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Carrie | Shropshire Walks | Adventure After 50

@stepbystepfrom50

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🥾 Hidden walks & forgotten places in Shropshire
🌿 Adventure doesn't stop at 50
✨ Discover somewhere new every week

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I did a fantastic 4km circular route this morning and couldn’t resist taking a closer look at the Benthall quarry.

Unless you leave the path you wouldn’t know these old mine entrances are hidden here. They are gradually succumbing to the encroaching undergrowth and there is a damp rotting smell that assaults your nasal passages as you get closer. But so worth leaving the path for if you are careful where you step.

This area was extensively quarried for limestone, which was used locally for lime production and as a flux in the iron industry. These mine entrances are the remnants of Shropshire’s fascinating industrial history, but Benthall Edge also contains fossils including corals and brachiopods, making it the perfect place to search for geological time pieces.

I absolutely love discovering places like this on a walk, especially when they’re hiding in plain sight 🤎

Have you ever found something unexpected on a local walk? Tell me what you discovered 👇

Have you ever found something unexpected on a local walk? Tell me what you discovered….

And save this for your next Shropshire adventure!

📍 Benthall Quarry, Benthall Edge, Shropshire
🪨 What you’ll find: woodland, old quarry workings, limestone geology and remnants of the area’s industrial past.
🥾 Want to find it yourself?
You’ll pass right by it on the Benthall Hall Circular. I’ve saved the full walking route in my 2-5 Miles Highlight.
🚘 You can park at Benthall Hall for £3 (correct at time of posting)

#benthall #industrialheritage #shropshirehistory #ironbridgegorge #shropshirewalks taken in Benthall Edge Woods by @stepbystepfrom50

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16 hours ago

You might recognise this church from my recent Reel… but that 600-year-old wall painting is only part of the story.

Because inside this little Shropshire church are centuries of history hiding in plain sight.

⛪ Parts of St Peter’s date back to the 13th century, while its impressive west tower was added in the 15th century.

🎨 Above the chancel arch are the faded remains of the extraordinary 15th-century Doom painting you saw in my Reel.

🪟 Walk further inside and the church changes again. The present chancel dates from 1862, while the magnificent east window dates from 1891 and is an early work by celebrated Victorian stained-glass designer Charles Eamer Kempe.

And there are much smaller pieces of history to look out for too…

The church contains reused 14th-century floor tiles, a wooden pulpit dating from 1633, and even a surviving 14th-century figure in the stained glass.

Then there’s the little mark in the sandstone in these photos. It’s a benchmark which is a fixed surveying reference mark used for measuring height. Exactly the sort of thing you could walk past without giving it a second glance.

But perhaps my favourite fact?

There’s something inside St Peter’s that’s even older than the church you see today.

Its carved stone font dates from the 12th century — around 900 years ago.

And no, I haven’t included a photograph of it here…

I’m purposely leaving that one for you to find when you visit. 😉

That’s what I love about places like this. At first you see an old country church. Then you start looking properly and realise you’re standing amongst hundreds of years of Shropshire history, all layered together.

⛪ St Peter’s Church
📍 Cound, Shropshire
📮 SY5 6EW

Save this for your next Shropshire wander 📌

#englishchurch #shropshirechurches #hiddenhistory #exploreengland #visitshropshire taken in St Peter's Church, Cound by @stepbystepfrom50

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12 days ago

Hidden away in the Shropshire countryside is this beautiful Grade I listed church, and high above the chancel is something rather extraordinary… a 600-year-old medieval Doom painting.

Dating from the 15th century, this huge wall painting would once have stretched across the top of the chancel wall, depicting the Last Judgement, with Christ at the centre and Heaven and Hell on either side.

Today only fragments remain, but if you look carefully you can still pick out parts of the scene, including the Virgin Mary, souls beside St Peter, the architecture of the Heavenly City and even a small section of the rainbow beneath Christ.

The painting was rediscovered during major restoration work in 1889–91 and professionally conserved in 1988. Now another conservation project is planned to help protect what remains.

