Wenlock Priory Visit

After the Wrekin walk it was still only early afternoon. We aren't accustomed to early morning starts as a rule. As an alternative to the pub we paid a visit to Much Wenlock some twelve miles away to combine a couple of pints with the Priory visit.  

Kitted out with those 'listening in type jigger things' ( audio history commentary) I believe is the correct terminology, we are off and running. There is a a definite tranquil feel about Wenlock Priory. The sun has come out and it is a beautiful setting. I suppose I should give you a little history about it really.  

An Anglo-Saxon monastery was founded here in about 680 by King Merewalh of Mercia, whose abbess daughter Milburge was hailed as a saint. Her relics were miraculously re-discovered here in 1101, attracting both pilgrims and prosperity to the priory.

The monastery church was rebuilt between the late 12th and mid 13th-Centuries. The monastery was dissolved on January 26th 1540 courtesy of King Henry VIII, one of the most revolutionary events in English history. 

Norman chapter house, built around 1140 as the "business" centre of the monastery, where the monks and the prior met each morning to discuss affairs, and administer punishments for disobedience. you can still see much of its elaborate stone carving, with interlocking round arches on multiple carved columns. 

 

The Cloister Garden is a calming  place, packed with topiary carvings and a cottage garden.    

 

The lavabo was used by monks to wash their hands before eating, it was built in 1220 and includes some of an earlier lavabo from around 1160-1180 including carved panels. The panel in the left picture shows John with his hand on his chin with another unknown apostle. A a sort of communal washing fountain, built in the middle of the 12th century.

It has been a fascinating visit particularly on such a calm and  sunny afternoon. A place where I feel I could sit for hours, just taking in the splendour of how it once must have looked.

There is still time to take a wander up into Much Wenlock and enjoy the sights of the picturesque market town. Some great old shops too, including a bookshop where I picked up a missing 'Arnaldur Indriðason' for my collection. I'm a huge fan of the Icelandic Author. A couple of pints at the Talbot Inn went down particularly well too !

Sadly it is time to move on to pastures new. We have to find a new place to camp ahead of tomorrow's adventure of course.We are heading off in the direction of Ironbridge, on the bank of the River Severn. 

 

 

'The Wrekin' Walk and Wild Camp

My first night of wild camping for many a year. Probably since the Duke of Edinburgh Awards times back in the mid to late 80's! Exciting stuff, and really looking forward to climbing up  'The Wrekin' again after a gap of around 30 years or more. 

Parked up in a very smart residential area, next to the Wrekin Golf close to midnight, we made our foray into the woods. Upon finding a suitable flat area way from the footpath we returned to the car to collect our gear. Not looking the least bit suspicious, loaded up with Rucksacks and disappearing once again into the woods.

With nothing but the constant drone of the nearby M54 Flyover we settled down for hopefully a restful sleep.

I'm sorry to report that the sleep didn't live up to the expectations.... Short bursts only, the traffic noise didn't help. I just couldn't get comfortable and the rucksack was no substitute for my pillow at home. To top it all we were rudely awakened by three Chocolate Labradors just after 6 AM. One of whom,I believe went by the name 'Shnozzle' insisted on coming into the tent. In a light drizzle we set off into 'Ercall Woods,' The Little sister to the famous Wrekin and  the start of the journey. Thanks to the construction of the M54 the quarry has revealed layers of rock formations from more than 500 million years ago.

As you can see from the signpost, choices are limited when climbing 'The Wrekin'. Actually a well defined path / track leads up to the  407 metres (1,335 feet)  summit. Strangely it is not the highest hill in Shropshire. The hill is a whale back shape and when seen from the north-west, and south-east  it is a long gentle looking hill. It is made of volcanic rock , but contrary to opinion is not a volcano.

We pass the now deserted 'Half Way House', approximately half way up. A former Hunting Lodge has been a popular stopping off point for Wrekin ramblers with a café  for those looking for a refuel and a stop to enjoy the views and recover. 

Unfortunately the company that ran the business ceased trading in 2021.

A high power TV-Transmitter covers an extensive area of this region of the West Midlands.

The weather has brightened a little and the views at the top are stunning! The Black Mountains and the Brecon Beacons can be seen in South Wales.

To the eastern side are the Pennines and Cannock Chase. South east and to the south are the Malvern Hills in Worcestershire along with The Cotswolds over in Gloucestershire. 

Whichever way you look you can't fail to be impressed! Something very special and awakening being at altitude.

The descent is even harder than the climb up.. Really tough on the knees with the ground being so dry.  A couple of times I stumble, thankfully there are trees to grab hold of.  

It is re-assuring to be back down at ground level again! So much so that we miss the path for the second part of the walk. After a bit of back tracking we are back on course.

We are completing the 'circle' of 'The Wrekin' on the lower slopes. Less spectacular but more forgiving at least. 

There are many tales and legends surrounding this famous old hill. They range from the Devil, Giants and even a Mermaid. I will let you research those in your own time though. 

 

Some of the trees are already starting to lose their leaves and it is only mid August. The Horse Chestnuts are always the first to go. With it being a really dry Summer hasn't helped and the dry leaves will soon all be falling. From the photo above you may just be able to make out the 'Halfway House' on the right hand side. Also the transmission tower at the top left. 

I can't resist posting another photo from near the summit. This one shows 'Archie' in the foreground. At 12 years of age he shows no sign of slowing down. Managing the 11.05 walk with ease. In fact I think he deserves a picture of his own!

Sheringham Park Circular Walk via Weybourne

Where better to be than at the coast when in the middle of a heatwave. With temperatures hitting the 30 degree mark back home, the cooling Norfolk coast is definitely the place for an extended Birthday trip away. We had already completed a nice walk to Salthouse the previous day. Today we will be hitting the coast and beach a bit further along at Weybourne.   

