We are the Telford & East Shropshire Ramblers. We open the way for everyone in our local community to enjoy the pleasures of walking.
A wander around four nature reserves at the top of the Ironbridge Gorge above the Severn, to enjoy seeing the colourful wild orchids, wildflower meadows and beautiful panoramas across Shropshire. Numbers of common and spotted orchids can vary between hundreds and thousands, depending on the weather, however, in the third week of June as many as 5,000 have been counted in Lodge Field alone in previous record years. Rarer species such as bee orchids and marsh orchids might be seen on this walk too. We visit Lodge Field and Beeches Field Local Nature Reserves and also Rough Park LNR, where wildflower meadows and marshes have been created on rewilded pit mounds with associated grassland and marsh edge flowers. From the tops of all these reserves are wonderful viewpoints. We then wander through woods to the top of the Rotunda. Although the woodland wildflowers are now past their peak in the Lincoln Hill SSSI, the views from here down across the Gorge to Ironbridge and Coalbrookdale are rightly renowned. there are optional drinks and food after the walk in one of the oldest pubs in this part of Shropshire.
We start and end the walk from outside the Golden Ball PH above Ironbridge. There is a small car parking layby opposite the pub, but parking is very limited, so you may wish to car share or use the bus. Bring a drink and snack but no packed lunch is needed as this is a relatively short morning walk. Drinks and food are optional at a social get together in the pub afterwards, in which case you can park in the far corner of the pub car park. Please let the leader know if you would like to eat something at the pub after the walk so she can let the landlady know. This is a dog friendly walk and a dog friendly pub, dogs on leads are welcome, but you must ask the leader first if you wish to bring your dog on any of our walks.
Meet car park entrance Golden Ball Inn, Wesley Road, Ironbridge, TF8 7PF opposite the small layby car park area
