Today, the weather Gods smiled upon us! When we woke and looked out on the world (well, the Long Mynd) we saw clear blue skies and sunshine, with visibility clear for several miles. It wasn’t a day to waste, so as soon as we’d scoffed some toast washed down with coffee we donned our walking gear and headed down into Church Stretton. After a brief stop to pick up some goodies from Steele’s family bakery (their chocolate brownie is excellent, as is the fruit flapjack) we headed up to the Burway before striking off across country to follow the town brook path uphill.
Not a place you want to get trapped on in winter.The town brook burbles adjacent to the footpath towards Long Synalds – on the lower sections anyway, after that, the footpath begins to gain height. – as this view shows! Here, we’re looking back towards Church Stretton with Caer Caradoc on the horizon and the Devil’s Mouth in the mid-distance. Having made it up to 425 meters we swung round to the South side of Townbrook valley in order to get to look back over the valley and towards the North. Looking back down over Church Stretton with Caer Caradoc to the left. One of the ‘wild’ horses that can be found wandering the Long Mynd. They’re not actually wild, but the area is common grazing land.Looking West across Yearlet towards Long Synalds. This time of year the colours are amazing as all the bracken is dying back. Dawn atop Ashlet just before we began our descent to Ashes Hollow and the footpath towards Little Stretton. What a contrast in weather, we’d have been in cloud level with zero visibility if we’d been up here over the past few days! Considering it’s nearly mid November temperatures were a balmy 12 degrees, with very little wind. Almost there! We’ve followed Ashes Hollow and the stream to the edge of Little Stretton. This house is the first sign of human habitation, but still within the area managed by the National Trust.
Having been walking for several hours we made a welcome pitstop at the Green Dragon pub. This friendly little pub serves a good selection of real ales and decent ‘pub grub’. I treated myself to the scampi (because it’s not something I’d cook at home) whilst Dawn plumped for the fish and chips.
Scampi, chips and peas with Tartare sauce. I felt I’d earned it!
Fed and watered, we continued our walk back into Church Stretton and home via another pitstop in our ‘local’ the Kings Arms. Now we’re back at the ranch, relaxing and wondering what tomorrow will bring. This Shropshire sojourn is coming to an end, we leave in the morning to head back to West Yorkshire, but the weather forecast is promising torrential rain for most of the journey – bar a small window in the morning that we may be able to make the most of en-route. Let’s see what happens…
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We knew the weather forecast had predicted wet weather today, so we were in no hurry to rush out of the house this morning. Even so, I was up not long after 07:30 in order to throw back the curtains and greet the day. It scowled back, making me wish I hadn’t bothered! This is how the view across to the Long Mynd looked.
I’d had half and idea to wander down into the village to get pictures of passing trains but driving rain make me think twice and the idea of staying in the warm and dry seemed much more attractive. So, whilst Dawn was at her toilette, I prepared porage with coconut flakes, fresh blueberries, sultanas and served with honey. After all, it was the weather for comfort food!
We’d planned to catch the 11:30 train down to Ludlow in order to spend a few hours exploring the town but the weather was so crap we decided to take the car instead as that way we’d have some flexibility. It turned out to be a wise decision.
The journey down along the A49 wasn’t too bad apart from heavy traffic and HGVs – hardly ideal on a road where the verges were beginning to resemble linear ponds. That said we made it into town just as the rain eased, which made our explorations easier – although conditions meant my camera stayed in its bag for most of the day. Rather than sightseeing we ended up shopping – a pastime neither of us are particularly fond of – but Ludlow possesses a branch of one of our ‘go to’ clothes shops, ‘Fatface’, so that’s our Xmas presents sorted then! As our purchases came in paper bags we were rather limited after that, who wants soggy bags spilling their contents all over the road? We decided to cut our wandering short and plumped for lunch instead, visiting a place we’d eaten at earlier in the year, Kin Kitchen. where we both plumped for the same thing – the fish platter.
Having eaten, and with the rain renewing its onslaught we dropped off our purchases in the car before heading to the Ludlow Brewing Co, whose brewery is located in an old railway goods shed adjacent to the station. The interior’s very modern and their range of beers excellent. The modernity’s contrasted by two amazing models of the old Ludlow town halls (both now demolished). The Victorian version lasted for just 100 years. It was flattened with indecent (and suspicious) haste in 1986. From descriptions it sounded like an amazing space, which had covered market on the ground floor but a spung dancefloor above. It had survived it would have been a real asset, compared to the sad market that exists today, where a few temporary stalls huddle together, looking rather lost amongst the fine buildings surrounding them.
