Carding Mill Valley

The review of 2025

My yearly review of what happened to both Lenny and I, usually doing stuff together. Sometimes we undertook shenanigans and adventures separately as, apparently, we behave better when we are apart. Who knew, beagles getting together causes fun and games. Anyway, here goes.

JANUARY

The year started (and almost ended) with yours truly in the Cone of Shame. My ears were playing me up something rotten and it would take a long time to get to the bottom of the problem. We did manage to snooze an awful lot as well as have a lovely walk along toward Lady Halton from Bromfield.

FEBRUARY

We reacquainted ourselves with Ludlow in early February, followed by a trip to the Elan Valley and then topped it off with a stroll along Carding Mill Valley. In between times we snoozed and (allegedly) got under the feet of our staff. We were very lucky that the weather was kind to us in February and we enjoyed some days out and about, despite it being a bit chilly.

MARCH

As the days became longer we decided to do some adventures separately so Lenny went for wander around Wart Hill followed by a joint return visit to Carding Mill Valley. This time however we trekked along to a place called Light Spout Waterfall which was more of a trickle thanks to the lack of appreciable rain. The path was still slippery enough for some uneven footing on the part of the assistants.

APRIL

As the year stretched before us, we decided that our helpers should take us further afield so we followed our noses on a little excursion to Croft Castle which was fun. We snoozed as you would expect in between the bouts of shenanigans and exploration. Lenny decided to take his allocated human on a trip around Stokesay Wood, Sallow Coppice and back to the house. Both were somewhat tired once they reached home.

MAY

It was my birthday so I took Lenny along to Wirral Country Park to meet with Sasha and her mum. We had a great time of course. We followed that journey up with a trip to a warm and rather verdant Attingham Park near Shrewsbury. Again it was great to get out and scent somewhere. Sadly May was also a thoughtful month Curfew took her final stroll to meet all those who have passed before, over the Rainbow Bridge. There was so much sadness among the BeagleBugClub members, which was tinged with love for having known Curfew.

JUNE

Summer was here and the thermometer was rising. We slowed down, wandered about the garden, walked earlier in the morning and generally tried to be careful in the heat and humidity. Lenny did manage to get some hay bale leaping done though, in honour of Charley, Boot and Griff.

JULY

As June melted into July the temperature remained high, the walks continued to be early and snoozing was practised quite regularly. The assistants were kept busy making sure the vegetables and fruit in our garden were growing well enough to be enjoyed once they were ready. We did manage trips to Carding Mill Valley and Mortimer Forest near Ludlow. Not that Lenny looked like he enjoyed himself much.

AUGUST

The summer seemed endless. The temperature rarely dropped and the snoozing rarely stopped. Our days out were dictated by early morning shenanigans and wooded walks to avoid the heat of the midday sun. I did get a snazzy new cooling mat to keep my body temperature at a reasonable level. We also made it back to Attingham for an early morning stroll. Both Lenny and I had numerous visits to the v-e-t in August so we couldn’t really go out too often.

SEPTEMBER

The temperature cooled and the days started to shorten. Fruit and vegetables from the garden were being harvested and we started to have later walks during the day. Lenny strolled up the hill to Dinchope, I was trussed up in the Cone of Shame and we wandered around the town all the while thinking we live somewhere with nice scenery right on our doorstep.

OCTOBER

Chillier evenings were coming back into fashion, albeit with warm days allowing for us to continue our wanderings both near and far. The trees of Mortimer Forest held many scents, we managed a 10k circuit around one of the local hills and even a return trip to Carding Mill Valley. In between all of these adventures, I was at the vet more times than I care to remember.

NOVEMBER

As the clocks went back, the evenings started earlier and our log burner was lit more frequently. Lenny and I decided to surprise Sasha and her mum, who had arranged a meet-up with our friends Smudgey & Ted at Royden Park on The Wirral. The heavens opened for a few days and the field to the front of the house became the biggest duck pond. Attingham Park called to our senses once more and the mornings became misty and ethereal.

DECEMBER

The year was rounded off in some style. I was allowed out of the Cone of Shame as my ears were beginning to feel better after numerous visits to my second home, aka the vet. I must say that the vets are very nice, even though I appear to complain about them. We went for a walk up to the gliding station on top of the Long Mynd, on the recommendation of our friend Griff that we would be able to see all the way into Wales. Sadly it was so foggy that we hardly saw the paw in front of our noses. Christmas Day saw us on to of the Long Mynd via Carding Mill Valley. for the second year running it was a lovely day although somewhat breezy. We finished December with a trip to Erddig National Trust near Wrexham with five of our friends for company. It was a lovely walk, just right to round off the year.

What does 2026 hold? Don’t ask me. Lenny and I have had an excellent year, met up with so many friends, travelled quite widely and explored more locally. Hopefully we will get out and about more often in 2026 albeit with the caveat that it’s not too strenuous for an older beagle like myself. I have to be careful not to overdo stuff now that I will be 16 in May. We have again lost far too many pals over the year so we remain mindful of our mortality. Our grief over their loss is tempered by contentment that they have been friends and we are honoured to know them.