And this isn’t the only treasure hiding inside…

I’ll be posting a selection of my favourite hidden gems from inside the church this week.

SAVE THIS FOR YOUR SHROPSHIRE LIST 👇

📍 Location: St Peter’s Church, Cound, Shropshire, SY5 6EW
🚗 Parking: Small parking area next to St Peter’s Church
🚪 Access: The church is currently listed as open during daylight hours
🥾This is also the starting point for the Upper Cound Circular route which you can find in my 2–5 Miles highlight.
⛪ Please remember: This is an active place of worship, so visit respectfully and check locally before making a special journey.

✨ Follow for more unusual places, hidden history and beautiful corners of Shropshire, and keep an eye out for my next post, because there’s much more inside this church than I could fit into one reel.

#medievalhistory #churchesofengland #exploreshropshire #hiddenhistory #visitshropshire taken in Cound by @stepbystepfrom50

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15 days ago

There’s nothing quite like being back home in Shropshire 🍂🥾

We had the loveliest holiday, but I really did miss these hills… and I definitely missed my little walking buddy, Brian 🐾 So of course he had to come along for today’s adventure!

We explored The Ercall & Lawrence’s Hill Circular which is a gorgeous little walk through woodland, autumn ferns and open hillside, with some beautiful views along the way. And that view across to The Wrekin 😍

Brian had an excellent time… although the descents got a little hairy whenever a squirrel appeared 🐿️😂 Apparently “steady” means absolutely nothing when there’s a squirrel involved!

📍 The Ercall & Lawrence’s Hill, Shropshire
🥾 3.4 km / 2.1 miles • circular
⛰️ 166 m elevation gain
⏱️ Allow around 1–2 hours
🚗 Parking for approximately 10 cars
🥾 I followed the The Ercall & Lawrence’s Hill Circular route on AllTrails. I’ve saved the route link in my 2–5 Miles Highlight so you can find it easily.

Definitely one to save for an autumn wander 🍁

#Shropshire #exploreshropshire #shropshirewalks #TheErcall #shropshirehills taken in The Ercall by @stepbystepfrom50

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18 days ago

Plot twist… sometimes following the crowd is the wiser choice. 🐮🐑

This lovely Highland cow seemed determined to go her own way, until she spotted where the sheep were heading!

When we’re out exploring Shropshire, there’s wisdom in following established paths too. They help us enjoy these beautiful places while protecting the landscape around us. 🌿🥾

Walk your own walk. Just don’t make your own path. 💚

#countrysidecode #walkinguk #hikingsafety #shropshirehills #highlandcows taken in Church Stretton, Shropshire by @stepbystepfrom50

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a month ago

A bridge over calm water… with a rather troubled history. 🌿

Hidden away on Coundmoor Brook in the Shropshire countryside is this crumbling old bridge.

Locally, it’s been called an old packhorse bridge, and there’s a belief that it could be medieval.

The problem?

Nobody seems to know.

Attempts have been made locally to trace its history, but no definitive date or original purpose seems to have emerged. And when you look closely, the mystery gets even better.

The huge outer blocks are local stone. Geologically records describe an old bridge here built from Hoar Edge Grit, but underneath is an extensive brick barrel vault.

So was an older crossing later rebuilt or strengthened?

Was it connected to the historic quarrying around nearby Stevenshill?

Or is the idea that it was a medieval packhorse bridge simply a story that became attached to it over the years?

Whatever the answer, the route it once served has faded away. The masonry is collapsing, trees are taking over and this substantial bridge now sits quietly in the woods with seemingly nowhere to go.

The bridge survived. Its story didn’t.

And I think that makes it even more beautiful.

📍 Coundmoor Brook, near Upper Cound, Shropshire
🥾 Want to find it yourself?
You’ll pass right by it on the Upper Cound Circular. I’ve saved the full walking route in my 2-5 Miles Highlight.

Does anyone local know more about it? Particularly interested in old photographs, maps or stories of people crossing it.