Here’s a couple of shots from the pub;
The model of the Victorian town hall.
Whilst we were visiting I did manage a couple of railway shots. Locomotive-hauled services have disappeared across most of the UK nowadays but this line sees several such services operating between Cardiff to Holyhead and Manchester, using cast-off intercity coaches and hired-in locomotives that were built to haul 125mph mail trains.
67010 propels 1W57, the 10:53 Cardiff Central to Manchester Piccadilly out of Ludlow station, past the Ludlow Brewing Co on the left.
Oh, there’s another trick to these loco-hauled services. Some of them offer fine dining! They carry an onboard chef who prepares gorgeous 3-course meals on board. Watch out for a blog about this in the future.
As the rain was relentless we decided to cut our losses and head home to have a quiet night at Bigland Towers in exile, enjoying some home cooking with creature comforts. Tomorrow’s our last full day her and the forecast looks very different to what we’ve seen so far. We’re planning to stay local and maybe get a walk in – depending on conditions. We need to make the most of it before we head back on Friday when we have a yellow weather warning for (yet more) rain.
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The view from our accommodation when I threw back the curtains at 07:15. The Long Mynd is up there in the clouds somewhere! I wandered down to Church Stretton station for an hour in-between showers, where I managed a couple of pictures. Here’s a Transport for Wales service from Cardiff en-route to Manchester Piccadilly via Shrewsbury. A pair of the old BR built Class 153s were working a Shrewsbury to Swansea service via the Heart of Wales line. 153382 led 153352 South of the station past autumnal colours. By the early afternoon we’d decided to abandon soggy Stretton for the delights of Shrewsbury. The weather wasn’t any better, but there were far more places to explore or seek refuge in! This Cardiff-Manchester service did the honours. Ironically (having returned from Manchester) the same set took us back to Stretton several hours later!Shrewsbury’s replete with history, but you need to keep your eyes open, otherwise you’d miss plaques like this one on Fish St. Half-timbered Tudor era buildings are ten a penny in Shrewsbury. Here’s one that’s had a lot of TLC – the 15th century Henry Tudor Inn, located in Barracks Passage. Rather than being rammed with identikit food and other outlets Shrewsbury has lots of independent shops, like this craft bakery.There’s lots of old shop fronts which display goodies like this. Here’s Appleyards on Wyle Cop, opposite Shrewsbury Orthodox Church.
By later afternoon we’d had enough of dodging the rain so caught the train back to Church Stretton where we had time for a drink in the Kings Arms before adjourning to have acelebratory meal at Sawaddee Thai Restaurant in the Square. It was our wedding anniversary after all! Sawaddee is a cosy (around 30 seat) family run restaurant. The food was very good and not just spiced for English palates. We shared a Thai fishcake starter, then Dawn had the Paenang curry whilst I had the hotter Jungle curry (both with chicken). The mains were £9.95 and really tasty. We also split a coconut rice between us.
Thai fishcakes with dipping saucesJungle curryPaenang curry.
The chili rating on the bottom of the menu made us both chuckle!
Now we’re kicking back at our accommodation. Tomorrow’s weather’s not expected to be up to much, so the plan is to catch the train to Ludlow and enjoy wandering the town. Watch this space…
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After a hectic week and weekend which has seen me up to my neck in judging stations and photographs for the 2026 Community Rail Awards we’ve breezed into a new week which sees the pair of us taking some time off. It’s our wedding anniversary on Tuesday so we thought we’d get away for a few days. We’d planned to visit Rome, but neither of us had time to plan things the way we’d have liked, so we’ve opted for plan B by returning to somewhere we know well – which means we can relax. Instead of the eternal city we’re heading back to Shropshire to spend time in Church Stretton and the Shropshire hills AONB – somewhere far less built up and chaotic! But first, we’ve got to get there…
Church Stretton seen from the Long Mynd during our visit in October 2021. Hopefully we’ll be able to get to walk places like this again, but the weather forecast doesn’t look too promising, so it’s time to pack the waterproofs!
14:00.
We’re on our way! We had a few chores to finish before we departed so we didn’t leave Halifax until 12:30. Right now we’re on a busy M53 heading towards Chester after traversing the M62 and M6 – which were chokka with traffic – and wet, which added to the fun!
Now the skies are clearing…
16:10.
We resisted the temptation to stop en-route, which has meant we’re now settled into our home from home here in Church Stretton. We stayed in the same place in April and loved it so much we promised ourselves we’d return. Here’s Bigland Towers in exile.
