Regeneration at Alveley

The Severn Valley Country Park straddles the river, linking the former coal-mining communities of Alveley and Highley. Alveley Colliery Bridge, a footbridge known locally as Miners' Bridge, provides the physical linkage, enabling walkers to cross from one side to another. Both Alveley and Highley have a long history of mineral extraction. Quarrying was important in the beginning, especially at Alveley, but coal mining began in the Middle Ages at Highley. It was 1935 before a shaft was sunk at Alveley, but not very long after that the mine became uneconomic. It closed in 1969, leaving high unemployment and a ruined landscape. Natural regeneration began at once, with pioneer species such as silver birch recolonising the fertile soils. Meanwhile, an industrial estate was built to provide jobs for some of the miners, while others found work in Bridgnorth or Kidderminster.

Once the industrial estate was established, a landscape reclamation scheme was launched in 1988, to give a helping hand to the natural process. The transformation of the post-industrial landscape has been so successful that it's hard to believe that the woods, meadows, ponds and wetlands of the country park have replaced a scene of spoil heaps and dereliction. The site has cultural significance too, and every year a Miners' Memories Day is held at the visitor centre. Ex-miners meet up to share their memories and perhaps to marvel at the changes. Well dressing and tree dressing have recently been introduced to the park in an attempt to re-establish traditional rural customs which can foster a sense of involvement with both landscape and community.

There are waymarked trails within the country park, but it also acts as a gateway to other footpaths in the Severn Valley. Tow paths run along both banks of the river, but Alveley is also at the heart of a superb network of green lanes, many of them deeply sunken after generations of use. Some use stream beds, which occupy dingles carved out by tributaries of the Severn. Though they're often dry underfoot in summer, all are tree-hung, fern-filled refuges for wildlife. The Severn is no Amazon, yet there are places where you could almost believe yourself to be on the fringe of some great rainforest as you follow centuries-old footpaths threading their mossy way through high-banked dingles extravagantly clothed in layers of fern. Holly, ash and wild cherry meet overhead, casting a soft green shade in which delicate wild flowers such as wood sorrel and wood anemone flourish in spring.

What to look for

When you reach Point 4 in this walk you will have arrived at an ancient crossroads that is marked by the enigmatic Butter Cross. Its sandstone shaft is topped by a round head with a Maltese cross carved on both faces. Nobody knows what it signifies or even how old it is. One suggestion is that it marked the site of a medieval market.

Where to eat and drink

There is a drinks machine at the visitor centre and other refreshments are sometimes available. The well-stocked shop in Alveley village is next to the Three Horseshoes, which claims to be Shropshire's oldest pub (1406). The friendly Lion at Hampton Loade serves home-cooked food, while the equally friendly River and Rail opened only in 2001. It offers drinks (including tea and coffee), snacks and meals all day, from noon till late, with good veggie choices. Dogs are welcome in the large garden/paddock.

While you're there

The Severn Valley Railway operates a full steam-hauled service from May to the end of September and a reduced service the rest of the year. The stations are beautifully kept - the nearest to Alveley are Highley and Hampton Loade, one reached by the Miners' Bridge, the other by the only surviving cable ferry operating on the Severn. Country Park Halt is even closer and was opened recently to allow easy access to the country park by train.