What we did on our holidays - I

From 'The Old Bull Pen', (above), Ginny got a short walk every morning ... including a sniff inside this old hollowed-out yew tree near the old Norman Church of St. Mary Magdalene.





Then we were back for a breakfast and the rest of the day ... which, to Ginny's delight, involved walking!



16th April - Long Mynd: The name Long Mynd means "Long Mountain": in Welsh it is called Mynydd Hir. The highest point on the Long Mynd is Pole Bank at a height of 516 m (1,693 ft so its a Marilyn). North to south, it is approximately 7 miles (11 km) long by a maximum of 3 miles (4.8 km) wide.



The principal settlements surrounding the Long Mynd are the Strettons. It is essentially a moorland plateau, approximately 10 miles long in a north-south direction, and approximately 4 miles across at its widest point. Although from a distance the top appears to be relatively flat, large valleys - such as Carding Mill Valley - eat into the edges like deep folds. Once managed as a grouse moor, today the Long Mynd is owned and maintained by the National Trust but many local people have rights to graze sheep here. An old trackway, the Port Way, runs along the length of the ridge. Much of the top is covered in heather, but it also possible to find wild bilberries (known locally as whinberries). Along the western edge of the Long Mynd, above the village of Asterton - a popular centre for gliding and hang-gliding.





17th April - (part of) Winding Jack Trail - in Mortimer Forest - off the B4361 Ludlow to Richard’s Castle road, 2 miles south-west of Ludlow. OS Grid ref: SO497717.



18th April - Wenlock Edge is a limestone escarpment created 400 million years ago when Shropshire could be found just south of the equator and boasted a Caribbean type of environment. Its ancient woodlands has many fossils hidden in the area's rocks including ancient corals, crinoids and trilobites and the limestone of the Edge has been exploited for many years as building material and for burning in small lime kilns,then road building. The National Trust, who manage seven miles of the Edge, has now restored some of the old lime kilns to preserve a part of the industrial heritage of the area. It is roughly 330 metres high (above sea level). The deciduous woodland which runs along it covers much of the steep slopes of the escarpment and in parts it is very well preserved. It is perhaps best known as the setting for A. E. Housman's poem "On Wenlock Edge the Wood's in Trouble". Ralph Vaughan Williams composed 'On Wenlock Edge' in 1909. It is also the subject of several works by the famous artist L. S. Lowry with the best known piece "A Bit of Wenlock Edge" which is a fine pencil drawing of the escarpment detailing the woodland. The Edge contains many interesting features such as Flounder's Folly, Wilderhope Manor and Major's Leap - the latter from the English Civil War a Major Thomas Smallman of nearby Wilderhope Manor was a Royalist officer who was forced to flee from Cromwell’s approaching troops after escaping from his manor. As he was carrying important dispatches, he was cornered on the Wenlock Edge. Rather than surrender, he galloped his horse off the edge falling some 200 feet. His horse was killed but the Major was saved by falling into an apple tree. He made his way on foot to Shrewsbury where he delivered the despatches. The area where he made the jump is known as Major's Leap and is said to be haunted by the Major and his horse.



19th April - The Stiperstones is noted for its tors of quartzite. The principal ones are named as follows, from north-east to south-west:

* Shepherd's Rock (grid reference SO373998)

* Devil's Chair (SO368991)

* Manstone Rock (SO367986)

* Cranberry Rock (SO365981)

* Nipstone Rock (SO365969)

* The Rock (SO351963)

Manstone Rock is the highest of these at 536 metres, and is topped with a trig point. The Devil's Chair is the largest and best known. The Stiperstones ridge is a good place to view the upland landscape of the Shropshire Hills, particularly the Long Mynd to the east, and also gives extensive views towards the North Shropshire plain and the hills of Mid Wales. The small village of Stiperstones lies just under the ridge to the north-west; it has a pub called the Stiperstones Inn. Nearby are the villages of Snailbeach, Minsterley, Ratlinghope and Pontesbury.



The Stiperstones is a National Nature Reserve and in the Shropshire Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It is a haven for wildlife, with birds that are normally associated with upland areas present, including Red Grouse, Eurasian Curlew, Peregrine Falcon and the rare Ring Ouzel.

20th April - Set off from Ashford Carbonell at 0830 and looked at Wroxeter, (or the Roman 'Viroconium') at 0930! This was the fourth largest city (about 5,000 citizens at its peak), in Roman Britain. It began as a legionary fortress and later developed into a thriving city. There's still a lot of it "below ground" but has some impressive 2nd century municipal baths, and a huge wall (the remains of one at least) that separated dividing the baths from the exercise hall.