Pilsbury Castle & Sheen Hill

This outcrop marks the outer boundary of Pilsbury Castle

This week we returned to Staffordshire to look around Pilsbury Castle. We spotted it from the top of Sheen Hill during last weeks walk and thought it would be work a peek.
We parked in a lay by we had seen last week which is just at the foot of Sheen Hill. The Sun briefly  broke through the autumn mist making a lovely warm glow. It was just a short walk down the road to the footpath then it was a downhill jaunt until we got to a small footbridge over the river Dove. There was a ford just beside it which must have been used in previous centuries.
From the river the track snaked up to Pilsbury and then to the remains of the castle. We took a few pics and noticed the BROKEN SPECTRE which is quite rare.We carried on and eventually crossed the river Dove via some stepping stones. From here we passed a gorgeous farmhouse C1750 Whitle Farm and then it was a slog uphill back up to the road. Rob & Ike carried on to the car while Geoff and myself made a detour to revisit the top of Sheen Hill and this week we saw what we would have seen last week if the weather had been better.

Sunrise through the mist

Sheen Hill basking in the warm early sunlight.

Sheen hill'. The land rises from 711 ft. (271 m.) at Hulme End in the south-west corner to 1,116 ft. (340 m.) at Knowsley in the north on the ridge forming Sheen moor. The ridge has a steep escarpment to the Dove on the east, but the land falls less steeply to the Manifold on the west. Sheen Hill at the south end of the ridge rises to 1,247 ft. (380 m.). It is the uppermost of a series of hard bands of sandstone, known as the Sheen Beds, in the Millstone Grit which underlies the parish.

Rob waiting for the rest of us to catch up

Fantastic engineers these spiders.

Sheep grazing on the hillside

I reckon these spiders must be on piecework

Footbridge over the Upper River Dove

Ancient track from the river ford up to Pilsbury

Sunlight breaking through the mist

Part of Pilsbury Castle

This is how the castle used to look like.

A shot from the top of Pilsbury outcrop with Sheen Hill in the distance

That's my shadow on the mist its known as the BROKEN SPECTRE.
A Brocken spectre (German Brockengespenst), also called Brocken bow or mountain spectre, is the apparently enormous and magnified shadow of an observer, cast upon the upper surfaces of clouds opposite the sun. The phenomenon can appear on any misty mountainside or cloud bank

 

Shot from Pilsbury outcrop looking towards Parkhouse Hill in the distance

Ike & Geoff with sheep on the Pilsbury Outcrop

Sheep on Pilsbury Outcrop

Parkhouse Hill

Still a bit of mist hanging around

This is yet another set of stepping stones over the river Dove

Geoff with Whitle Farm behind

Geoff 

The site of Pilsbury Castle

Pilsbury Castle is an 11th century earthwork motte and triple bailey fortress, probably founded by Henry de Ferrers. The large flat-topped motte, is encased by a wide ditch and the eastern bailey, is defended by a steep-sided limestone reef, which is crowned by an unusual high outcrop and the foundations of a narrow, rubble wall. The southern bailey which has been damaged by ploughing, is defended by a low encasing rampart and ditch. Standing against the flood plain of the River Dove, by the end of the 12th century the castle had probably been abandoned.

View from Sheen Hill

Geoff at Sheen Hill Trig point

View from Sheen Hill

Jim at Sheen Hill Trig point

View from Sheen Hill

View from Sheen Hill

Geoff climbing back over the gate after coming down from Sheen Hill

 This was a cracking walk, started out cool in the misty conditions but quickly warmed up when the Sun came through, the coats soon came off and got packed away. This walk was 4 1/2 miles and apart from the lady at Whitle Farm we never saw another person. We had a quick drink and snack at the car before we set off back home.
See you next week
Cheers