That’s GWR no. 822 The Earl – one of the two 2’6″ gauge 0-6-0T locomotives built in 1902 for the Welshpool and Llanfair Railway. He’s hauling us from Llanfair Caereinion down to Welshpool Raven Square and back – a very pleasant outing in the good company of a friend and his 4-year-old grandson, both of whom seemed to enjoy the journey. Who wouldn’t, on this fine and (eventually) sunny afternoon?
Welshpool and Llanfair Railway
It’s going to be warm this afternoon… We’ll have a quick walk around the Willey lanes – home again by lunchtime. There are signs of the season moving on – damsons, ripe blackberries, crab apples and hop flowers… Soon be autumn!
View OS map in Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=367470&Y=298250&A=Y&Z=120
Friday 9 August: We’ve been stuck at home since Thursday morning with an electrician. He’s finished and gone – now we need to blow away our cobwebs. Brown Clee should be ideal – and so it turns out. The strong westerly wind at the summit is making it hard to hold the camera still, but it’s very pleasant up here, with warm sunshine, and the views extensive as they can be on a clear day. We can make out Pen y Fan, 55 miles to the south-west. Away from the summit, it’s calmer, and though the chocolate seat faces into the wind, we can have an enjoyable five minutes there. Not many minutes later, we’re through the trees and back on the east side of the hill. Wind? What wind?
View OS map on Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map?X=360080&Y=286165&A=Y&Z=120
Tuesday 6 August: A blue sky – and blue fields! It’s a perfect evening for a walk in the very quiet area around Boldings Pools, Astley Abbots and Colemore Green. The colour in the fields is unusual – immediately eye-catching as we drive past to park. Whatever can it be? Close inspection (and Google Images…) tells us it’s phacelia, and almost certainly it will be ploughed in as green manure. Meanwhile, we’ll make the most of this unusual landscape
View OS map on Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map?X=370965&Y=296815&A=Y&Z=120
A short outing on a grey afternoon. Wilderhope Manor is a National Trust property managed by the Youth Hostels Association. I imagine it would be a great place to stay – there’s even a four-poster bed in one room! Open at weekends for public exploration – an interesting way to spend an hour or so, with tea and cakes in the grand dining room to follow.
I’ll have to use the phone instead. Not ideal, but… It’s a very pleasant evening on the Edge above Much Wenlock – bright, sunny, not particularly warm – perfect for this short wander.
View OS map on Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map?X=361510&Y=299900&A=Y&Z=120
We’ve had some warm days – too warm to be out in the sun – but today’s different. There’s more cloud, and a stiff breeze makes it feel much more pleasant. The Hope Bowdler hills could be ideal… Looking down on the Cardingmill valley, we realised why we’d seen no-one else up here (we did see a runner, disappearing as we began our walk, and passed a lone walker setting out just before we arrived back at the start. I’m not complaining!) The kites, the buzzards and the sheep are sufficient company.
View OS map on Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map?X=347500&Y=293335&A=Y&Z=120
We’ll be under the trees for much of the way – on this warm afternoon, it’s especially pleasant along the old railway trackbed on the south side of the river between Coalport bridge and Maw’s – cool and moist, just what’s needed!
View OS map on Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map?X=368955&Y=302795&A=Y&Z=120
Too warm for wandering around the grounds – but it should be pleasantly cool indoors. Afterwards, if we can find somewhere to sit in the shade, an ice cream could be good…
Expect the unexpected! For moderately complex reasons, we found ourselves in Leominster yesterday afternoon. The roads through the old town centre are all being dug up, so we wandered slightly further afield and found Grange Court. Formerly the town’s market hall, it was dismantled in the middle of the 19th century and, a year or two later, re-erected on its present site. The ground floor, formerly open, has been enclosed to make this fine and unexpected (we certainly weren’t expecting it!) building.
That evening, home again and fed, we enjoyed our regular wander around the lanes at Willey. We weren’t expecting the yellow crops in the field – not rape in July, surely, though the plant looks similar – what is it? This morning, my dependable source on such matters informed me that it’s mustard. It will be harvested, or ploughed in as green manure, depending on how things go. Expect the unexpected! (Douglas Adams, of course)
View OS map on Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map?X=367515&Y=298310&A=Y&Z=120
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