Our walk today starts from the visitor centre at Sheringham Park. The personal favourite of its designer, Humphry Repton.Designed in 1812 it is famous for its vast collection of Rhododendrons and Azaleas.

There are 1000 acres of varying habitat including woodland, parkland and cliff top. Look out for wildlife, 3 species of deer can be seen alongside a wide variety of birds and butterflies.

We walk past 'The Bower' garden an area of discovery. We are following the 'Red Arrows' path between the Rhododendrons in a downhill direction towards Weybourne Station. There is some welcome shade from the heat under the trees. It is easy walking and really rather pleasant.

Leaving the woods the station comes into view on our left. We need to cross the railway bridge to get to the next part of the walk. We have been to Weybourne Station before and it is a fantastic place to visit. I have written about in more detail in a previous blog post. It is so hot we sit on the platform for a while to get some shade. The Waiting Room layout is very much like the one in The Ghost Train' theatre production I have recently been part of!

Moving on we exit via the station car park following the footpath towards the sea. 

When the Station was first designed the Weybourne villagers protested about the noise and dust it would bring .

The plan was then changed to locate the Station out of the village at the top of the hill.

We pass the Ship Inn in Weybourne Village and managed to resist temptation not to have a pint. Instead opting to park ourselves on the pebble beach for a few hours of sun and swimming!  

The Beach at Weybourne

Maybe it was too much sun, or the seawater had corroded my brain?Whatever it was we set off inland instead of following the coastal path. Realising the error we backtracked across a field, that look like an official footpath. We realised it wasn't when a Landrover pulled up and a Farmer asked if we were looking to be shot? Not a question I'm often asked even in Northampton to be fair. After explaining we were looking for the coastal path he informed us that there were marskmen dotted around the field shooting Pigeons. He pointed us in the right direction and we hurried off. We never did see or hear any firing , or a Pigeon for that matter.  

 

We continued along the coastal path turning right over the Railway Bridge inland at the correct point. Sadly we just missed a steam train so there is only a picture of the track. 

We crossed the busy road to get back to the Sheringham Park Estate. Once again there is a mixture of woodland and fields to cross. The next point of interest is 'The Gazebo' .A viewing platform hidden away in the middle of a wood. They say that it is the best view in Norfolk!  So it should be after climbing some 120 steep wooden steps to even get to it. You then have to climb to the top of a 'Helter-Skelter' looking framework to reach a viewing platform. The views from the top are absolutely worth the effort. You are up with the birds at tree top level looking out over fields towards the North Norfolk sandy coastline. It really is an awesome thing to do.

  

In the distance you you can just about see 'The Temple'. A neoclassical domed temple in Greek style, standing resplendent above Sheringham Hall on the hill.

Repton did not design the Temple, though his initial proposal called for a similar temple in a different part of the garden. 

Though it looks original, the Temple was added by the Puncher family in the 1970s. We are on the homeward leg of the walk now. It is just a case of following the red markers back towards the car park. 

It has been a fantastic walk, coming in at 8.30 miles in total.

The Wistow Maze

A little trip over the border into lets just call it 'Tiger Country'. We are in the rural hamlet of Wistow, seven miles south-east of Leicester. A place that I have known about for a long time, but never got over to visit. 

Each Summer Diana Brooks from Wistow Maze does an interview on Radio Northampton. Each year there is a different theme to the layout of the maze.  

 

To mark the Queen's Platinum Jubilee, this year the maze has been designed in the shape of the 'Coronation Crown'. The Maze is set in 8 acres of living maize and sunflower crop. It is another beautiful sunny day as we prepare to start the adventure!  

After a quick brief we are off and in search of clues. Did I forget to mention that we had a Quiz trail to follow and solve the clues all relating to innovations during the Queens reign. There are 12 quiz boards hidden amongst the 3 miles of paths, with high level bridges and viewing towers giving stunning panoramic views. There are also numbered signs across the giant Maze helping you to identify where you are. Being competitive I had to find these as well of course...

'I don't think we need the map do we' my wife said! That was our first mistake... After about 45 minutes of 'headless chicken' wandering around we realised that we very much did need the map.'It's much easier with the map isn't'  she was later heard to say. 

Gradually we started to solve a few clues on the Quiz answer sheet. Looks like a bit of competition too..  Lots of family groups young and old all having a great time in the sun. It is great fun too, as an Eco-therapist I can see so many benefits of being outside in nature. The crucial pollinators such as Bees are having a good time too gathering the plentiful pollen from the many Sunflowers.      

We are surrounded by some glorious countryside and the maize is taller than I am. The recent hot spell doesn't seem to have slowed it down at all.We take a break to have our picnic and a well earned drink. Using the map we have got most of the clues now and got the hang of using the map. I'm much happier with an 'Old fashioned Ordnance Survey map in my hand to be honest. Once everything on the map is finally ticked off we call it a day and submit the competition entry. It has been good fun for sure. 'Amazeing' you might even say...

The first Maze was constructed back in 2004 and was of a Space Rocket theme. Once a theme has been chosen a lot of careful planning takes place using GPS, Satellites and a local base station. 

I don't fully understand the technicalities but every path, curve and gap in the maze design is accurately plotted across the whole field. It's all very clever! The maize and sunflower seed is drilled in early May and germinates within 2 weeks.

 

 

Looking back at all 18 designs since 2004 I think my favourite would probably be the 2017 Sherlock Holmes theme.

Just enough time left for a cup of tea, and to check out what is happening over the road at the Rural Centre .