#abandonedbridge #shropshirewalks #hiddenplaces #midlifeinfluencer #solofemalehiker taken in Cound by @stepbystepfrom50

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a month ago

I’ve found a little trail that really does have something for everyone 🌿🥾

The Upper Cound Circular packs so much variety into just 6km… streams, old bridges, peaceful woodland, open fields, countryside views and, of course, plenty of sheep 🐑

It’s one of those walks where the scenery is constantly changing, so there’s always something new around the corner. And at only 3.7 miles, it’s perfect for a lazy afternoon stroll when you fancy getting outside without committing to a big hike.

📍 Upper Cound Circular, Shropshire
🥾 Distance: 3.7 miles / 6km
⏱️ Time: around 1½–2 hours
🟢 Difficulty: Easy
🔄 Route: Circular
🚗 Parking: Small parking area next to St Peter’s Church
🗺️ Route: I followed it on AllTrails. You can find the link in my 2–5 Miles highlight.

There were a few spots along this walk that deserve a closer look. I’ll be unpacking some of my favourite finds in reels, so follow along so you don’t miss them!

And save this one for your next lazy afternoon stroll in Shropshire 🥾📌

#cound #shropshirewalks #midlifeadventures #womenwhowalk #shropshirelife taken in Shropshire by @stepbystepfrom50

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a month ago

Spotted those strange oval iron plates on the bridge? 👀

They’re not just decoration. They’re tie plates, connected to iron rods that help hold the masonry together and resist the stonework spreading or shifting.

And they’re just one detail on Platt Mill Bridge, a beautiful sandstone bridge built in 1791 over the River Perry.

More than 230 years later, traffic still crosses its two stone arches, while tucked alongside it is that wonderfully unusual round toll house, dating from around the late 18th/early 19th century.

It’s one of those places that’s so easy to pass without ever really looking at it.

🌿 Lichen-covered sandstone
🌧️ Rain falling into the Perry
🔩 Centuries-old engineering
🏠 And a round toll house you really can’t miss once you’ve noticed it

Have you ever driven over Platt Mill Bridge without knowing what was underneath?

📍 Platt Mill Bridge, B4397, between Baschurch & Ruyton-XI-Towns, Shropshire
🚗 No dedicated parking at the bridge. Please park considerately and safely away from the B4397
🥾 I visited Platt Mill Bridge as part of a lovely circular walk. I’ve shared the full route in my 2-5 Miles Highlights

#Shropshire #ExploreShropshire #HiddenShropshire #ShropshireWalks #ShropshireHistory taken in Ruyton-XI-Towns by @stepbystepfrom50

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a month ago

It witnessed the beginnings of a movement that would help shape the modern Olympic Games. 🏅

This is the old windmill on Windmill Hill in Much Wenlock, Shropshire, and there’s far more to this crumbling stone tower than I realised.

In the 19th century, spectators gathered on this very hill to watch the Wenlock Olympian Games taking place below.

Those Games were founded by Much Wenlock doctor William Penny Brookes, whose belief that physical exercise should be available to ordinary people eventually brought him into contact with Pierre de Coubertin, the man who went on to found the International Olympic Committee.

So when you stand beside this ruined windmill and look out across the landscape, you’re looking from a place where people once watched an extraordinary little piece of sporting history unfold.

And the windmill has quite a story of its own.

A mill has stood on this hill for centuries. Dates of 1655 and 1657 have reportedly been discovered inscribed in its inner stonework, while the surviving stone tower once contained four storeys.

Its working life came to a dramatic end when the mill was reportedly struck by lightning in 1850. ⚡

Today there are no sails or machinery. The door is padlocked, lichen is slowly colonising the stone and blackberries scramble around its walls.

And something rather large and wasp-shaped appears to have taken up residence inside 👀

I went looking at an old windmill.

I definitely wasn’t expecting to find a connection to the Olympic Games.

📍 Windmill Hill, Much Wenlock, Shropshire

Did you know this story or have you walked past it without knowing what happened here?

