Hikers step out in rural Shropshire
KEEN ramblers from Halton travelled south to a small picturesque Shropshire market town and trekked several routes around the landscape.
The Shropshire Lake District is centred on Ellesmere which attracts thousands of visitors each year.
Its accessible meres, nine in total, are set in typical English estate parkland in a gently rolling landscape and are a magnet for sailing, fishing, naturalists and walking.
The meres are a legacy created by the retreating Ice Age and subsequent melt water around 10,000 years ago.
Ellesmere was also the catalyst for one of the greatest canal networks in the country and subsequent feats of breathtaking engineering that challenged the great Thomas Telford.
The town even gave its name to Ellesmere Port and lies beside the Llangollen Canal.
The walkers arrived in the area to start one of the four planned walks.
Phil Gregory had planned a seven-and-a-half mile walk for the shorter of the routes, guiding his group around the largest of the meres and then onto open farm- land to Welshampton.
The walkers passed two other Meres – Cole and Blake – before joining the towpath on the Llangollen Canal to return to Ellesmere.
Stuart Leyland also took his C group along similar paths but extending the walk by two miles along the way.
Ken Hall had planned a longer 12 mile B walk for his group although the total height of the walk was just 400ft.
Starting by walking alongside the largest of the nine meres before moving onto Welshampton, the walkers joined the Llangollen Canal and the Shropshire Way and followed it to Bettisfield.
The Shropshire Way is a long distance path which was revised 30 years ago consisting of 27 shorter routes.
Most of the routes are marked but some are not, so map reading skills are vital.
The group continued to Cadney Moss and Wern Moss Natural Nature Reserve before turning westward for their route home.
They passed through the villages of Northwood and Lyneal, and onto Cole Mere and Blake Mere and their final walk alongside the Llangollen Canal. ●
The longest walk of 17 miles started at Oswestry led by Eric Fenney with a visit to the site of an old fort.
Their route then followed the Watts Dyke Way to Gobowen and onto the Shropshire Union Canal before heading for their first trig point near New Marton at 540ft.
They visited Dudleston Hall and Dudleston Heath before reaching the Mere at Ellesmere.
The group then embarked for the second trig point above Lea Woods continuing through farmland to Welshampton and the route via Cole Mere and Blake Mere for their return to Ellesmere.
A Ramblers spokeswoman said: “The walkers had a dry day but a misty start but had wonderful views of the area later on, the area has not so many hills as the group are used to but they made use of this by extending the walks.
“All the walkers explored the historic town and had some welcome refreshment before their journey home.”
Their next trip is to Edgworth in Lancashire.
To join contact the booking secretary on 07842 160 944. Alternatively, for more information visit www.nmc-ramblers.org.uk