|
I realised that it was the potato harvesting
season as I looked to overtake a fourth tractor towing a trailer
full of them. The A417 and A49 are not conducive to overtaking,
so I arrived at the campsite frustrated and later than planned.
Still, it was early enough to get my tent up, enjoy a cup of tea
and admire the superb view before first, Maureen and Phil, then
Caroline and Clive arrived. It appeared that they had also fallen
foul of the traffic. That evening we met Mike in the Buck's Head
for a meal and a briefing on the following day's walk.
 On
the Friday Clive led us on a 13-mile walk from Knighton up onto
the Offa's Dyke Path
and onto Knucklas via the Jack Mytton Way. Although the walking
was good, we walked with our heads in the clouds, quite literally.
However, the sun did come out at Knucklas but, unfortunately,
so did Clive's day-glo orange t-shirt; a "bargain" from
the US that he found on the Internet. Somewhat dazzled, we continued
along various small paths back to the cars, without any fear of
losing our leader! Once again we ate in the Buck's Head where
we met up with the rest of the group.
 The
following morning saw us gather in the car park in Carding
Mill Valley, for an 11-mile walk. Ahead of us was a long steady
climb up to, and along the top of, the Long Mynd.
I was surprised at just how much wild countryside there was in
the area with the tops covered in bracken and heather. It is as
good as the Brecon Beacons but not so big, which is probably why
it is not a National Park. We walked down to Little Stretton,
then climbed up Ragleth Hill, and thence back to Church Stretton
for a superb cream tea in a place found by Caroline, the Hollybush
Cafe. Unfortunately, Caroline couldn't walk very far due to an
ankle injury, but she proved very useful in finding all the best
teashops, greatly assisted by sympathetic bus drivers who took
pity on her with her expertly manipulated crutches. In the evening,
the Buck's Head hid us away in a separate room in the restaurant
where we had another good meal.
 Sunday
was by far the best day weather-wise, providing good views of
the whole of the area. After a perilous drive over the Long
Mynd, we did a circular 8-mile walk taking in the Stiperstones,
which were a delight and the highlight of the walk. The Stiperstones
are rocks sticking out of the top of the hill, rather like the
Tors on Dartmoor. However here they formed a long low ridge, which
is a very nice scramble; I thoroughly enjoyed it but some opted
to walk round.
After the walk, we all made our way home. For
us campers it was a return to the campsite to pack away the tents,
and enjoy a cuppa and another piece of Maureen's wonderful cake
before the arduous journey home.
Ted
October 2005
|
