A Shropshire lass in her element.

We had a short outing over my favourite bit of countryside today. As a child, I always loved a trip up to The Bog and over the Stiperstones. The area was once the centre for lead mining in the 18th & 19th centuries and several of my family were involved in mining and farming around there. Today the sun was shining, the air was fresh and invigorating and the views were perfect.

We walked up to the Nipstone Rock and looked across the hills to the Stiperstones. The "Devil's Chair" was the first rock outcrop we reached, when Dad used to take us for a Sunday morning walk. I was quite young so it was a good walk for little legs!

I had never climbed up to the Nipstone Rock which is on the left of my photo above. Today, I scrambled to the top to look at the panoramic views. However, if I just stepped down the hill to the left of that rock and looked back, this is what I saw.....

The Quartzite rock has been weathered into a massive head facing towards the East.

Well spotted by G. - I had climbed up past it, without noticing it! I guess I was concentrating on my footwork amongst the heather and short, sheep-chewed grass.

The view in the opposite direction showed Corndon in all its splendour. Our house is on the far side of this hill.

We returned to the car and drove over the hills and down into the valley to the Horshoe Inn at Ratlinghope. We sat beside the tiny River Onny and had lunch. Thankfully, I had put my binoculars in my bag. Overhead soared two, beautiful, red kites and across the field a cry went up and a curlew with its long, curved beak flapped away up the hill. Swallows were twittering around the buildings and in the trees opposite, I spotted a pied flycatcher. As we went back to the car a robin flew up into the hedgerow and along the stream I could see a dipper, hopping across the pebbles. All of this in about half an hour!!!!

I drove back with top down - (the car - not mine!!)

So, now you know what I like to do when I am not crafting!!