Short walks with photos and a Google map.
It was certainly too cold to hang around… The almost-clear blue sky – just the odd little puff of white – soon disappeared, to be replaced by more cloud than expected (or forecast), but with some good breaks of sunshine here and there. It was even colder when the sun went in. This was not so much a very short walk (which it was), more a quick trip to the summit – not the highest point around here, at 1506′, but a great viewpoint.
We’ve done this walk a couple of times before – today, with plenty of sunshine and little streaks of cirrus, we did it anti-clockwise. It’s a bit squelchy underfoot between the lanes, and the path here is non-existent (though it is a right of way). But it’s very pleasant, quiet country, and the lane back towards Hurst Farm and its pools, high above the valley of the Mor brook to the south, has some extensive views towards Shropshire’s highest point on Brown Clee. There’s no time to dawdle at this end of the year though – the sun set as we dropped down past the pools and back to the car.
Making the most of a bright sunny afternoon (while trying to avoid the worst of the mud…).
With high winds and rain forecast over the next few days, this afternoon may have been the last chance for the autumn leaves… A local wander, no need to start the car.
The sky was clear and blue, the air cold. The forecast suggested south might be best – it was certainly good. The views from up here are extensive; conditions underfoot are not always so great. There were lots of cars in the Croft Castle car park when we arrived at mid-day – a cross-country run was just ending. Hundreds of feet pounding the ground as the morning’s frost thawed – and of course their route was ours, as far as Croft Ambrey hill fort. It hadn’t been too bad across the field, past the old chestnuts, but it was getting rather sticky in the woods. When the runners’ tracks appeared to go over the fence to the hill fort, we kept straight on. Conditions underfoot seemed to improve – only to deteriorate to serious deep mud further on (only one photo from that stretch – it was all we could do, at times, to stay on our feet. One of us didn’t…).
The mud ends as the path enters the open grassland of Bircher Common. We took the long – and scenic – route around the common, down the delightful track between Oaker Coppice and Bircher Coppice, where the beech leaves glowed in the sunshine. The common’s western edge meets the woodland of Fishpool Valley, and a short walk through the trees back to the car.
We were a bit later setting out than intended – but this one was just right for the time remaining. It’s that time of year again – the clocks have gone back, and the sun’s setting around 4.30pm. As a result, it was still bright – broad daylight – when we left the car, but the sun was lowering rapidly ahead as we headed back along the humpy ridge of the hill.
Hope Bowdler Hill isn’t high – a whisker under 1400′ – but it’s a great viewpoint, with the 2000′ Radnor Forest clear on the horizon to the south-west, some 25 miles away. The TV mast is just visible on Black Mixen, but other than the much closer mast on Hazler Hill, and scattered farms, man-made objects are not prominent in the views to the south. What really catches the eye on an afternoon like this is the pattern of ridges, one after another, receding and fading into the distance. But the sun is setting, and it’s too cold (a biting wind) to stay still for long.
A dry day – and lots of sunshine at home. The forecast suggested it might get cloudier later, perhaps the chance of a shower to the north-west – we’d better head eastwards.
The sunshine had already gone when we left home – might it shine again later? Inevitably, it waited until we were well into the forest, clouding up again as we emerged from the trees and headed towards the “glacial boulder” prominently marked on the 1:25,000. Some fitful sunshine made the birches glow, before it disappeared altogether…
We walked this route almost exactly a year ago (see Cannock Chase) – this time, we walked anti-clockwise…
Still sounds slightly tacky, doesn’t it? Many of us will associate Barry Island with Butlin’s, even if we never went there. But the holiday camp has long gone – an estate of modern houses occupies the space. Yes, there’s still the funfair (closed on this cold but bright autumn day) opposite the railway station, and amusements, fish and chips and other familiar features of the old-fashioned “seaside” in and around the western colonnade. But beyond, there are rocky headlands and a fine sandy beach, with extensive views to Somerset and the islands (Steep Holm and Flat Holm – lovely names!) in the mouth of the Severn – or is it the Bristol Channel here?. Great for a stroll after lunch, before the long drive home.
The boots were still sodden from the trip to Foxfield – so with slightly lighter footwear, this was never going to be more than a short walk. It was pleasant in the warm sunshine – the morning’s mist had mostly cleared, though there were still some patches rolling around. The last stretch of the path along the edge is seriously muddy…
The country to the west of the Stiperstones is bright, breezy country, ideal for a walk on a bright, breezy afternoon (a rare commodity at present).
The Bog Centre‘s opening hours seem to have increased recently – a good thing, apart from the possible effects of the refreshments (very welcome at the end of the walk) on the waist line…
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