Saturday the 17th October turned out to be one of those golden autumn days that make you glad you ventured outdoors. Ten of us gathered at Shropshire Wildlife Trusts’ Hope Valley Reserve, easing ourselves into the morning after a surprisingly tricky car-parking puzzle. With a bit of shuffling, reversing and good-natured laughter, every car eventually found its place and we set off up the trail.
The sunshine filtered through the trees, lighting up little pockets of colour in the canopy and along the path. Before long, the woodland made itself known through birdsong: the soft calls of long-tailed tits in a mixed flock with the more deliberate notes of the confident marsh tit and the unmistakable presence of a nuthatch tapping above us. A gentle concert for the group.
Fungi were out in force too, a perfect time of year to see them starting to poke through the leaf litter. We spotted sulphur tuft, their yellow caps glowing against the darker bark. A little further on some magnificent giant funnels stood like pale woodland sculptures, some staghorn fungus shining brightly under the pines and later, on the other side of the reserve the mysterious chocolate button shapes of black bulgar on fallen logs.
The walk wound on at an easy pace, full of conversation, shared discoveries, fantastic views and that quiet contentment that comes from being surrounded by nature. By the time we looped back to the car park, the sun was still shining and everyone wore the same relaxed smile – the kind you get from a simple, good morning outdoors.
