The Wrekin

Blue sky and sunshine, after a very wet weekend – the path up the Wrekin ought to be as good as any when the ground is waterlogged. It was – but cloud obscured the sun and took away the blue sky…

The herd of deer on the hill’s western flank was a bonus.

Summit   Cumulus over Clee

View to SW   Deer

Wrekin Farm   Little Wenlock

Snowy Stiperstones

It’s cold in Shropshire! A little way down the road, on our way home at 3.45pm (just before sunset), the car thermometer read -6°C.

Snow on the road
Cold road

Linley Hill
Linley_Hill   Top of Linley Hill

The Rock
The Rock

View to the Berwyns
Berwyn view

Corndon Hill
Corndon Hill

Alpaca
They don’t seem to mind the cold…

Alpaca herd   Alpaca

Lane, The Bog
Lane, The Bog

Where is The Rock? The Bog?

November mud

A walk from Much Wenlock to the hamlet of Barrow, out via Arlescott and back via Atterley. What was that about farmers being the custodians of the countryside? The path near Arlescott had been made up again after work in the fields (well done, that man!) – unlike the path through the field half a mile south of Barrow. We carried most of that field away with us, stuck to the soles of our boots…

Clee View
CirrusLate afternoon

Stiperstones

A bright but very cold day walking the Stiperstones ridge. There’s snow on the Welsh mountains…

Crowsnest Dingle
Crowsnest Dingle   Crowsnest larches

Stiperstones silhouettes
Stiperstones

Black Mountain view
Black Mountain view

Snow on the Berwyns
Snow on the welsh hills   Snow on the Berwyns

Rough grazing
Rough Grazing

Red kite
Red kite

I’ll take the low and winding road
I'll take the low road
   Winding road

Spotlight on Stiperstones village
Spotlight on Stiperstones village

My route:

Pen y Gwely

A pleasant, if somewhat muddy, walk in the Welsh border country hills between Oswestry and the Ceiriog valley.

Gyrn Moelfre
Gyrn Moelfre

Apparently, Gyrn Moelfre is featured in the film “The Englishman who went up a Hill but came down a Mountain”

View to Foel Rhiwlas
View to Foel Rhiwlas

View with larches
Larch view

Spotlight
Spotlight

The Ceiriog valley
Ceiriog valley

There’s a light dusting of snow on the Berwyns, just visible left of centre

Cardingmill Round

We parked in the Cardingmill Valley, Church Stretton – and immediately left, on foot, heading via Cwmdale to the Batch Valley. Long Batch takes us to the top of the Mynd – then via the Boiling Well (almost) and back down the Townbrook Valley, cutting across the foot of the Burway to return to Cardingmill.

The Lawley
The Lawley

Batch Valley – towards the bottom
Batch Valley

Batch Valley – View to Long Batch
Batch Valley 2

Looking back on Long Batch
Long Batch

Sunlight on the ridges
Sunlight on the ridges

Mynd Pool
Mynd pool

Mynd view
Mynd view

Caer Caradoc
Caer Caradoc 2

View to the Wrekin
View to the Wrekin

Hawthorn
Hawthorn

Caer Caradoc (again)
Caer Caradoc

Townbrook valley
Townbrook Valley

Cardingmill – sunlight on The Pike
The Pike

The Route: