Vale of Belvoir Ramblers

Trent Bridges and Colwick Country Park, 4th October 2026

Elaine's 7.3 mile walk, starting at the bus stop near the Victoria Embankment, was aimed at visiting the newly-built Waterside Bridge and Colwick Country Park, both for the first time. The route took us to the Wilford Suspension Bridge; back along the Trent; under Trent Bridge and Lady Bay Bridge to the new Waterside Bridge for a drinks stop at Trent Basin. Then we followed the river to Racecourse Road to enter Colwick Country Park near Colwick Hall. After circumnavigating the lakes in the park we reached the new Holme Sluices Fish Pass, one of our targets for the day.

After returning to Waterside Bridge, we crossed The Hook Nature Reserve to Lady Bay before joining and following the Grantham Canal for a short distance as far as Radcliffe Road to catch a bus back to Bingham

Elaine briefs us on the Victoria Embankment

Trent Bridge (1871)

Riverside Memorial Arch

Wilford Suspension Bridge (1906)

Trent Bridge

These two arches (just off route) are the remains of the 15-arch Old Trent Bridge which dates back to 1364

Grantham Canal (to be joined later) meets the Trent

Lady Bay Bridge (1878)

First view of Waterside Bridge

Mural beneath the bridge

Trent Basin - coffee stop

Permissive footpath between the River Crescent flats and the Trent

Nottingham Racecourse

Remains of Colwick Church

Front view of Colwick Hall

Rear view of Colwick Hall

Heron taking flight from Colwick Lake (with a little bit of help from ChatGPT)

Holme Sluices (private bridge)

After hatching, young salmon hide in riverbed gravel. As they grow, they stay in the river for many years. They then turn silvery, ready to travel to the sea, At sea, they feed and grow, then come back to the River Trent to breed.

Fish pass around Holme Sluices

Back to the Waterside Bridge after lunch

And along a short section of the Grantham Canal to reach Radcliffe Road and catch the #90 bus back to Bingham

Church Stretton and Long Mynd, 26th September 2026

This year's Weekend Away, organised by Scott, was based at HF Holidays' Longmynd Hotel, Church Stretton, formerly a hotel built in 1900 as a hydro-spa when Church Stretton enjoyed a brief period of celebrity as a health resort. Three days of walking were planned, long and short ones on Saturday and Sunday and a short one on Monday, all walks making use of parts of the 122-mile route of the Shropshire Way South. Two other walks near the Stiperstones has been recced in August but were deemed unsuitable due to access and ground conditions.

Seventeen members took part with walks led by Scott, Barbara, Elaine and Dave. Thanks to Paul, Bill, Val and Rab for the photos and Sue for the quiz on the final evening - and everyone else for coming on an enjoyable holiday in (mainly) good weather.

Both of Saturday's walks started in the hotel car park. The longer (7.6 mile) walk went up the Carding Mill Valley, location of a carding factory built in the 18th century, and named after a stage in making cloth. This very steep-sided valley rises gradually to the famous Long Mynd plateau whose geology dates back to the Precambrian era. There, the route meets the Shropshire Way which took us along good tracks to Pole Bank, the highest point on the Long Mynd at 516m with excellent views to the west. Then we walked over Round Hill and down over open country for a stop for lunch and then down to Little Stretton and eventually back up to the start.

Easy going at first up the Carding Mill Valley

Not so easy going (290m of ascent to Pole Bank)

Taking a breather looking back

Busy day on the Long Mynd plateau, part of the Shropshire Way, Stage 1, Shrewsbury to Bridges

Dave tries to take a decent photo of the toposcope (and fails due to his short arms)

... whereas Paul suceeded somehow. Interestingly, figures shown are not miles but heights of 'visible' features including the Brecon Beacons (886m), The Wrekin (407m) and Cader Idris (892m)

Fine view towards Little Stretton - the way back

Lunch Stop

Almost back

The shorter (6.8 mile) walk ascended Townbrook Valley to meet and greet the long-walkers near Pole Bank, before turning back along the Shropshire Way and descending Carding Mill Valley for refreshments in the National Trust cafe.

Dropping down to the Town Brook ---

--- once the source of the town's water supply

A steady climb up Townbrook Valley

Meeting of both groups at Pole Bank

Start of the descent of Carding Mill Valley on the Jack Mytton Way

Carding Mill

Craven Arms, Nortoncamp Wood and Stokesay Castle, 27th September 2026

Both walks started at the Shropshire Hills Discovery Centre in Craven Arms. After crossing the River Onny and climbing up to the edge of Nortoncamp Wood, the two groups separted, the long-walkers climbing up to the Norton Camp - a renowned double rampart and ditch of Iron Age defences which may be over 2500 years old and the short-walkers taking a lower path overlooking the valley of the Onny.

Both groups then dropped down to reach and cross the River Onny to reach Stokesay Castle for lunch. The short walkers then approached the Discovery Centre across Onny Meadows for refreshments and the opportunity to meet the Condover mammoth, a popular, replica skeleton of an adult male mammoth discovered in 1986 in a local quarry. The long walkers took to the hills again in Stoke Wood and Sallow Coppice before returning to the start in declinng weather.