Yesterday was the first time in MANY moons that I had a day off on my own and didn’t have a list of jobs that had to be done. It was a gorgeous, bright, sunny early summers day and although it was a little cooler than lately I decided it was perfect weather for a walk in the Shropshire hills so I packed up and headed off towards Church Stretton and the Long Mynd.

Church Stretton is a small village on the South Shropshire/Welsh border and is situated at the base of the Long Mynd, a small range of rolling hills that are the starting point for many beautiful country walks. It is an area commonly overlooked by Midlanders heading away for a weekend in the countryside who typically drive right by on their way into Central and North Wales. This is a shame because it really is a stunning landscape and has a lot to offer walkers, cyclists, and outdoor lovers of all types.

On the drive to Church Stretton from Much Wenlock the road runs parallel to a wooded bank called Wenlock Edge, which is another area that many people drive past without even realising that on the other side of the trees, hidden from view in their cars, is a panorama of stunning proportions.

Yesterday I took the opportunity and stopped off at one of the car parks on Wenlock Edge and walked down through Easthope Woods to the foot of the ridge and was rewarded with a magnificent view of the yellow rape seed oil fields and the Shropshire hills. For someone like myself who spends his days working in a busy hospital and his weekends running around after 3 small children the peace and tranquility was slightly unreal. Looking down at the small numbers of farm house it was hard not to feel envious of anyone fortunate enough to live in such an idyllic place.

After taking a few photos I returned to my car and continued on to Church Stretton where I parked on the National Trust car park at Carding Mill Valley. I picked up a rucksack with flask of coffee and my iPod and set off accompanied by a selection of early Genesis tracks. The walk up through the Valley to Light Spout Hollow and the waterfall is not difficult and not long but I enjoyed every minute of being out in the hills with just myself to consider. At the waterfall I stopped and had a hot drink then headed up onto the top of the hills into the open heather where the views across the whole of Shropshire open out in front of you.

Stopping off to take some more pictures with Peter Gabriel’s throaty vocals singing “White Mountain” from “Trespass” through my iPod headphones, I would have been quite happy to stay there all day, but as with all good things I knew I would have to come back down to earth…

On my return to the car park I found it was now considerably more busy than when I had left, there were several coach loads of children from Sandwell Academy out on a days field trip, complete with wellies, tape measures, stop watches and lots of little corks which they were using to time the flow of the water through the valley. Nice day for it I thought !

Further Links

Shropshire Walking
Church Stretton Area Web Site