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.

   

   

   

A walk in the snow, at first along the old railway track, from Ironbridge to Coalport and back.

   

   

   

   

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

Linley Hill
   

The Rock

View to the Berwyns

Corndon Hill

Alpaca
They don’t seem to mind the cold…

   

Lane, The Bog

Where is The Rock? The Bog?

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…

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

Crowsnest Dingle
   

Stiperstones silhouettes

Black Mountain view

Snow on the Berwyns
  

Rough grazing

Red kite

I’ll take the low and winding road
   

Spotlight on Stiperstones village

My route:

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

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 with larches

Spotlight

The Ceiriog valley

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

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

Batch Valley – towards the bottom

Batch Valley – View to Long Batch

Looking back on Long Batch

Sunlight on the ridges

Mynd Pool

Mynd view

Caer Caradoc

View to the Wrekin

Hawthorn

Caer Caradoc (again)

Townbrook valley

Cardingmill – sunlight on The Pike

The Route:

Another fine, sunny day – just a bit too hazy for the views, but great weather for a walk on the southern Long Mynd. Start at Priors Holt (Malcolm Saville’s “Witchend”), follow forestry tracks to the top of the Mynd, then turn southwards to Plowden, and contour back via Church Moor.

Hen Batch

In the forest

Out of the forest

Lunch beside the pool

Handless

South Mynd sheep

Hazy day
   

Plowden

Mushroom with a view

Another fine specimen

Out via the old railway track, back via Arlescott. The weather was far too good to stay at home…

Much Wenlock
   

Arlescott

The path ahead

Harrowed Ground

Parasol Mushroom

Elderberries

A walk on the Brown Clee, starting from the parking space below Nordy Bank hill fort, up to Clee Burf then along the ridge to Abdon Burf. The return route was via the top stretch of the incline, then contouring around the hill back to the road near Cockshutford. The weather forecast was optimistic…

Clee Hill Sheep

The road to Clee Burf

Toadstools…

   

Nice spot for lunch

Dog walkers at the summit (the only other people I saw)

The top of Shropshire

Remains from quarrying days
   

Top of the incline

More sheep… Contouring back towards the car