110 



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THE LONGMYND HILLS. 



Friday, August 19, 1870. 



A friendly meeting of the Woolhope and Caradoc Field Clubs took 

 place on Friday last in the beautiful valley of Church Stretton. A more 

 interesting trysting place could scarcely be found. The narrow valley itself is 

 rich and fertile, and the surrounding hills afford a fine field for botanical, 

 geological, and archaeological research. On one side are those bold hills Ragleath, 

 Lawley, and Caer Caradoc, whose lofty and precipitous sides are surmounted by 

 entrenchments which tradition attributes to Caractacus ; and on the other side the 

 valley is closed in by the fine range of the Longmynd hills, which it was the 

 object of the day to explore. 



The members of the Caradoc Club met their visitors at the station, and 

 under the guidance of George Cocking, Esq. , the route was taken from the railway 

 station over the line and along the ancient Watling-street-road leading to 

 "VTroxeter (Uriconium, the principal city of the Cornarvii) to Kenchester (Magna 

 castra) near Hereford. The little cluster of " Strettons," or "Street-towns" 

 derive their namea from their proximity to this old Roman road. On the 

 present occasion it was followed for about a mile and a half to Little Stretton in 

 pleasant discourse on things in general, and science in particular, with stoppings 

 here and there, now to admire the scenery ; now to discuss the formation and 

 contents of a gravel-hed exposed by a railway cutting ; or again to listen to a few 

 remarks by the Rev. J. D. La Touche on the general contour of the Longmynd 

 hills as resulting from glacial action, in illustration of the paper he was about to 

 read «m their summit. 



At Little Stretton a Wych Elm on the road attracted attention. It was 

 a fine luxuriant tree, and at fire feet from the ground it measured 14ft. 2in. in 

 circumference. 