The 1st floor living room has a view looking acoss to the Long Mynd.Looking in the opposite direction towards the kitchen and bedroom.Our hosts left us a welcoming treat – and there’s even a couple of real ales in the fridge!
20:10.
And relax! Having established ourselves in our new surrounds it was time to walk into town in order to explore, pick up some shopping – and stop for a drink in our favorite pub, the Kings Arms.
Wooden beams aplenty. The pub is an old gem – but the narrow frontage belies just how big it is inside.The pub is run by Joules, a brewey based in Market Drayton, here’s a selection of the real ales on offer.
The pub also serves food, which seems very popular. We were tempted by the battered onion rings which turned out to be fish-flavoured as they’d been fried in the same oil as previous foods. It certainly made for an ‘interesting’ combination of flavours!
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Having had my birthday treat postponed due to ‘events’ we’re making up for it today with a return trip to Chester, only this time by train. We’re also adding Manchester to the mix to split the day between the two. The plan’s to enjoy an amble around Chester and its walls, then a spot of brunch and a pint before heading back East to Manchester for another amble and drinks before adjourning to a lovely Indian eatery this evening.
Right now, we’re aboard Northern’s 09:20 from Sowerby Bridge which runs direct to Chester. Today it’s worked by a pair of 2-car Class 195/0s, so there’s plenty of available seats and we’ve managed to bag a table behind the driver’s cab. Dee’s got her book and I’ve the ‘mobile office’ so all’s well. The weather’s playing ball too, as it’s surprisingly mild – if a little damp.
Time to leave…
We’re already West of Manchester Victoria, which is where most passengers decamped. Only a handful joined to replace them, leaving around half a dozen in this front car.
10:55.
This train didn’t stay empty for long! After stopping at Newton-le-Willows, Earlestown and Warrington Bank Quay we’re around 80% full with a real mix of travellers of all ages heading for or next and final stop – Chester. The weather’s picking up too, with high, thin cloud and glimpses of blue sky. Not a bad day for a wander at all…
17:00.
We’re now on our way to Manchester after exploring old haunts and new in Chester. This time we’re aboard the 16:28 which (as it’s only a 2-car) is rammed. Chester was lovely, on leaving the station we walked down to the Shropshire Union cabal which we followed West under the shadow of the city walls to the csnal basin and junction with the spur to the river Dee. You pass through a cutting hewn from solid rock which still bears the scars of the primitive tools of the time. It must have been a hell of an undertaking when the most sophisticated tool you had at your disposal was gunpowder.
After a walk around the cabal we climbed up onto the walls to head into town in search of sustenance. Ignoring ‘influencers’ and other social media sirens we picked where we fancied to old fashioned way by peering in the window and reading the menus outside. As we both enjoy tapas we we chose Salt House on Bridge St (links later). This proved to be a wise move. We arrived at noon when it was empty. When we left 90 mins later there wasn’t a seat spare!
Salt House is a sympathetic refurbishment of an old building with some nice touches (check out the tiling on the bar).Chicken skewers (recipe later).
To be continued…
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There’s been another quiet day here at Bigland Towers and in the Calder valley. I’ve spent most of it working from home, having had the place to myself whilst Dee’s been over at her parents to sort out the aftermath of the car accident.
Mind you, the weather here this morning was spectacularly awful, with high winds and driving rain, so being cocooned in the cottage was ideal. This afternoon, the weather changed. We had a spell of glorious sunshine and clear skies, so I thought I’d nip out with the camera to get shots of the railway crossing the Copley viaduct surrounded by trees in their autumnal colours. Only it didn’t quite work out that way. By the time I got down to the river the weather had changed again, with leaden skies and rain heading my way. However, I did find Network Rail contractors who’d been busy clearing trees along the embankment of the line to Greetland. This has opened up a couple of new photo locations, with more in the offing as the work is continuing.
I made my way up the other side of the valley through a lovely green tunnel which has formed over an old sunken track. Then, sheltering from a sudden downpour under some Oak trees, I surveyed the valley. Here’s the results.
The green tunnel, and old track which is slowly being reclaimed by nature. A train bound for Halifax passes the site where contractors have denuded the embankment of trees to open up this view which has been hidden for decades. In the background is a modern housing estate which has been built between the River Calder and the canal. The same train crossing the Copley viaduct, surrounded by trees which are slowly gaining their autumnal finery. The widest arch to the right is where the railway crosses the Calder and Hebble Navigation (canal).
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It’s Saturday here in Bigland Towers and the pair of have been having a relaxed Saturday at home. Dee returned from darkest Lincolnshire yesterday, whilst I spent Friday editing the pictures from the previous day’s outing.
