Shropshire
I lived in Shrewsbury for two years in the seventies, and have a soft spot for both it and the county of Shropshire. Day trips to Shrewsbury, Church Stretton and Ludlow still feature regularly in my diary.
Sep ?? 2009: Much Wenlock - Church Stretton
Distance: 15m, Climb: 1175 ft
Strangely my lasting impression of this walk is of mud, even though this occurred only for short sections. My route followed the Jack Mytton Way from Much Wenlock as far as Ticklerton, where I then turned right and then left to take what appears to be the shortest road route onwards to Church Stretton. The mud was encountered on the later stages of the walk along Wenlock Edge, with the path just inside the edge of the woods. Here the ground was well churned by hoofprints, with undergrowth or overgrowth making it difficult to take evasive action. The descent of the Edge was also muddy in places, but this was no surprise being well wooded so that chances for the area to dry out completely are presumably rare.
Overall it was an enjoyable day, but I think this is more a walk for company and conversation or walking the dog than for the singleton.
Mon 21st Sep 2009: Craven Arms - Church Stretton via the Long Mynd
Distance: 15m, Climb: 2200 ft
About a week or so after visiting Church Stretton starting from Much Wenlock I decided on the same destination commencing from Craven Arms. For me this proved to be a much more satisfactory experience. A short walk along roads from Craven Arms station brought me to Watling Street, which I left to follow the Shropshire Way. Indeed I stayed on the Way until after I had reached the highest point on the route - Pole Bank (516m), to the west of Church Stretton - when I turned right towards my destination and then veered right again so that I could reach it via the pleasant Townbrook Valley.
Only between Edgton and Plowden Woods did I find any difficulty in following the path, reaching a boundary hedge that I was unable to match with any on my OS map. Here I chose to climb a fence and follow a more westerly path than my intended route, reaching the woods much nearer their southwest corner than planned. From here a good path led north through the woods, leading first gently and then more steeply down, rejoining the Shropshire way as both paths emerged from the trees.
The walk provided considerable variety - woodland, farmland (plenty of cows), clean country lanes and ascents and descents of varying grades. All this before the bigger climb onto The Long Mynd and the walk along its ridge accompanied by views towards Wales followed by the delightful descent. And I don't recall seeing enough mud to worry about. Conclusion? For Church Stretton Craven Arms is a better starting point than Much Wenlock.
Tue 27th Oct 2009: Ludlow Woods
Distance: 11m, Climb: 1550 ft
There are extensive woods and plantations to the southwest of Ludlow, bearing various names. I think of them collectively as Ludlow Woods, though this is not the official name of either the whole or any part of them. Indeed not only am i guilty of making up my own name, but also of placing the woods in the wrong county, for mostly they lie within Herefordshire despite my placing them on my Shropshire page.
There are plenty of paths through the woods, and I shall not attempt to give a path by path description of my route. In brief I left Ludlow on the B4361, leaving just before the first entrance to the cattle market. On reaching Mary Knoll Valley I deviated from the main path and wandered on whim for some time from path to path, before making my way up High Vinnals from the south, back down into Mary Knoll Valley (partly by means of a miniature path weaving a dry course through the trees), almost immediately steeply up onto the lower and upper evens and then gently down again to Dinham Bridge to reenter Ludlow. This last mentioned climb to my mind is definitely on an up only path - a descent would be made either backwards or bouncing on ones bum.
The trees give a timeless atmosphere to the whole area; only by inspecting ones watch can a full indication of the passage of time be gained, though I confess to making sure that I had reached the more thinly wooded Evens before the light started to fail. An excellent area for both the solitary and accompanied walker I anticipate returning for further roams in this area without needing to clean my boots in between, for even in late October it was only in the depths of the well-wooded valley that mud was in view.