Skye, 26 September The day began wet. Not a problem – I have to take the household authorities to Portree. But after lunch, the clouds clear and soon the sun is shining. I’d better make the most of it – how about a walk from Kilmuir village hall to the Bornesketaig clifftops? Perfect!
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There are lots more photos to come from our recent northern trip, but firstly, it’s good to be back to the everyday normality (if that’s what it is) of life in Shropshire. What better than a wander around the Willey lanes, to see how the season has moved on. In the fields, they’re lifting the spuds. Along the hedges and verges, there are crab apples, glorious (but inedible) red berries and the last of the blackberries (the devil’s in them now). All the damsons have gone – someone’s been busy while we were away
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…and relations. Been away from home for a couple of weeks, which included the long journey to Skye, a break in Aberdeenshire and a visit to Dunbar. There will be blog pages: the following is a taster (yes, it did rain – quite a lot! It was windy too. Sometimes the sun shone)
From today, until next March, the nights are longer than the days – the darker half of the year begins. Nevertheless, it’s a bright, sunny afternoon, perfect for a wander around fields and lanes between Astley Abbotts and Colemore Green
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Another dry morning (another showery afternoon). I’m wandering through the fields, mostly between the Bridgnorth road and the river. There’s no-one else about – but what about those three there, by the edge of the wood? We often see fallow deer in these parts, but they don’t usually have this dark colouring. I think they’re the ‘melanistic’ variety, described as black or chocolate coloured, but I’m not sure – never seen any like these before. They look up – they’ve seen me – but I don’t seem to be posing a threat, and for a minute or two they carry on nibbling at the undergrowth. Then a pheasant suddenly bursts noisily from the wood, spooking them, and they’re off!
Just beyond the deer, the path was completely blocked by a fallen tree (hawthorn – I’m not going to try and push through that!) – had to take a field’s edge detour.
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…because the weather forecast suggested there could be heavy rain in the afternoon. There wasn’t. Good to get a leg stretch before lunch!
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After a short spell of rain around lunchtime, the sky is clearing. We’re heading for Church Preen for a wander around the lanes. The air is clearer too – there’s a good view to the Welsh hills on the horizon.
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From Harley to Belswardyne and back… It’s another grey day, and there’s rain coming up from the south, but we’re ahead of it (it’s raining now!). A pleasant wander in quiet country below the Wenlock Edge.
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We leave the car and take the path across the field, cutting off the corner and avoiding the road. The corn has been harvested; just the stubble remains, and with it an eerie feeling that, with the crop, everything else has gone. The air is still, it’s very quiet – is anybody there? We continue via Harnage Grange, then, further along the lane, we take the path across the fields towards Kenley. There’s a secret world here, not visible from any of the roads nearby, and if it was quiet earlier, it’s even quieter now. Not even the sheep have anything to say.
View OS map on Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map?X=357220&Y=301550&A=Y&Z=120
No, we haven’t morphed into wombles. Our trip to Liverpool and surrounding area on Wednesday was marked by some subterranean exploration, and a ride in what was once an underground train, entirely above ground. Visit “Overground Underground” on Geoff’s Rail Diaries for more on this most interesting day out.