The weather here in the Calder valley’s starting to get a real nip in the air as the Mercury’s dropped several degrees in the past couple of days. It’s time to put the central heating on and dig out the winter woolies, although (thankfully) I’ve only had to use the new waterproof that Dawn’s bought me as a birthday present once. My actual birthday isn’t until next week, but hey – what’s the point of a waterproof if you can’t use it when you need it?
Today, the weather’s been cold but mostly sunny, ideal for walking, although as we’d had a late morning our perambulations were local at best. Still, the woodlands where we live are packed with autumnal colours right now, so that’s no hardship – and at least I didn’t slip and go arse over tit the way I did on Friday (note to self, walking in woodland whilst staring at your smartphone is a dumb idea).
Having popped into our local pub for a drink and a giggle with the bar staff we picked up some shopping before settling in for a quiet night at home. I’d batch-cooked a chicken Korma on Friday, which has fed us for the past two days as well as helped stock the freezer, so tonight’s been very relaxed. Tomorrow the plan’s to get out and explore, going walking somewhere, although we’ve not decided where yet. Watch this space.
In the meantime, here’s a couple of diverse pictures from the past couple of days. When I cook, I like to prepare and lay out everything I need in advance.
The ingredients of a Korma. Chicken, onions, chopped tomatoes, creamed coconut, Garlic, Turmeric, ground Coriander, Garam Masala and plain yoghurt. Easy to make – and far tastier and healthier than prepared cook-in sauces from a jar. This recipe was given to me by Meena, an Indian friend from London many, many years ago – and it’s become a firm favourite in our house.
On Thursday I had the tripod with me, so I played around with long exposure shots in the city centre. Here’s one of the results.
Tram and bus blurs in Piccadilly Gardens
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I’ve a small favour to ask… If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website – https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/
Having spent the past few days cooped up at home it’s time to get out and about for a while. Dawn’s got a couple of days away from work and is heading over to a friend’s caravan in Lincolnshire until tomorrow, so I’ve time to myself. The weather’s still not brilliant, but I’ve a mind to get a few night shots in Manchester, so if it rains this evening that’s actually a bonus as wet streets reflect the light and add another dimension to pictures.
To that end, I’m on Northern’s 12:02 from Sowerby Bridge to Wigan Wallgate which is worked by a 3-car Class 158. This trains reasonably busy for a midday service, with a mix of students, families and solo travellers either heading to the city or out to enjoy the countryside. The weather’s picked up too. We’ve chunks of blue sky and sunshine which is showing the Calder valley at its autumnal finest.
Ready, steady, go…
13:25.
Fo once, the weather West of the Pennines closely matched that of the East. That said, if you want rain, it’s one of the things Manchester is famous for, so I may be lucky later. My stay in the city was brief as I found out that an unusual train which I’d yet to photograph was in service today. Northern has a fleet of bi-mode Class 769s (converted from Class 319s) which normally run Southport to Stalybridge/ManchesterI Oxford Rd. Right now, the fleet is being supplemented by two ex- Transport for Wales 769s, which run as required. One is out today, (769452) so it would have been rude not to – especially as it was running to Southport just behind my service! I’m on it now.
Apart from obvious differences like the livery (it’s still in TfW colours), there’s revised seating and different USB sockets. Oh, and there’s a bell, not a buzzer in the cab for Conductor to Driver signalling. I can’t remember if this was a feature original to the Class 319s. There’s other differences too. The Northern sets retain the old 1st class seating area which has been stripped out of the TfW units.
14:15.
I may have to retitle this blog as I’m now on my way to the coast! The weather’s brighter so I thought a flying visit to get a few more shots of this unit was in order. Plus, I’ve not travelled back to the town I grew up in by rail for a while…
14:50.
Here we are in Southport. Briefly, anyway. I’ve time to nip up to an old haunt – the Virginia St footbridge – to get shots of the train leaving at 15:03. I’ll follow on behind.
Having travelled across the West Lancashire plain, I arrived at Burscough. It was an interesting journey. The area’s clearly far more affluent when I used to cycle across the flatlands as a kid. There’s more expensive houses, and some of the rich farmland has been converted into (hardly productive) animal paddocks.Other fields now grow turf for people’s lawns. Lucrative, maybe, but hardly sustainable.
My former 319 at Burscough Bridge.
Sadly, Burscough’s main street has suffered an outbreak of flag-shagging. This is a small town where the overwhelming majority of the population are white, wealthy homeowners. Except for many of the people working in the high street nail bars, fast-food joints and barbers, obviously…
19:15.
