Church Stretton Day 3

 The weather forecast looked good so we decided to try a longer walk from the HF discovery point. The 8 mile route included Carding Mill Valley,  Bodbury hill and the golf course (claimed to be the highest in England) 

We set off through the Ice house and reservoir at Cunnery then joined Carding Mill valley road, We stopped at the NH Trust visitors centre where we noticed that there was a waterfall at Light Spout so we decided to make a detour. 

Carding Mill Path

turning off the Motts way one encounters many rocks and bolders which was challenging.

Light Spout Waterfall

The only issue was that the path continues up the rocks on the right of the waterfall. It was just possible on this day to clamber up them, but any wetter and it should be avoided. We then cut across Calf ridge and rejoined Jck Mytton way.before making for Haddon Hill. 

Caer Caradoc from Hadon Hill

We descended to the edge of the golf course and had a picnic. The golf course was inhabited by grazing sheep which took no notice of the golfers! 

Leaving the golf course near the 18th green we realised that the NT house was just up the road so we made another diversion and had a delicious afternoon cream tea. We eventually got back to Long Mynd house at 1600 having covered 8.4 miles.

Church Stretton Day 2

 The forecast for this day was rain all day, so we decided to stay in town

Searching the internet we discovered that a Saphos Tours Steam hauled excursion (Welsh Marches express) was travelling from Stourbridge to Bristol by diesel then Bristol to Shrewsbury behind the Royal Scot, The estimated timings were published so we decided to go and see it at Church Stretton station. . It was scheduled to arrive at 1247 but arrived at 1310. 

We returned to Long Myndd Hotel for lunch through a downpour

The train was scheduled to return from Shrewsbury at 1611 but it appeared at 1638:-

It was 70 minutes late into Hereford but, being diesel hauled was 7 minutes early into Stourbridge Junction!

Church Stretton Day 1

The forecast for this day wasnt too bad so we decided to try one of the easy Routes in the HF discovery centre. We chose "on the slopes of Caer Caradoc" which would allow us to admire the fort without climbing the hill!

Looking Back at Long Mynd

Caer Caradoc

4 miles

Church Stretton Day 0

This HF holiday was originally booked in November 2022 in a half price sale to be taken in March 2023. We were notified by HF late February that the property was undergoing a 1.2M£ renovation which wasnt finished and that scaffold and plastic sheet were on the outside of the building ("which may restrict the view") and that as the dining room floor was being levelled meals would be in two shifts in the bar. To compensate for this we would get £10 per day drinks vouchers! Not happy we phoned them and they moved the holiday until July 2023 with little protest.

June 2023 arrives and the advance tour notes still mention the ongoing work and the compensation in drinks vouchers, I again phoned them and they confirmed the scaffold and plastic was still there, so we moved the holiday again to October, which they assured us would not be a building site.

Early October we had confirmed the work was finished (it finished 8 august according to the house manager later) so we set out . 75 miles from Coventry, the biggest delay was the 3 way traffic lights and roadworks on the A49 just outside Shrewsbury.. This meant we got to LongMyndd house at 1615, just in time for afternoon cream tea and unpacking before dinner! 

Long Myndd House

For the record the pool was still there and had not been filled in although the changing facilities looked derelict!