The next step in my stroll around south Shropshire took place on a quite glorious October Sunday that started misty but soon burned away to reveal a warm sun in a blue sky that the forecast said was set fair for the day.
P1060330 by
Nick Lee, on Flickr
The taxi dropped me off in Bridges around 9:15 - too early for the pub to be open, so I set off uphill from where the views were soon worth pausing for:
P1060358 by
Nick Lee, on Flickr
The road steepened appreciably before turning off to the right with tantalising views of the Stiperstones ridge up to my left. After a while I turned uphill and left the road behind me, climbing through farmland before reaching a stile onto the heather clad National Nature Reserve of the ridge. Immediately beyond the fence I met three farmers trying to get three cows in calf away from their friends and off the hill to a safe and comfortable place in which to give birth. It didn't look to be an easy task.
P1060392 by
Nick Lee, on Flickr
P1060402 by
Nick Lee, on Flickr
Ahead of me lay the Devils Chair - the largest and best known of the quartzite tors that decorate the ridge.
P1060419 by
Nick Lee, on Flickr
For such a beautiful day the ridge was surprisingly quiet and all the better for that. The views to east and west were magnificent but it was those rocky outcrops that most drew the eye:
P1060438 by
Nick Lee, on Flickr
P1060445 by
Nick Lee, on Flickr
Having dropped off the highest part of the ridge and passed through a bit of woodland, I emerged onto another ridge with land falling away to either side and precisely no-one else walking it. This was magnificent walking and I took my time here, drinking in the views and luxuriating in the peace and quiet.
P1060475 by
Nick Lee, on Flickr
P1060480 by
Nick Lee, on Flickr
After a twenty minute lunch break the path descended sharply and I finally met some other walkers as they toiled uphill. They looked jealously at me as the one who had it easy - but I reminded them that I would soon have to regain all of this lost height and was carrying substantially more weight than they were (some of it in my rucksack; most of it around my waist). I'd seen the silhouette of what I assumed to be Linley Beeches on the skyline and knew that these were the spot where my path began its descent to the plains below.
P1060488 by
Nick Lee, on Flickr
The climb to the beeches was a long one - the above photo was taken at the longest extent of my camera's telephoto lens - and tougher than I had anticipated, not helped by losing height on a couple of occasions or by the length of grass through which I had to wade before reaching the trees. These were initially planted in Napoleonic times, although I've seen conflicting stories about why and by whom. The originals may have seen better days - some have been brought down by storm or disease; others are not far from a similar fate - but new ones have been planted and will ultimately grow to replace the 200 year old specimens. It's a truly wonderful place though and I make no apologies for the number of photos:
P1060497 by
Nick Lee, on Flickr
P1060499 by
Nick Lee, on Flickr
P1060500 by
Nick Lee, on Flickr
Of the descent and the farmland to follow, there is little to say. A red kite flew overhead, as did a number of buzzards before they were mobbed by rooks and brought to ground but they were the main highlights. It was pleasant enough walking but lacked something with the magnificence of what had gone before - and for once I was delighted to walk through a caravan park as it gave me the opportunity to replenish my supplies from a tap of drinking water.
Bishops Castle is a charming little town, with some pretty cottages painted in eye-catching designs. If you ignore the two or three buildings in need of a new tenant or of a little TLC, it's a lovely place to end a walk. It had been another terrific day out in a lovely part of the world - only marred by the news that Manchester City had lost their first game of the season - and I drove home with a smile on my face and a sense of anticipation about the next stage of my "adventure" when I head south to the village of Clun.
P1060339 by
Nick Lee, on Flickr
P1060523 by
Nick Lee, on Flickr