Next stop was Wigan, where I paused for a pint in the Swan and fortified myself with chips and mushy peas from the chippy up the road. Well, it’d have been rude not to sample the local cuisine!
Now I’m heading back to Manchester on the same TfW I was chasing….
21:30.
I’m on the last leg home after stopping off in central Manchester to get a few low-light pictures. For once Manchester let me down and the city stayed dry! Even so, I hope I’ve one or two decent pictures. I’ll add them later. Right now I’m heading back East on another Chester – Leeds service. It’s a pair of Class 195/0s o mercifully quiet this time of day. As much as I like the older trains if I was going anywhere long- distance , give me one of these as I can set up the mobile office.
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Another day that didn’t quite go to plan – although that was more for Dawn than me. Dee’s outbreak of the lurgi meant she had a restless night and felt crap this morning, so her dental appointment was the first thing to be cancelled. Then a phone call to Honda about the fun and games with the car meant they came and collected it within an hour, taking it away for diagnostic checks. So, with no car, no Dawn and me still with a dental appointment it meant I was bound for our dentists in Huddersfield by bus!
That was no big deal, I had plenty of time and managed to get in a long walk to a bus stop that was convenient for some railway shots whilst I waited. As chance would have it, one of the seasonal railhead treatment trains was due just before my bus. Hence this shot.
A pair of Colas Class 66s top and tail the RHTT over Dryclough Junction. This train began its journey in Grimsby and ended it in York after going around the houses to reverse at Halifax. The spray from the powerful water jets mounted on the rear wagon is evident.
My dental appointment was a breeze. I’m not one of these people who’s frightened of visiting dentists, so it’s not a stressful experience at all. The dentist gave me a clean bill of health and the hygienist confirmed his view after giving me a clean, so that’s me done for another 6 months!
As I was close to the centre of Huddersfield I decided my walk to take in a detour to the station to see how the place looks now it’s reopened after the month-long blockade. The answer is – very different!
150007sits in the extended Sheffield bay platform whilst a TPE 185 calls at the widened and extended Westbound platform. The Northern side of the station has vanished. Both platforms and tracks have disappeared with the area becoming a building site.
Catching the bus back we passed through Elland, where the ‘flag-shaggers’ have been busy. Most lamp posts on the main road have had flags cable tied to them. Let’s face it, nothing says ‘patriotism’ more than cheap Chinese-made Union or England flags draped like limp rags around the place. Still, it’s a good indicator of places to avoid. Elland’s always been a shithole with a reputation as a place where the far-right hang out. The flags merely confirm it. I’m sure they’ll do wonders for house prices…
Back in Halifax (where flag-shagging is very much a minority sport) I strolled home, finding Dawn feeling better. Her car had been returned, complete with new rear offside wheel sensor as the old one had failed, causing all the problems. Fortunately, the £280 cost was covered by the extended warranty Dee had been smart enough to take out. Sadly, the fun and games weren’t over! No sooner had we eaten supper than poor Dawn had a large filling drop out! Today of all days!
Looks like the dentists haven’t seen the back of us yet…
Tomorrow I plan to spend the day working from home. Hopefully there’ll be no more excitement and I’ll be able to catch up on blogging and picture editing. Watch this space…
I’ve a small favour to ask… If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website – https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/
Tuesday’s the new Monday here at Bigland Towers, at least for this week due to a long weekend. I’ll blog about our final day in Chester and environs tomorrow. I’d hoped to have written it up today but I’ve been up to my eyeballs in picture editing, paperwork, fixing lights in the house and keeping an eye on a poorly wife! Poor Dawn’s coming down with some form of lurgi, so I’m dusting down my nurses uniform…
To add insult to injury, her car is playing up too. We started getting error messages from its computer yesterday, but they cleared and we drove back without an issue. This afternoon they returned – with a vengeance! Everything that could flash red did – and then some. Yet again, they mysteriously disappeared and we were able to complete our mission of picking up a new light-switch to replace the one that had blown the other day. But tomorrow the phone line to Honda is going to be buzzing. Dee’s only spent over £1600 on a new timing belt and other gubbins for her Honda Civic but it’s been a PITH ever since and had to go back for rectification once already after it started burning so much oil you’d have thought someone had elected a new Pope! Ho Hum…
We have another ‘treat’ in store for tomorrow – a trip to the dentist and hygienist, so it won’t just be the car getting some attention. So, as you can see, today’s not quite gone to plan…
I’ll leave you with today’s picture, which is from yesterdays explorations. I’ll leave you guessing where this was taken until tomorrow. Unless you want to post a guess?
I’ve a small favour to ask… If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website – https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/
Paul Bigland 