Wrekin Woes

Crossing the bridge to start our walk

Lottie having a run

far from the crowds

It was a cooler morning and we got up later. After a leisurely breakfast Van Man drove over to the service point to empty the grey water, fill with fresh water and empty the toilet cassette. By the time we had done these jobs it was 10.00.

We decided to visit the Wrekin. Getting there was fine but parking was impossible as everybody else had gone there too. There was a one way route to the parking areas and out again but the main two parking areas were full of cars and cars lined the road wherever they could stop. Having gone beyond the Wrekin without finding room for a mini to park, Van Man turned around in a wide driveway and headed back towards Shrewsbury. 

bridge over a side arm

We followed the one way route passing even more parked cars then met a man driving towards us, oblivious of the one way route. Fortunately the road widened just in front of us so Van Man squeezed by. The wrong way man drove on causing the cars following us trouble when he reached the squeeze point opposite a cluster of parked cars.

            However it was probably not a good day to walk up the Wrekin as it began raining heavily. The rain did not last long but several heavy showers followed over the next two hours.

the canal and disused side arm

rooted in stone

We emerged in Wellington where Van Man was pleased to find a garage with diesel cheaper than any other he had passed. After filling up we trundled along to the Montford picnic area on the A5 which I had noticed (from yesterday’s journey) had a walk along the River Severn which passed under the A5. We arrived there just after 11.30 having driven through several showers and found ample parking beside a wide picnic area.

the side arm

site of an old liftbridge

Armed with waterproofs we followed a trail through the long grass which led to a wide grassy path running alongside the River Severn which had been kept mown for fishermen and walkers to enjoy.

Lottie on the Aqueduct

Lottie soon found a way down the steep bank and bathed in the water. We followed the river until the path came to an abrupt end at a local canoe centre. After Lottie had explored the slipway we strolled back to Sally Van for lunch.

As we arrived back we had another heavy shower but Lottie stayed outside on the damp grass while we ate our lunch.

going down under the aqueduct

come on you slow owners

After lunch the sky had brightened so we decided to try to find the Montgomery Canal at Pont as we were that side of Shrewsbury. We crossed the canal but there was nowhere to park a car let alone a large van so we drove on through Knocking and on to Queen’s Head having enjoyed the local views. Once there we headed to the car park we found yesterday to walk further up the canal towards Frankton Junction with Lottie whining to gain our attention when we passed the picnic area. Obviously she was happy to repeat yesterday’s walk. She was satisfied with our parking when she realised she could walk a new section of the canal.

This section took us away from the road through lovely countryside with sunny views of the Welsh hills. There were several canoes moving on this section but apart from meeting one couple we had the path to ourselves, not bad for walking in the high season.

at the end of our walk

We reached the aqueduct which crossed a small river. After looking at this we turned around and strolled back. The whole walk took us 1¾ hours, and was far easier than climbing up the Wrekin with hundreds of other people on the trail. Van Man then drove back to the camp site.



 As we passed Haughmond Abbey Van Man checked there was room to park Sally Van there.

We spent another quiet evening with a home cooked meal on site.

The Montgomery Canal

Sally Van at Queen's Head

Lottie waiting for us to catch up

After breakfast we moved Sally Van to the motor home service point where we emptied the grey water and filled with fresh water. As the day would be hot we drove along the A5 to Queen’s Head to walk along the Montgomery Canal. This would allow Lottie to bathe to cool down and we were hoping for shade from canal side trees.

canal wild flowers

The drive to Queen’s Head was easy apart from a slow queue of traffic around Shrewsbury at each roundabout. We parked in a small CRT car park which had just enough depth to fit Sally Van in and had a small picnic area by the canal.

We had to cross the canal before gaining the towpath and then started walking. We met two boats in a few minutes, surprising on this little cruised canal.

“I’d have thought we would have reached the locks by now,” Van Man remarked.

“That was the other way,” I replied. We are heading towards Frankton Junction.”

“I’ve gone the wrong way,” he replied.

