Brown Clee Hill – 540m / 1772ft – 09/03/2020
After a few weeks break and some preliminary trail running tests in preparation for the Spine Race, back in the days before Coronavirus really took a hold of our lives, I took the opportunity of a 3-4 spare days to cram in a planned 12 county “summits” covering a corridor from the Midlands down to London. The previous day I had been in Stafford doing a couple of business related things and visiting family so my itinerary was set up with that start point in mind. So a quick breakfast at my parents’ house and then off towards Shropshire, a drive of around 45 minutes via Telford and Bridgnorth to a small village called Ditton Priors where I parked up at the local sports field. Conscious of my busy schedule, expecting very wet and muddy terrain in most places after the recent heavy rains and floods, and also a forecast of strong winds and more rain, I was eager to get off to a good start. I quickly donned my boots, waterproof jacket and took along my trekking poles more as a speed aid than anything else.
The first section out of the village started along a narrow track before accessing farmland and a series of boggy fields taking me in a south-westerly direction gradually uphill for about a mile before arriving at the lane beside Bank Farm. A short distance down the lane I turned right through a gate onto a straight, metalled track heading steeply uphill through woodland for about 900m opening out onto moorland.
As the gradient lessened the wind got stronger and by the time I reached the point where the track turned left on the Shropshire Way and started to meander towards the summit my calves were suitably warmed up.
It was a good moment to take a short breather and have a good look at the distant views back down to the village and beyond.
I sped along the track skirting some ruined old buildings and a small tarn before reaching the trig point situated at the top of a small flight of steps. It was by now very windy and the video I filmed was almost unintelligible. I took a moment to admire the views all around into Wales and back across he Midlands. This would be my highest point of the week and was also my highest point so far in this challenge.
I had made good time reaching the summit – a net ascent of 310m and a distance of about 2.5 miles – but I was on a mission and could not linger for too long. Rain was closing in from the west, County Top number 9 was waiting and I set off back down the track with the wind behind me. I passed a solitary walker also racing against the weather (“no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing!”), exchanged a brief hello and quickly descended back to the lane and out of the wind. I decided to miss the muddy fields and instead followed another lane downhill back to the village, coming out near the church.
I also passed the butcher shop and it’s unmistakeable aroma, resolving to stop by on my return in the car, which I reached a short while later after passing through the village. So that was Shropshire ticked off in very good time and I left ahead of schedule and ahead of the rain to find my way across to a rather more suburban destination in the West Midlands.
