Saturday 15th August 2026
11 of us gathered in the car park next to the motte and bailey castle ruins in Pulverbatch and as we all got ourselves ready, a large flock of linnet could be seen swirling in the skies above us and occasionally landing in nearby trees. The earthwork remains of the castle were golden brown, like most of the Shropshire landscape following several consecutive heatwaves and weeks without any rain. Refreshingly, the temperature had dropped for the first time in ages and with the unusual sight of cloud cover we left the car park to explore the surrounding area. None of the group were particularly familiar with a possible walking route, so we headed off west along a track to see what we could find.
Walking along the track we spotted Musk Mallow still in flower which brought a lovely splash of colour. Just off the track we stopped to explore a pond, hoping for some interesting wildlife, but as it was being utilised by livestock, and it didn’t have much to offer – just some Ivy-leaved Crowfoot (Ranunculus hederaceus) flowering, Pondweed (Potamogeton) and lots of Sweet-grass (Glyceria). Further up the track a south facing bank had the remains of Smith’s Pepperwort (Lepidium heterophyllum) and lots of Squirreltail Fescue (Vulpia bromoides). The group explored an abandoned building with a fantastic view, and a wall butterfly was spotted resting on the ruins.
Walking on the roadside towards Huglith wood, the dragonflies were out hawking their territories, but they were just too quick to work out what species. The sun appeared and as the group entered Huglith Woods we saw a few different butterfly species including Speckled Wood, Large White, Small White, Common Blue and Small Copper. There were quite a few fallen trees across the main track in the woodland, but that didn’t stop us making our way through to the other side. Exploring the old office building and the lesser horseshoe bat mitigation site on the way through. The woodland track was covered in flowering Red Bartsia (Odontites vernus).
Walking up the track past Huglith Farm we started to make our way back to Pulverbatch passing an intricate tree clinging on to the exposed rockface. With lovely views on the way up the hill, we saw a hovering Kestrel and a hunting Sparrowhawk. It was an enjoyable walk and fun exploring new path networks together.