#muchwenlock #windmills #visitshropshire #olympicgames #explorewithme taken in Much Wenlock by @stepbystepfrom50

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a month ago

Hidden behind a small black gate in Much Wenlock is a little piece of history with a story stretching back more than 1,300 years…

This is St Milburga’s Well, named after the Anglo-Saxon princess who became abbess of the monastery at Wenlock in the 7th century.

Milburga became one of the area’s most important saints, and after her death, stories of miracles and healing grew around her. One local legend tells how, after falling from her horse and injuring herself, she caused water to spring from the ground and used it to heal her wound.

The well that survives today isn’t a complete Anglo-Saxon structure as parts have been rebuilt and restored over the centuries, but its stonework includes medieval features, connecting this tiny, easily missed place with Much Wenlock’s much older religious history.

Step through the gate and you can explore the small stone chamber, its arches and weathered masonry, with traces of water still staining the rock.

Whether the legends happened exactly as they were later told is impossible to know. But Milburga was very real, and more than thirteen centuries later, her name and stories are still woven into Much Wenlock.

What a remarkable little place hiding in plain sight.

📍 Find it off Barrow Street, Much Wenlock. It’s easy to miss! Steps and uneven/damp stone underfoot, so wear sensible shoes.

#muchwenlock #hiddenshropshire #stmilburga #womeninhistory #explorewithme taken in Much Wenlock by @stepbystepfrom50

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a month ago

You don’t have to go far in Shropshire to find hidden treasure 🪎

Today hubby dug up this 1-inch button in our ordinary Shropshire garden whilst planting hostas. He knew it would interest me, so handed it over to me to research further.

The word INNISKILLING and the three-towered castle led me down quite the historical rabbit hole.

One possibility I’m investigating is a connection to the 6th (Inniskilling) Dragoons, the historic cavalry regiment that fought at Waterloo in 1815 as part of the famous Union Brigade.

I’m NOT suggesting this button was at Waterloo as I don’t yet know exactly how old it is.

But things get interesting…

After the Napoleonic Wars, the regiment returned to Britain and its history records it marching to Birmingham in 1817.

Could an Inniskilling soldier have passed through Shropshire and lost this button along the way?

I simply don’t know yet!

I’ve emailed the Inniskillings Museum for help identifying and dating it, so now we wait…

I’ll let you know as soon as they respond, so follow along so you don’t miss the end of this story 😃

Sometimes history isn’t behind glass, it’s right under your feet 🌿

#hiddenshropshire #hiddenhistory #militaryhistory #inniskilling #militarybuttons taken in Shropshire by @stepbystepfrom50

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a month ago

Yes, you read that right. Dead horses. 😔🐴

These are the old Knowle Quarry lime kilns on Wenlock Edge, where limestone had been quarried and burned for generations.

But around 1919, one of these kilns found a rather different use…

Dead horses were bought from a local knacker’s yard and transported by train to Presthope station, just across the road.

Their carcasses were brought here and burned in one of the kilns, which became known locally as the “Bone Kiln.”

And they weren’t simply disposing of them.

The resulting bone material was sent to china and pottery works, where it was used to help whiten the clay.

🐴 Horse → 🚂 Presthope → 🔥 Bone Kiln → 🏺 Pottery

There’s another fascinating twist. Before a mineral tramway arrived around 1900, ponies are thought to have worked here transporting limestone.

So horses once helped keep this place working and years later, dead horses returned for a very different reason.

Lime burning finally ended here around 1927. Today the railway has gone and nature is reclaiming the quarry, but the kilns and their rather extraordinary story remain.

📍 Location: Knowle Quarry Lime Kilns, Wenlock Edge, Shropshire
🚗 Park at Presthope Car Park, TF13 6DQ
💷 Free parking & free to visit
🥾 Follow the orange Lime Kiln Walk – approx. 0.6 miles

Did you know this story — or is the Bone Kiln new to you?
Save this one for your next Shropshire adventure.

#Shropshire #WenlockEdge #HiddenShropshire #ShropshireHistory #visitshropshire taken in National Trust Wenlock Edge by @stepbystepfrom50

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a month ago