Today our 1, 3 and 5 year olds climbed to the top of a local "mountain" known as The Wrekin. It is considered the highest point in the area, perhaps the inspiration for J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle Earth, and could have been created by a giant according to local legend. I have left you more info at the bottom of this post for you avid readers/historians/random fact lovers.
We had an absolutely gorgeous day in Telford and decided that we could attempt the Wrekin. Zach strapped on our newly acquired, pre-loved backpack and made the long trek with Sully on his back. We packed a picnic lunch and enjoyed the views from the top. I think the pics say it all.
Almost There: This was our 3/4 point. We had a great view overlooking Shropshire (including Wellington and Admaston). Zach and I couldn't believe a 3 year old had climbed so high. We thought on his first hike we might have turned back by this point. However, Desmond proved us all wrong. He is forever our little tortoise, but it just goes to show that slow and steady wins the race.
Hilltop Moment: The hilltop has two markers and we took photo opts at both of them. Sierra was so excited to have climbed the mountain twice and wanted to make it a goal to get to the top 10 times. The kids were also happy to sit down and rest (and EAT!). We had a picnic lunch with this view. Not bad for a Saturday!
Downhill Stretch: We were so excited to be finally walking downhill. Sullivan was overjoyed to get a short break from the backpack and hiked the first leg down.
Sierra's Fav. Spot: For some reason, Sierra's favorite spot is a mini mountain just before the top of The Wrekin. We stopped and got pictures on the way down. I think it also might have something to do with the view.
All in all a fantastic afternoon outing with the family!
For more fun info about The Wrekin keep reading:
The Wrekin is perhaps Shropshire’s best known landmark, a curious legendary hill that, from this way it looks like a mountain, and that way, it crouches low. From the top you can see fifteen counties.
It has been suggested that the Wrekin may have been the inspiration for J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle Earth in the acclaimed series of books 'The Lord of the Rings, although this is subject to some debate.Tolkien lived in the West Midlands and visited the magnificent
Shropshire landscape frequently.
The Wrekin dominates the view of
Telford and
Ironbridge, being 1335 ft tall and who would have guessed that Shropshire folk-lore tells us it was built by a giant who took a dislike to
Shrewsbury.
The Giant in question was a Welshman who dug a spadeful of soil and planned to dump it into the river severn, flooding the town.
However, whilst slogging across the Shropshire hills, this giant lost his bearings and having only got as far as Wellington stopped for a rest. Sitting on the roadside he called out to a passing cobbler trying to find the direction to
Shrewsbury. He told the cobbler he was going to flood the town.
The cobbler, a quick thinking business man, thought for a moment and realized if the giant flooded
Shrewsbury, he’d lose all his customers.
The cobbler quickly emptied his sack of worn out shoes onto the roadside and told the giant that he’d worn these shoes out himself coming from
Shrewsbury.
The giant, thinking better of his plan then decided to forget about
Shrewsbury and go home instead.
The Giant dumped his spadeful of soil on the roadside, and then scraped his boots clean with his spade.
The mound of earth became the Wrekin and the smaller hill where he scraped his boots became the Ercall.
taken from: https://www.shropshiretourism.co.uk/telford/wrekin/
