Bridges YHA
Bridges YHA
Nine of us arrived at Bridges Hostel on the evening of Easter Friday. The hostel was busy over the Easter weekend, with several parties of cyclists in addition to our party and a few other ramblers. Angela, the busy hostel warden, cooked meals and looked after us all with just a little help from some local volunteers. Bridges itself is no more than a hamlet, nestling in a valley to the west side of the Long Mynd hills in Shropshire. The picture of the hostel above was actually taken on a previous Easter visit on the way to Wales in 2006, we had better weather for photography that time. There has been ongoing work at the hostel since that previous visit, nice new annex domitory, entrance hall, washrooms, all looking good.
The weather did not look too promising on Friday morning, grey with some snow which was whitening the hilltops but not quite settling down in the valley at Bridges. Despite this, we set off to cross the Long Mynd, first following lanes, then cart-track then open moorland over the top which is at about 500m. The weather was brightening as we descended down Ashes Hollow to Little Stretton. Ashes Hollow is an attractive steep sided valley with a rough path at the bottom, this path hopping from side to side of a bubbling stream. We had lunch in the pub at Little Stretton then followed a path through the woods almost into Church Stretton before recrossing the Long Mynd, taking the route up through Carding Mill Valley which is National Trust property then down over Wild Moor to Rattlinghope then Bridges, completing a walk of about 12 miles.
Our Sunday ramble was another circle of about 12 miles but this time to the west of Bridges. We started on the 'Shropshire Way' footpath heading south from the hostel, then east through the villages of Wentnor and Norbury, we stopped to eat sandwiches and to look at the church in the later village.
After lunch we turned north for a few miles taking us up onto the Stiperstones, a line of exposed crags on the top of open moorland. From here we joined the 'Shropshire Way' and followed it down to Bridges.
We found a steam traction engine parked outside the pub at Bridges, gently fizzing. The owner lives locally and he was keen to explain how it works and to invite us to climb up into the driving position - the heat from the glowing coal fire was welcome. We watched as he set off home, starting with a rush that lifted the front wheels off the ground then making off up the steep lane with clanking machinery and noisy puffing of exhaust steam.
On the morning of Easter Monday we went to look at Bishops Castle and Clun, a small town and a village to the south of Bridges. These are pretty places with plenty of teashops to provide refreshment for weary walkers. Clun also has a castle and a nice Youth Hostel. We went our separate ways after lunch in a cafe at Clun.
Club members turned out on a rather cold and very windy day to put Merganser into the water and on her mooring at Paglesham. The wind was easterly, which meant that the pontoons gave at least a bit of sheltered water, and Mark S managed to row her out to the mooring himself : the rest of us were having our lunch in the Plough and Sail! We rowed out to bring him back, though soon he could have walked ashore anyway, as the tide was ebbing fast. Meander was left on the road trailer ready for her trip to Milford Haven in June.
John Langrick was working around the mushroom shed area, and we learned that the RSA now has use of both ends of the shed. Perhaps now they have more room, we will have better access to our locker door?
The toilet structure looks worse than ever; chunks are starting to fall off the outside, and the floor inside is giving way.
We repaired to the hall about 4.30pm for tea and biscuits as some drizzle started. We had a chinese takeaway meal for fitting out supper, then Eric showed us some photos of his trip to Turkey. We also looked at photos of the Easter trip, and Mark S showed some of his trip to Iceland.