1st December: yesterday evening the lights were switched on – we’d better go and record the jolly scenes. There’s always a good turnout for this event, weather permitting – which it did. It’s cold, clear and dry – perfect for the fireworks, and once it’s over, we’ll head swiftly for home, pausing only to record one local resident’s personal take on the season (with a donation box for charity). Merry Christmas from Broseley!
… not a cloud in the clear blue sky. It’s very cold – the frost hasn’t lifted where the sun doesn’t reach – and still. Perfect for reflections in the pools, and great for a walk. The bacon baps at the visitor centre are pretty good too – and the mince pies. We’re spoiling ourselves today!
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We’ve had lunch, the rain has stopped and the sky has cleared, so we’re taking a stroll from Ironbridge to the top of Coalbrookdale and back. It’s a pleasant afternoon – mild, bright and mostly dry (it’s trying to rain when we get back to the car). But where are all the people? There’s no-one else on the bridge, the Wharfage is deserted, Coalbrookdale’s quiet. Most unusual!
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Monday 18 November: there’s a clear blue sky, but it’s an icy cold morning at Newhaven harbour. The walk, this time up the old railway track to Scotland Street, warms us up, and by the time we’re atop Calton Hill, we’re positively glowing. The views, especially to Fife and the Forth, are extensive, but it’s busy. “Let’s go and spend an hour or so in the museum”. Perhaps we’ll get a bite to eat there too? We’re distracted by the wonders on display, and soon it’s time to make our way back to Waverley for the train journey home.
There’s not much of a view today, from these uplands a couple of miles west of Bridgnorth. Nevertheless, we’re enjoying a pleasant, if somewhat other-worldly walk. The fog muffles sounds as well as vision – the world outside may no longer exist, for all we know.
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…from the bitterly-cold Forth shore to the tourist hordes in the old town.
Sunday 17 November: we walked from Newhaven to Leith, following the water’s edge where we could, then headed inland to the top of Leith Walk. We’re in Edinburgh now: I shudder to think what the Royal Mile must be like in high summer. We’ll try to find a quieter route to Waverley, where we’ve an appointment with the 13.11 train to the Borders Railway.
Just published to Geoff’s Rail Diaries, an illustrated account of Wednesday’s Northern Rail outing, Visit “The Southport Avoider” – now!
Busy days!
Saturday 16 November: off to Edinburgh, on the train from Crewe.
Sunday: an ice-cold start on the Forth’s shore at Newhaven and Leith, then up Leith Walk (on foot, of course) for a brief spot of tourism in Edinburgh’s old town.
Monday: another frosty morning. This time we’ll use the old railway track to Scotland Street, and we’ll visit Calton Hill and the National Museum of Scotland. A full day wouldn’t have done justice to the museum, and we’ve only got a couple of hours before our train for home.
Tuesday: a day off, and an hour or so of fresh air down by the Severn, where the bridge is looking good in the late-afternoon light.
Wednesday: away at the crack of dawn for a rail exploration of parts of Lancashire, which doesn’t quite go according to plan. We miss a train in unexpected fashion in Wigan, before finding ourselves (briefly) in Blackburn and Clitheroe.
(further photographic exploration to follow)
We’re wandering around Bridgnorth, making the most of some better weather. Will it last?
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Sunday afternoon: we’re away from our usual haunts, up in the south-western corner of Cheshire, which unlike parts of the county, isn’t plain. These sandstone hills are not very high, but only a little elevation is needed for the extensive views in all directions – once we’re out of the woodland, that is. Away to the north-west, we can make out Liverpool and its cathedral (one of them), and there’s the reassuring outline of the Wrekin to the south. It’s good underfoot too – sandy paths and not much mud, despite recent rain. But it’s busy on Bickerton Hill! There are lots of people everywhere, especially on the main drag up from the car park to Kitty’s Rock and the hill fort at Maiden Castle. It’s not quiet here! We’ll come again, and explore more of the Sandstone Trail – on a school-term weekday…
View OS map on Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=349960&Y=353210&A=Y&Z=120
