En route to Earl's Hill

24 JUNE 2012

Later start this time and our first training walk where we couldn’t set off in our walking boots from home. Thus far we’ve covered fairly familiar ground but today we had to venture into less known territory and find the best route from Stiperstones to Earl’s Hill.

It didn’t quite go as planned, but more of that later.

Set off from Stiperstones car park at 9.15, minus binoculars - first mistake; remember to have a kit list, even for the training walks in future. The weather deteriorated immediately. What is it about Stiperstones and weather? It has its own micro climate which seems without fail bad. Visibility on top was only about 100m. We heard some ravens before we could see them, due to visibility not the fact that they were flying high; four of them spotted just after the summit. Last week we had taken the path back just before Shepherd’s Rock, but this week our quest took us straight over the ridge, a route which surprisingly we have never done before. 

First glimpse of Earl's Hill.

The ubiquitous Wrekin in the distance.

The weather began to clear a bit as we got towards the end of Stiperstones … surprise, surprise, and we got our first glimpse of Earl’s Hill. And views of the Wrekin in the distance; it is remarkable how many places in Shropshire that distinctive shape can be seen. We then turned down what looked like a green ride with holly, hawthorn and rowan. Pleasant but it was in fact a wrong turn. We worked this out as soon as the path started to double back and if we hadn’t turned off, we’d have been on the way back to Shepherd’s Rock.

Confidently striding off, on the wrong path.

Rejoined the proper path at the edge of the National Nature Reserve and then headed downhill and another missed path. (We found out why later.)

Still, keeping close to the edge of Eastridge Woods we found our intended route again - if only for a short while - past Upper Vessons Farm. After a brief coffee and flapjack stop at 11.15, pedometer reading 7.2km. (My flapjacks weren’t quite up to Sue’s standards, being more crispy than chewy.) 

Path alongside Eastridge Woods.

We then checked the map and being unconvinced by the unmarked gate and abandoned caravan at the end of the track, opted for the bridleway on the right. Wrong! This is getting a bit repetitive, but it was another wrong turn. And this time we paid for it by climbing over a stile into ankle-deep mud in a field that had been churned up by some frisky horses. It did say it was a bridleway after all.

After clambering up the muddy slope we came out at a farm which a discarded sign told us was Lower Vessons. A detour but at least we could work out where we were and follow the track and then up the lane to Habberley. 

Looking happy but ankle-deep in squelch.

We christened it Honeysuckle lane as there was a stunning hedgerow which included a wide variety of species. In just a few yards Sue identified field maple, hazel, holly, blackthorn, oak, dog rose, elder, black bryony, hawthorn, possibly whitebeam and even some fuschia. It was reminiscent of a summer a long time ago when she was doing hedgerow surveys for her dissertation. In fact I think we are still wearing the same boots!

The frisky horses come to have a look.

Honeysuckle everywhere.

Just before we reached Habberley we spotted the end of the path we had been intending to take from Upper Vessons Farm. Decision time. It was now 12.20 and we had only covered 10.6km and still had Earl’s Hill to do and a lot more paths to find, or not, on the return. So we opted to retrace our steps instead so that we could find out where the pesky path was and at least learn one section rather than risk getting lost all day.

Confidently striding again, but no footpath to be seen.

Maybe it's that way ...

It turned out to be a good decision, although not immediately. The first section of path ended in a newly sown field of corn with no discernible footpath whatsoever. We tried to conjure up some hidden country lore and decided that the two oak trees in the middle of the field probably represented former field boundaries before it was widened, and so that must surely be where the path goes. Not quite.

After a fruitless circuit of two fields and catching a strong whiff of wild garlic, we found ourselves - back on the lane to Habberley! Full circle. We are clearly not going to qualify for our orienteering badges today.

Another decision-time. It was now 12.50 and we had covered only 12.2 km

The signposted lane to the cycle tracks at Eastridge woods looked promising. A bit of a slog up the hill but eventually we reached the woods and then took the lane at the edge, mainly to avoid any rogue mountain bikes as the car park was jam-packed with transit vans and trailers of bike groups.

So that's where we should have gone after all.

Looking for a dry spot to have lunch we plonked down at the end of the woods, intending to veer right and across to Snailbeach. And lo and behold, the abandoned caravan and unmarked gate! Back where we (should) have started! So quick lunch at 1.15pm, 13.6km and then decided to go for a complete retracing of steps to nail the route once and for all.

The farmer at Upper Vessons enquired after our health and then followed us on his quad bike but we did manage to find the missing link back up to Stiperstones. The end of the path that we had missed earlier had a fine post to mark it but the footpath sign was for some reason missing, which is why we had walked past it. In fact it lines up perfectly with Earl’s Hill so you just need to keep going straight. I think we will be able to spot it easily next time, maybe even in the dark. Reached 14.95 km here.

A final look back at Earl's Hill, now left for another day.

Ragged robin by the path.

Just after the gate onto Shropshire Wildlife Trust land, we spotted a lone red kite. No binoculars of course but it was fairly distinctive even at a distance. Wasn’t aware that they are found here. Ragged robin growing beside the path and then we found the final missing link, the first missed path from the morning, just before reaching the squatter cottages at Blakemoorgate. 

Sheep glowing in the undergrowth.

Squatter cottage at Blakemoorgate.

The other restored squatter cottage.

There are two restored cottages which are open on certain weekends and probably worth a return visit. Interesting site. Apparently there was a belief, although not backed by law, that if you could build a cottage overnight and have smoke coming out of the chimney by morning, you could stay there. And the land around could be cultivated for the distance of an axe-throw at four corners. The cottages were only finally abandoned in the 1950s. Difficult to imagine life up here which would have been pretty harsh, with the day job down the lead mine at Snailbeach providing little respite.

Cotton grass in flower.

Devil's chair at Stiperstones.

View back along path, the way we should have gone earlier.

More flora spotted on the moor with cotton grass in flower amidst the heather and whinberry.

We returned along the side of Stiperstones with a pleasant walk through Gatten Plantation. Never seen this area of Stiperstones before and it is clearly well geared for the less able with a level path from the car park and resting spots and benches placed along the way. 

Constable-like view across the valley.

Felled conifer stumps resembling a graveyard.

Remains of the former conifer plantation were very evident with the pale coloured stumps looking like a graveyard from a distance. As we reached the car park we spotted a couple of the Exmoor ponies and what we presume were the black Hebridean sheep on the slopes; apparently they have been imported to keep the scrub at bay and let the heather take hold in the wake of the felling of the conifers in the late 1990s.

Final tally was 21.1km at 3.52pm. Not quite the walk we had intended, but at least we now know a good route to Habberley which is a good deal straighter than the meandering route we took.

Celebratory pint and a half at Bridges.