A walk north of the river, from the top of Coalbrookdale – up the Loamhole Dingle into the fields above the Severn. No bluebells today; instead, wild garlic in the damp and shady spots (welcome in the strong sunshine), and buttercups in the meadows.
Tag: photography
Mucklewick in May
Sounds charming, doesn’t it? We started out from The Bog… It was warm, clear, sunny – beautiful! Gone are the pastel shades of the winter months – it’s all in technicolor today.
We leave the Bog car park by the new path beside the road, heading north-east on a walk that would be south-west of our starting point. There’s method in our madness – we’re avoiding a short stretch of path that can be seriously muddy. Later, as we descend from the ridge, a fairly comfortable rock beneath The Rock provides us with table and chairs (I exaggerate) for lunch – a near-perfect spot, away from the wind (a light breeze, very welcome later in the afternoon) and the gunfire. It’s not the quietest part of the county…
Quiet tracks (on the opposite side of the ridge to the shooting range) and a very minor road take us down to the West Onny valley, then via Nind back up onto the hills. Mucklewick Hill is another pleasant spot (enjoying that breeze now) for the last of the day’s provisions before, after a short descent, the long gentle rise to tea and cakes at the Bog Centre (highly recommended!).
Mogg revisited
I walked this route, more or less, in January (see “Mogg Forest“). It was rather wet underfoot back then, and still a bit sticky in places today. There were few other similarities – instead of wet mid-winter, we’re now in spring – there are crops in the fields and yet more bluebells in the woods
Wenlock Priory: dodging the showers
More than half the abbey has gone, but what remains is a pleasant spot for a brief exploration on an afternoon when heavy showers threatened between bursts of sunshine. The threat was not followed through, apart from a few spots in the wind, but the sunshine did its best to confound. There are some nice little details in the stonework, and the topiary is wonderful!
Sunday strolling
A walk down to the Severn below Coalport, following the river, the canal and the old railway track to Ironbridge. Tea and scones are available at the YHA near the china museum – just the thing to get us back up Bridge Bank.
Bluebells on the Edge
They’re everywhere now – must check out the local bluebell wood. Today we’re on Wenlock Edge, walking a circular route from Aston Munslow. There’s quite a variety of other blooms beside the paths and tracks – a riot of colour (I may be exaggerating). But for sheer quantity, the bluebells win, hands down.
Blists Hill
Wandering with the camera on a warm, but only intermittently sunny, spring afternoon.
Early Purple
A short circular walk from Much Wenlock, across the edge and down to Homer (it’s near Wigwig…). In a week or two, there should be lots of orchids in the woods – the early purple variety. Too early to see any today? There were one or two, in amongst the emerging bluebells – early early purple perhaps?
Callow Hollow
The Long Mynd’s eastern valleys are several and varied – some are valleys, some (most) are batches. There’s a dale and a gutter too – and a couple of hollows. If we count the side valleys off those main valleys… Perhaps not. I’ve been exploring the Mynd for many years, but until very recently, I had not quite digested one rather odd fact born out by the 1:25,000 map: many (perhaps most) of those side valleys have names – except for Ashes Hollow, whose side valleys are nameless. (I’m sure they’re not, but there are no names on the map).
Ashes Hollow runs down to Little Stretton. Next, joining Ashes at its foot, is Small Batch (aptly named), then there’s Callow Hollow. Ashes Hollow is perhaps the next-best known after Cardingmill (Valley), not least due to the camp site occupying its last few yards. Callow is one of the least known, despite being of comparable scenic value, largely because, until relatively recently, there was no easy access to its foot. We met no-one else on foot throughout the walk (just one cyclist, and a farmer in his pickup). And, like so many of these valleys (batches, hollows etc….), once we’re just a few yards in, there’s nothing man-made in sight, until we reach the plateau and the road.
A fall of snow(drops)
A dry afternoon, with some sunshine forecast – “let’s have a walk around Attingham Park, the snowdrops should be good”. Which they were, of course – like a fall of snow in places, the ground almost white over. The sun wasn’t at its most cooperative – why is the most spectacular burst of sunshine the one when you’re in the car, ready to drive home? The translucent Judas ear fungus is edible, apparently; it doesn’t look too appetising. Think I’ll give it a miss.
The deer were grazing in the deer park – see video clip (below)
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