on the Edge

On By geoffspagesIn Photography, Shropshire hills, WalksLeave a comment

One we’ve done many times – park at Aston Munslow, then follow field tracks and, in places, sunken and/or hidden ways, along the second of the Wenlock Edges. It’s higher here than the generally more obvious first edge, to the north-west, topping out at 324m – about 1063ft. There are autumn leaves, toadstools, blackberries (still), crazy pheasants, and fine views to the Clee hills and Mortimer Forest. The last downhill stretch into Munslow is particularly deep and well hidden; the surface is, in places, the rock of the Wenlock Edge.

Map

View OS map on Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=351160&Y=287706&A=Y&Z=120

On the Edge in October

On By geoffspagesIn Photography, Shropshire hills, WalksLeave a comment

That’s the Wenlock Edge, of course. It’s a dry, bright and still afternoon, with just a “very small chance of a shower”. There are one or two possible candidates, but nothing near enough to worry us. Once again, there are all kinds of autumnal things in the hedgerows, and it’s always fun to find fungi…


Map

View OS map on Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=361535&Y=300526&A=Y&Z=120

Autumn on the Stiperstones

On By geoffspagesIn Photography, Shropshire hills, WalksLeave a comment

It didn’t feel too autumnal – warm sunshine from a mostly-clear blue sky. The air was fairly cool, but with little wind, it was a great afternoon for these hills. I would say “lonely hills”, but they weren’t lonely today. There were two coaches in the Bog car park. There were quite a few people about on the main Stiperstones ridge, past the Devil’s Chair, but far fewer on the lower lane, and the southern ridge by Nipstone and The Rock. In the woods there are toadstools galore! – including a huge colony (at least 50 specimens) of “Flying Eric” (the psychoactive mushroom more commonly, but perhaps not more appropriately, known as fly agaric – which they were until my then-young nephew misheard or misremembered…).

Sadly, the Bog Centre was packed – the coaches were still there – no tea and cake after this walk.

(We’ve done this walk before – last time we did it anticlockwise, as shown on the map. Today we walked clockwise, for the views to the south-west from the ridge)

Map

View OS map on Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=336435&Y=298026&A=Y&Z=120

Back to Homer, and Wigwig, and Harley

On By geoffspagesIn Photography, Shropshire hills, WalksLeave a comment

We walked this route earlier in the year – anticlockwise. Today we’ll walk it clockwise – the views will be different… The path through the deciduous woodland of Bannister’s Coppice is a most pleasant, descending to the former mill, whose race can still be traced beside the path. Alongside the lane from Homer to Harley there are distracting blackberries (and the odd damson). Returning past Belswardyne Hall the views are extensive on this fine last afternoon of September.

Map

View OS map on Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=361005&Y=302661&A=Y&Z=120