Whatever 2026 holds for you, please make sure you try to get out and about to enjoy yourselves. Be more beagle.

Early rambles

It’s a scorcher out there and I haven’t blogged for a while. There appear to have been quite a few things that have gone on in my life since I last updated anyone who will listen.

Our walks have become earlier and earlier due to the vagaries of the British summer being very hot on 7-10 days, wet and drizzly for another 7-10 days and then warming up again to the temperature of the suns core recently. As an older fur I am struggling to adjust to the heat, as well as the changes in the temperature. We aren’t stopped from going out for a walk, it just means that the well placed kidney pounce on our dad is performed much earlier than he would like. We have been near and far in our walks, exploring the lanes and fields locally as well as taking road and rail trips to far flung destinations such as Carding Mill Valley and Ludlow. Somewhat unsurprisingly the two trips on the train have deposited us, with our parentals of course, in the pubs of Church Stretton and Ludlow. We didn’t complain and nor did they as the pint of welcome ale was consumed under the shade of a large oak tree in the Kings Arms pub garden at Church Stretton. For clarity we had walked around the town first, exploring the streets and alleys before being dragged kicking and screaming into the pub for a lunchtime swift half. The Blue Boar in Ludlow was also visited so the standard of the ale could be taste tested. Also The Old Street Tavern was checked out and found to be more than reasonable. As quiet and dignified furs both Lenny and I were welcomed into all the establishments.

We then found ourselves in the car for a trip to Bishops Castle. This is where our vets is located so we watched with much trepidation as we wound our merry way along the lanes toward the town. We needn’t have worried as we were discharged from our travel prison cells, wandered around the town and then found ourselves in the Three Tuns Inn, which is not the pub for the brewery. It is actually owned by Heineken who have recently closed it for “refurbishment”. I think the trips out in the car is a ploy to get Lenny more accustomed to travelling for the future.

For a trip that didn’t include a pub, we were put into the car early one morning and found ourselves pointing north. Some 30 minutes later we parked and the discharge of the beagles took place. We had arrived at Attingham Park, near Shrewsbury. Our friend Griff had told us about this place so we did a dry run to see where it is and what it was like. We will be going back with Griff as we liked it very much. It’s very dog friendly and we saw plenty of other dogs there.

It is run by the National Trust and allows dogs to walk about for their pleasure. Some places we all need to be on leads but it was great fun.

Anyway, closer to home we have been cheered up because the farmer has cut all the hay grass in the front field outside our house. Having left it for a few days to dry out (it was very dry thanks to the heat) the farmer rolled up the grass to make excellent obstacles for beagles to sit on. Lenny needed a bit of help but he enjoyed himself. We actually found out about the hay bales from Griff’s predecessor Charley and his brother fur, Boot. They were both pictured jumping from bale to bale, ears all flapping in joyous excitement.

Beyond these shenanigans it has been life as usual. Summer is taking her toll on us, making it too hot for a daytime bimble and meaning that we are forced to try and chill out during the day, all the while having fans pointed at us to try and keep us cooled. I have just got a cooling mat which means I can now snooze with my back legs on my flat bed, have my belly on the cooling mat and my head on the tiled floor. As an older fur I am struggling quite a lot with the heat so I am lucky that the parentals keep an eye on me to make sure I’m not overheating too much as well as make sure all my 14 beds are plumped up and ready. Sometimes my cooling mat is transferred to my sofa, although this is usually accompanied with excessive eye rolling from our staff.

Finally, for now, the vegetable and fruit garden is giving up its delights gradually. We have the first and second crops of potatoes, blackcurrants and soon to be more tomatoes and lettuce. Once the chillies, peppers, apples, pears, plums, onions, spring onions, cauliflowers, leeks and Brussel Sprouts have all done their growing I think we will need some new freezers. Hopefully this weather becomes somewhat cooler so Lenny and I can get some more adventures and shenanigans under our harnesses. Watch this space.

What a cracker, second part

I would like to continue my run down of our year 2024. Lenny and I had so many fun things to do and see. Here are some of them and I apologise if I have left any out.

July

Lenny and I ensured that people behaved themselves whilst performing their civic duty at the polls. We managed not to mess about for around five to ten minutes.

We went for a climb up onto the hill at Flounders Folly and welcomed our friend River to our house. Griff came along to join in the fun too, which is always good.

Our fruit trees were starting to produce fruit which needed to grow further. We helped water them.

We were so tired after all our July exertions, we needed a lie down to recuperate.

August

The weather was warm and trips were planned. We went for a walk up to Wart Hill and we went almost into Wales when we visited Clun.

The Victoria Plums ripened on our tree and they were devoured greedily by our assistants.

