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My camp amongst the woodland
undergrowth and nettles paid off. Apart from traffic noise from the
nearby road I didn't hear anything. As I returned to the railway
cycle track I only saw a few joggers. At the end I joined the road
by a car park and just below was the toll house for the original
Ironbridge. I wheeled my bike across the 1779 bridge. The first ever
built entirely of cast iron of such a span. It was nice to see
several people and families walking across. On the far side I set
off cycling again. It was nice to see that all the road kerb edgings
were made of cast iron. I followed the road up Coalbrookdale but
wasn't able to see anything of the long gone industrial landscape
because of too many trees. I was on the cycle route and it took me
very steeply up to Little Wenlock. |
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Half way
over the Iron Bridge |
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I didn't see anything of note on the
way and the hard won altitude was then lost on a long descent to
Wroxeter and the Roman settlement. There was nothing to see from the
road. The site of a Roman vineyard had been hi jacked as a visitor
attraction and in spite of an 'open' sign there was no sign of life.
On the outskirts of Shrewsbury I joined the cycle track and followed
it to the towpath of an old canal. I reached Shrewsbury town centre
and found it so bland I couldn't find anything to stop for, or
photograph. |
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Old
canal on approach to Shrewsbury |
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War
Memorial at Brownhill |
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I left the town to the NW on the
B5067. There was too much traffic for comfort so when I reached
Knockin I stopped by a nice grass mown area by a bridge. I sat in
the sun to eat some toast and have a drink. It was nice to see that
the village had been a Best Kept Village winner and also had a shop
called The Knockin Shop. |
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I continued in the sunshine to
Oswestry. On the approach I called in at the Co-operate shop to buy
2*2lt bottles of water then continued into the town. I stopped by
the war memorial area where there was a magnificent display of
colourful flowers. At the far end was a 25lb field gun but I don’t
know the type. |
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I left to the north and the 3000year
old Oswestry Hill fort. I left my bike by the road and walked up the
massive embankments. I continued through the lanes to Chirk where I
reached the Shropshire Union canal. |
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I spoke to a couple walking there who
said the Chirk tunnel had a towpath through it and I could take my
bike. I set off and enjoyed the tunnel and was impressed at the
other end as I soon reached a canal viaduct with a railway viaduct
adjacent and at a higher level. Another tunnel followed and a
delightful length of canal that took me to the Pont Cycillte
viaduct. |
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Basin on
the Shropshire Union Canal
Llangollen Branch |
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First
view of the Pont Cysyllte Aqueduct |
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Crossing
the Pont Cysyllte Aqueduct |
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It was very impressive wheeling my
bike across. There were lots of pedestrians walking across but I was
the only cyclist. At the northern end I crossed over the canal and
joined the branch heading west. |
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Along
the Shropshire Union Canal
Llangollen Branch |
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It took me a few miles to cross the
A539 and up a very steep an narrow road towards the hills. I'd
planned to camp nearby and after some very steep lanes and a steep
path I found a flat grassy pitch overlooking the valley below. |
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Whittle Wanderer
