I took the opportunity to re-visit the Stiperstones in Shropshire a few weeks ago. I’d been before and took what I think were a nice series of photos, only in a moment of what can only be described as ‘stupidity’, I formatted my memory card before uploading them anywhere. Not my finest hour. But, a lesson learnt - always back up, always double check before deleting!

This most recent visit, whilst sharing the same rainy atmosphere was about 10 times as windy! It looks pretty nice and peaceful in some of the photos, but I’ve never experienced such windy conditions. At one point I was actually kept on my feet by the severe gale blowing against my back when I ended up losing footing on my way down the rock formations. So, thanks wind, I owe you one.

According to Wiki -

The Stiperstones is a distinctive hill in the county of Shropshire, England. The quartzite rock of the ridge formed some 480 million years ago. During the last Ice Age Stiperstones lay on the eastern margin of the Welsh ice sheet. The hill itself was not glaciated though glaciers occupied surrounding valleys and it was subject to intense freezing and thawing which shattered the quartzite into a mass of jumbled scree surrounding several residual rocky tors.[1] At 536 metres (1,759 ft) above sea level it is the second-highest hill in the county, surpassed only by Brown Clee Hill (540 metres (1,772 ft)). Stiperstones' 8-kilometre (5 mi) summit ridge is crowned by several jagged outcrops of rock, which may be seen silhouetted against the sky.
The general area has a long history of lead mining, most notably during the Roman occupation of Britain. Several pigs of lead have been found nearby, and the tradition continued into Victorian times.

The area around the Stiperstones is rich in myths and folklore relating to the rocks of the Devil's Chair. According to one legend, the ghost of Wild Edric, a Saxon earl who held lands that were confiscated after 1066 and successfully defied the Normans, for a time at least, rides the hills whenever England is threatened by invasion.

Aside from the incredibly blustery conditions and the spitting, cold (surprisingly painful) rain, there were frequent breaks in the cloud where the sun lit up the land through the atmospheric haze. I look forward to visiting again in the future.

All photos of the Stiperstones were taken in Shropshire by Luke Bennett.

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