Many tiles – more than the mind can comfortably comprehend… We’re wandering around the museum at the former Craven Dunnill tile factory in Jackfield (part of the Ironbridge Gorge museum). There’s a new gallery open, displaying the John Scott collection. There are some wonderful colourful designs (and some hideous Victorian monstrosities!), but there’s far too much to take in in a single visit. Tile overload! We’ll have to come again…
We’ve done it many times, always with subtle variations. The afternoon was too good to waste – leaving the car in the Carding Mill Valley, we walked up Townbrook Valley onto the ridge and on to Pole Bank. The air was growing cold as we headed back towards Mott’s Road; if we’d done this a month ago, it would have been dark by the time we got back to the car.
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Saturday afternoon: we’re out on the Wenlock Edge, enjoying some winter sunshine. There was a moderate sprinkling of snow at home – perhaps there would be a bit more up on the edge? No such luck – just an occasional dusting to prove we were in the same county. Sadly, one or two short stretches of the (public foot)path have been deeply churned by tractor tyres and are almost unwalkable. In fact they are unwalkable. The only progress that can be made – very cautious hedge-hanging, slithering and clambering out of one rut into another – cannot be described as walking. We’ve walked these same paths and tracks in previous winters, and one or two stretches can get a bit sticky, but now they’re seriously damaged. (Did the local farmer get a new tractor for Christmas? One of those really huge, heavy monsters that completely fill the lanes? I hope it came with a rut-filling attachment…)
A quiet hour in the afternoon, exploring the streets of Ludlow (and trying to keep the cars out of the photos…)
Friday – first “ordinary” day of the new year. Attingham’s always good for a gentle stroll, and it shouldn’t be too bad underfoot. We might see the deer too… They were anticipating their lunch as we passed, but rather than hang around, we wandered on around the perimeter of the parkland on the east bank of the Tern, getting back to the car a little before sunset.
Monday: the weather’s too good to stay indoors (and it can’t last) – we’re wandering on the Long Mynd, making the most of what little light there is in late November. The steep hillside path takes us quickly up into the sunshine, and by the time we’re coming back down Mott’s Road, it’s almost gone. Instead of the heavy clouds that shaded us yesterday, there’s lots of wispy cirrus, much of it forming from jet trails. And instead of that biting wind, there’s just a gentle breeze. Perfect!
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We did this walk, more or less, this time last year – more or less. Late November is good on the Hope Bowdler hills, or perhaps it’s the other way round. A stubborn bank of cloud limited the sunshine on the ridge, though there was plenty of sunlight in the distance, and the wind was biting, briefly carrying a light shower of rain (that wasn’t forecast!). We sheltered, more from the wind than the rain, behind the Gaerstone for a few minutes, before descending the last of the ridge as the sun dropped.
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…was the name of the train, a trip from Bristol to Chester for the Christmas market. It was going to be hauled by Tangmere, an un-rebuilt Bulleid pacific, but earlier in the week, Tangmere was advised as “unavailable”, and instead the reliable duo of 44871 and 45407 would haul the trip. At about the same time, the weather forecast was rather unfriendly – happily, the forecast improved, and in the event, the morning’s fog cleared to bright sunshine. Here they are, Black 5s 44871 and 45407 hurrying along, on time, near Stokesay with the Christmas Cheshireman.
There are two steam-hauled specials next week, bringing passengers to the Ludlow Christmas markets – fingers crossed for the weather…
A walk from Morville to Hurst Farm pools – out along the quiet lane to Haughton, back down the (public footpath) drive from Aldenham Park. There had been some heavy rain overnight – field paths would be hard going, so we stuck to known good surfaces. The grey skies had cleared by lunchtime – the afternoon was fine, bright and sunny – and surprisingly warm.
Or view OS map on Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=367370&Y=295321&A=Y&Z=120
We were driving homewards, between Clun and Craven Arms – when suddenly (so it seemed) the fields by the river were full of mist, lit by the setting sun. Within minutes, the sun was behind the clouds – if we’d left five minutes later the scene would have been very different.
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