A clear blue sky this afternoon… It’s rather hazy though. There’s been a hard frost, lingering in the shade, but there’s no wind and in the sunshine, it’s warm and very pleasant.
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An old favourite… It does what favourites should – it’s a very enjoyable walk from start to finish. There’s woodland and open grassland, with wonderful views in most directions (though not all at the same time…). Below the hill fort at Croft Ambrey, the old Scots pines provide foreground interest to some of the most attractive scenery in this part of the world, where the Herefordshire hills meet the Welsh border country. To the south-west, the Black Mountains and the Brecon Beacons form a distant horizon, where Pen y Fan could be mistaken for a dormant volcano (it isn’t!). It’s another fine day too, the sunshine warm for a time. What more could one want?
View OS map on Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map?X=345190&Y=266450&A=Y&Z=120
…on Wenlock Edge. It’s not very long – just under four miles. Thin? A glance at the map reveals all. Our return route parallels our outward route, but outwards we’re in the woods below the Edge, and returning we’re on the Edge – there are views! There’s barely any sunshine today – until the last few minutes when the sun lights the fields on the eastern Edge, with Brown Clee for a backdrop
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Always a good thing! I’m wandering past Hurst Farm pools and around Aldenham on a fine breezy afternoon. The sunshine is coming and going (not always at my convenience), making for fleeting floodlit moments. Got to be quick this afternoon!
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They come in brown and black – the hielan coos, that is. The sheep are all black too. The goldcrest was an unexpected treat (sorry, no photos – he was never still for more than a second, but a pleasure to watch – and then a van came down the lane and frightened him away). A very pleasant wander around Much Wenlock, on an end-of-January afternoon that felt springlike (we’ll pay for it in February, I’m sure)
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Same start as yesterday, but heading towards the river. Towards the eastern end of the route, the path follows the edge of Birch Wood, which hides a steep drop down into the valley of Dean Brook (we won’t go there…). The path forms a T-junction with a bridleway from Linley to the Severn – I’ll turn right and head past Linley’s old church and across the field to Bould Lane, taking me back to the start.
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A grey afternoon – need to take a closer look to find any interest…
View OS map on Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map?X=367510&Y=297955&A=Y&Z=120
26 January: after recording Britannia’s eastbound progress near Allscott, we needed lunch and a short leg stretch. Attingham: the Cornish pasties were excellent; the cakes nearly finished us off. A short walk around the park would be good – the first snowdrops are up, and the birds are feeding in the woods. Shame there’s hardly any light…
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Two days later… We saw no. 70000 Britannia on Tuesday’s driver training run, at Preston Boats, just to the east of Shrewsbury. The weather was less than perfect. For today’s run, the sky was mostly blue – steam, cold air, sunshine – great! (Same place as Mayflower two weeks ago)
(Click the image for a larger view)
It was bright and sunny just minutes before we set out, but the drizzle soon began – very light, very fine. We weren’t getting wet, but the camera mostly stayed in its bag.
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