Long Mynd

I am settled in Long Mynd House for an HF Holiday, my eighth I believe. It was an easy flight from Belfast to Birmingham, then a train to Shrewsbury and a second train to Church Stretton, the town above which Long Mynd House sits.

On the first hiking day, a Saturday, I did the #2 walk, 8.5 miles with 1,450 gain. Below is Townbrook Valley, which we hiked up to reach Long Mynd ridge.

We headed south along the ridge and were treated to two unexpected sights, horses and a glider plane. There are moor ponies up on the ridge and some foals. None of my photos of them were any good. My main impression of the gentle Shropshire hills is of how dry they are. My goodness. Ireland remains green despite no rain in a few weeks. But there is a longer drought in place here.

We then headed down to Minton, where I saw hollyhocks!

Some of these houses date to 14th to 16th centuries. The roofs slope, the walls bulge and sag. Nothing plumb. But the ancient timbers amazingly holding it all together.

We had a pint in Little Stretton before hiking back to the house.

The company is, as always, very interesting. Two Dutch sisters. A German couple. An 80-year-old Scottish woman who rented one of the cottages and has her dog with her. They are Meg and Peg. Eleven women from a rambling club in Dorset. A lovely couple from the Wirral, near Liverpool. A real character from London.

We watched England defeat France quite handily for third place in the World Cup.

18 July