“We can walk the other way after lunch,” I replied.

butterfly by the canal

Bridge 74

The walk was lovely with overhanging trees giving us quite a lot of shade, even though a road ran alongside us. Fortunately the traffic was not too busy. Our walk was quite tranquil as we enjoyed watching the plentiful dragonflies and butterflies. Lottie approved of our route as she could get into the canal at several points to cool down. We reached bridge 74 and found another car park close to the canal so we could walk from there another day. We retraced our steps to Sally Van having been out for an hour and twenty minutes. It was very hot so we spent a couple of hours relaxing at the picnic area which Sally Van was parked adjacent to.

Looking down from bridge74

There was one table under shady trees so it was a lovely place to have lunch and relax. Lottie found a cool place to sleep near our table. The temperature mid day was thirty degrees, far too hot in the sun.

After lunch we walked the other way along the canal to look at the three locks. At first the towpath was along a gravel lane which led to the house at the first lock, which Lottie did not like but she managed to walk along the narrow strip of grass. We passed a cyclist repairing a puncture made by the sharp gravel. Lottie could not get into the canal to cool down as the corrugated piling holding the bank back was higher than the bank.

Sally Van from the tow path

Lottie at a lock

At the first lock Lottie swiftly crossed the top lock gate to explore the far side and headed straight to a gate. We followed and found it led to a small nature reserve with an overflow pond fed from the canal. Lottie paddled into the water and sat down in the shallows, cooling off.

From this point onwards it was a normal towpath which our Lurcher appreciated. It clouded over and we had a light shower as we approached the second lock. However the rain was refreshing as the day was still hot. We chatted to boaters working on their moored narrowboat and moved on.

lock surround

Lottie explored both sides of third lock oblivious to the family in lifejackets resting on the towpath beside their canoe.

As we walked slowly back past lock two a man raced along the towpath on a four wheel ATV from behind us. The boaters blocked his path and an angry exchange of opinions was heard. Lottie crossed over to the far side as if to avoid the commotion. The boaters stood their ground probably pointing out that ATV’s were not allowed along the towpath. At last the man got past them and thundered past our lock scowling.

Back at the first lock Lottie revisited the pond for a dip while we chatted to the cyclist who was repairing a second puncture. He was very unlucky to get two punctures in under a mile.

Canal mile post

We returned to Sally Van after being overtaken by the canoeists who were propelling their craft swiftly through the water.

Back at Sally Van we had a hot drink. After sitting in the shade until the heat of the day had passed we headed back to our camp site at 4.00. It was cloudy and showery there but much cooler thankfully. We had a relaxing evening in a very quiet campsite.

The lock chamber

On the road again

This is our first proper trip in the motor home since the Covid lockdown apart from a visit to our family.

After packing the last items we left home just before 9.30 as we had packed the night before. The sun was shining and the day soon grew hot. Van Man drove to Cobham where we donned masks and visited the services. It felt strange and was not helped by some people going the wrong way round the interior.

I drove to Cherwell services and felt confident driving the van. We had Cornish pasties for lunch and walked Lottie by the stream after we ate them. The sun was so hot she wanted to cool down in the water but the stream had narrowed to muddy shallows. Thankfully most of the mud came off before we returned to the van.

Looking towards The Wrekin

The Wrekin from our campsite

Van Man drove the rest of the way to Shrewsbury via the M40, M6 and M52 which took just over 2 hours even though we had to pass an accident. A lorry had hit a trailer pulled by a van and was stuck in it, but it seemed that there were no injuries to the people. The campsite was in a disused quarry with two levels. Our pitch was on the smaller lower level. It was quiet and peaceful. There was plenty of space between the pitches which was good for both social and Covid reasons.

After a quick cup of coffee the Lurcher took us to explore the dog walk. It was excellent, taking us past the fishing lake and up through the woods. There were several paths to explore so the Lurcher will be happy with tomorrows walk.

 After the walk we relaxed in the shade before having a cold evening meal. It was strange not to have the use of a toilet block but we had been told there would be no facilities due to Covid. When we explored the whole site we could not find the toilets which we expected to find locked up. What had they done with them? The dish washing facilities were open as long as only one person was in it. I was beaten by a family with three bowls of washing up but they kindly let me go first when they saw how little I had.