Back on the stones

1/12/12

Our first return to Stiperstones since the Long Mynd Hike was a walk with the Shropshire Wildlife Trust as part of their 50th anniversary celebrations. Led by Jan McKelvie, the walk went over Stiperstones and through two of the trust’s reserves, Brook Vessons and The Hollies.

As we had passed this way lots of times we were keen for a chance to actually find out where the reserves were, although we realised that we had been within yards of one of them on many occasions.

Jan and her colleagues stopped to provide information along the way, including the very helpful identification of red grouse poo. The stones were as hard-going as usual, although I am not sure that the suggestion from one of the group that there should be a ‘proper path’ with tarmac or concrete is likely to get much support.

The path diverted near Shepherd’s Rock down towards Brook Vessons. This was a very muddy stretch on the remnants of an old track which leads to a ruin of one of the former squatter cottages. The area was a thriving little community when mining was prevalent with the workers making the daily trek across the hill and down to Snailbeach. The trust has identified lots of ‘veteran trees’ (a new term for me) and wants to preserve them, even though they might not be the ‘natural vegetation’ here. A path leads up from here back to the path from Stiperstones and emerges at the back of the Blakemoorgate cottages that have been restored. 

Blakemoorgate.

We had lunch in the shelter of the cottages as the group had keys and it gave us a chance to have a look inside both restored buildings. 

Second restored cottage at Blakemoorgate

Next stop was The Hollies which is in fact just along the path before the track down to Upper Vessons Farm and Eastridge that we knew well from the Hike. This is one of the trust’s most recent acquisitions and includes several hundred ancient trees. It is believed they were planted to provide winter feed for livestock. A prickly snack perhaps but the upper leaves are much less spiky apparently and as an evergreen, they provided a good winter food source.

The Hollies.

The trust is in the process of inspecting and tagging all the trees and has fenced some to prevent the sheep nibbling the bark. Another new concept for us was ‘cuckoo trees’, where rowans grow within a holly and eventually split it apart. The rowan is not long-lived however, as reserves manager Carl explained, and the holly eventually recovers and regrows from the base. He pointed out a good example of a ‘cuckoo’.

Lord's Hill Chapel.

We then headed on the path down to Snailbeach and stopped briefly at the Lords Hill Chapel, which features as the vicar’s home, God’s Little Mountain, in Mary Webb’s Gone to Earth.

The final stop was Snailbeach mine where the volunteers had put on tea and Christmas cake before the minibus ride back to the start at The Knolls car park.

View across to Wales with snow-capped Berwyns in distance.

On the way down to Snailbeach.