Inaugural Mid-ARS walk

Yesterday saw the first-ever Mid-ARS walk from Bishops Castle, a successful innovation which was superbly organised by Chris and Jackie Stringer.

The Audlem Ramblers Society (ARS) decided earlier this year to introduce mid-distance walks into their programme in those months with five Saturdays in addition to the monthly Short- and Long-ARS walks.

Yesterday's walk was well attended and saw perfect walking weather for the 8.1 mile expedition from Bishops Castle in deepest Shropshire, an area of glorious country looking at its very best at this time of year.

It was a a linear walk and Jackie had even left a car at the finishing point earlier in the morning before walking back to Bishops Castle and joining the others so, in her case, enjoying a Long-ARS walk. This enabled the drivers to return to the starting point while the rest enjoyed a relaxing break at Bury Ditches where some also went off to explore one of the best-preserved hill forts in the country.

As the group assembled earlier at Bishops Castle, the most senior member of ARS present, the secretary, declined in his well-established style to give a speech to commemorate this inaugural addition to ARS's programme.

The walk was enlivened by sightings of roe deer and two red kites and was later declared by all to have been a resounding success.

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