“a delightful ramble through the town, woods, local nature reserves and across open spaces”
The best breakfast of the trip set me up for the day.
A well marked route, often shared with the Shropshire Way, takes me through Wellington centre, where I duck down Ten Tree Croft, where cloth was hung in the C18th (tenter) and eventually into Dothill nature reserve. There are extensive woodlands and two lakes. It is dog walking territory. Some of the trees have identification plaques, and it turns out there are 50 of these. I don’t think I can recognise 50 trees. I do a loop around the second lake before another housing estate. Wouldn’t it be good to have the time to follow the whole 50 tree trail.
The path leading to Apley is hemmed in by the dreaded developer’s fencing;. “It was all green fields last year,” a passing couple tell me.
Entering the grounds of the former Apley Hall, one immediately notices the variety of trees that must have been planted in the estate’s heyday. The pool is closed to fishing due to an infestation with blue-green algae. Several other pools passed this week are in a similar situation.
One of the reasons to complete this northern loop was to see the famous Yew Avenue. I will soon turn down into it for a wonderful view. I don’t know it’s age, but halfway down is one very old yew.
I join the Silkin Way, for the last time, a lovely avenue of limes, and some juicy blackberries..
I almost catch a bus back from near here but persist with the convoluted route through housing estates into the centre of Wellington, with a view up to the Ercall and Wrekin at the end. .
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I have time to spare so go in search of that little middle-eastern café, Dina. I enjoy a bowl of lentil soup and a delicious falafel/salad wrap for the princely sum of £4. To top it off I go next door to ‘Spoons’, The William Withering, for a £1.79 pint of Ruddles. Luxury. 
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Well that has been a great mini trip. Good to get away for the first time this year. The Telford T50 is a well thought out trail, obviously devised by locals who know the area and the best bits. The guide book is excellent for background information and precise navigation. Waymarking was excellent. There were more ups and downs than I expected. I did about 7,000 ft in the 48 miles I actually walked.
All the joined up green spaces in the vicinity of Telford make the walk feel rural for 90% of the time. Passing through one doesn’t catch much of the wild life that must be thriving here. A good blueprint for new towns, we should have more of them rather than the haphazard new developments plaguing our rural areas.
As for history this trail has so much, almost too much, industrial heritage. Everywhere there are detailed information boards to explain that history. And if you have taken to the area, as I was, there so many other interesting trails to discover.