We finished our month with a polite and quiet stroll around Town Brook on the Long Mynd which was great fun, if somewhat tiring for me.

September

The month started with Lenny needing to go to the vet for a blood test. They wanted to make sure he didn’t have a nasty disease so he had a blood sample taken. I felt sad for him but there was a lull in bitey face games for around 30 minutes.

We went to Llangollen to meet up with Sasha, Griff, Smudgey and Ted in the hope of going for an interesting walk across the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct. Unfortunately Lenny kept on trying to get through the railings when we were high up so we turned around and strolled along the canal itself. It was lovely, despite being somewhat soggy under paws.

Lenny and I decided we would take the assistants for a walk from Bromfield to Ludlow but we had planned it badly as the cinnamon bun cafe wasn’t open. There was much disappointment all around.

It rained, rained some more and then poured down. The flood plain did its job thankfully and the river took the flood waters away.

October

The days became cooler and the mists began to rise more often, shrouding our area in a cloak of secrecy. Lenny needed the Fingerposts to be able to navigate some days.

It rained even more than it had done in September so the flood plain and river were called into action once more. It was like a giant duck pond.

The fields in the valley stretching away toward Bromfield and Ludlow became misty and mysterious. And muddy, very muddy.

November

We decided on a trip to Carding Mill Valley in early November, just to stretch our legs and explore a new place. It was great fun.

My ear trouble flared again so I was forced to go and see the nice vet ladies who looked after me admirably. They still made me wear the Cone of Shame though.

The sun was lowering in the sky but it still managed to shine over Norton Camp whilst I was out on my walk.

And then if rain wasn’t enough it decided to snow, turning our meadow into a snow filled playground for Lenny and I. We love the snow albeit it disappeared within a few days.

December

Just to prove our assistants wrong, we proved that we could snooze together without antagonising one another. Maybe it was a brief lull in shenanigans but it was a lull. We were being watched as my time in the Cone of Shame continued.

We met with Griff for a pre-Christmas stroll from Bromfield to Ludlow and this time the cinnamon bun cafe was open. We returned via a slightly longer and different route which gave us some lovely views over the hills.

Lenny got the chance to explore slightly off-piste on Christmas Eve and he dragged his handler up onto the top of the hill so he could survey all that we would like to wander across.

And to finish we had a Christmas morning walk up onto the top of the Long Mynd. It was a wonderful quiet stroll and we enjoyed ourselves very much.

To sum up then. Wow, what a year it has been for us. Moving home again (apparently it is the last time we are moving) and having some lovely places on our doorstep is a huge bonus. We are closer to one of our best buddies who is happy to show us the places we don’t yet know about, as well as accompany us to the places we do know of. We will explore further to see what else lies beyond our current horizons. One thing is for sure though, we will try our best to enjoy ourselves.

Carding Mill Valley

This morning, at an hour far too early for Lenny, we were cajoled out of bed and into our harnesses. This usually meant there was a little trip on the cards and today proved no different. A quick patrol around the garden and we were loaded into our travel crates. Along the lane, turn right, right again, follow the road, left, right, left and then park in a steep sided valley.

Before the boot was opened we were chatting to another dog who happened to wander past with her owner. As we were trussed up and then unloaded from our crates we looked around at the beautiful colours of the hills, with the leaves on the small trees changing to a light brown and the bracken becoming browned as autumn encroached. We strolled along the road and passed a lady whose daughter had two beagles both of whom had sadly made their longest journey quite recently. We greeted the lady in true beagle fashion and were rewarded with a big smile. As we followed the road along the base of the valley, we looked up now and again to see the lovely colours of the hills stretching away into the distance.

Scents filled our noses, and wondrous sights filled our eyes. The path grew a little steeper and the tarmac gave way to gravel. I was allowed to splosh through the little brook running alongside the path so I could quench my thirst. An allegation was directed toward me that all the pulling, huffing, puffing and shouting was making me more thirsty. We turned left and strolled along a smaller stony path which led through some streams and then to stone steps. As we ascended the steps we were told to behave and not pull. This instruction was, of course, unheeded. As we got to the top of the steps there was a small reservoir in a bowl in the contours of the hill. We weren’t allowed to go for a dip sadly although Lenny seems to be allergic to puddles and water generally.

At this point there was another smaller gravel path which ran along the side of the hill but it wasn’t deemed suitable for an older beagle who has little or no idea of what “being careful” means. I think it was aimed at me but! We turned around and descended along the original path. We scented each leaf and frond, Lenny found something disgusting to eat and then we wandered along the lane back to the car.

Back at home we were released to run around the garden but we both stood and waited for the door to be opened. A beagle never forgets that a breakfast has been missed. Having eaten we went off for snoozes.

It wasn’t a long walk but we had fun, scented everything, pulled on our leads and let many people know we were in Carding Mill Valley. We are slowly finding more places to go and each time they fill us with wonder and happiness. We will return to CMV, very probably for a longer stroll.