It was Dawley Parva on the old 1″ maps, but today it’s more prosaic. The area between Coalbrookdale and Dawley is a tangle of old ways, many of which were originally the routes of pre-railway age wagonways. The last of these in the vicinity closed as recently (if that’s not the wrong word) as 1932, and their trackbeds, where they remain, make good footpaths, well-engineered with gentle gradients. The pools at Little Dawley were associated with the canal which once ran to the head of Coalbrookdale – today they are attractive and unsuspected features of the local landscape, which must have looked very different during the industrial revolution. The uppermost pools – “The Dandy” and Castle Pool were canal feeders – and yes, there was a Dawley Castle. It was a casualty of the civil war, and any ruins that might have remained were buried in the slag of the ironworks (long gone) which later occupied the site.

Our route back to Coalbrookdale takes us along dark hidden lanes in the Lightmoor area – Holywell Lane leads to Stoney Hill, where the landscape is changing rapidly under new housing development. Crossing the by-pass, we then descend through the damp woodland of Vane Coppice – the sun dropping behind the hills as we approach the coke hearth and the car.

A Salvation Army rock group perhaps? No, just a rock – an interesting clumpy outcrop on the northern edge of the Hope Bowdler hills near Church Stretton, which provides an airy viewpoint and a good objective for a short walk. With clear blue skies, bright sunshine and light winds, it was too good to stay at home.

A good day for exploring the dingle and the woodland beside the pools. There might be some interesting fungi under the trees. The path beside the Big Pool is closed, but the public footpath through the asparagus farm leads us across the road to Comer Wood. There’s a thin film of ice on Seggy pool, barely visible – but doing odd things to the reflections.

Brown Clee, that is, Shropshire’s highest. It wasn’t just a clear afternoon – there was plenty of blue sky around too – apart from over the hill. Occasionally a shaft of sunlight would break through like a spotlight, but most of the time we had to be content with the views of the sunlit distance. The Brecon Beacons are just visible – 55 miles to the south-west.

This route – just 3 miles in total – starts from the phone box. The box itself is redundant – not only do we all have mobiles now, but it’s been superseded by a modern al fresco alternative. Happily, the old red box lives on as the “Little Red Book Stop”. The sign on the door says

“Please…
…borrow a book
…leave a book in exchange

or…
sit and relax and simply read a book

There’s a handy log beside the box…