ENGLAND 2012: Clent Hills, Blists Hill and Ironbridge

Remember when I gave you an England-trip teaser a couple weeks ago, showing you images of our Shutterchance bloggers' meet-up?  It so happens that was the next day after our Glastonbury-Cheddar Gorge day (last post). 

So, here we go again, bright and early Monday morning, with host Chris driving us first to pick up Lisl and then Chad (and car) and then Bill.  As you'll soon see, these are all important people!

It so happens that Bill, Chad and Chris are the Three Stooges of Shutterchance since 4 years ago (long story).  Astrid had visited them alone then (another long story) and had eaten bacon butties in the Clent Hills where Bill worked.  The Legend of the Bacon Butties has gotten bigger and bigger each consecutive year, to the point that it was promised I would finally get to try one this year.

 And I did!  All 6 of us did.

As bacon butties go, these are purported to be some of England's best.

You wouldn't want to eat one every day, mind you, but GOOD is an understatement!
(Bill is the one in the red shirt with black vest.)

From the bacon-buttie café, we hiked to the top of Clent Hill,
the most popular of the Clent Hills.
We needed that.

Talk about a view!
Close to a million vistors a year come to see these hills,
"making them Worcestershire's most popular non-paying attraction."

There are Four Stones at the top of Clent Hill from the 1750s related to Lord Lyttelton.
But it's the Three Stooges that matter to us:  Chad, Bill and Chris (bottom center).
You may remember that Chad and Chris have been friends since childhood in Bath
(from my post on Bath last year).

We could have gone home right then and there.

But no, we were just getting started....

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From Clent Hills, we were off to Ironbridge to meet up with fellow Shutterchancers at the Blists Hill Victoria Town.  

 Remember the Baker's Dozen?  That's Lisl in the top-left corner.

And the video of what fun we had?!

But THIS was the setting of this open-air museum, recreating the "sights, sounds and smells

of a Victorian Shropshire town in the late 19th and early 20th centuries."

All complete with period dress!  I love these reenactments.

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And because we were in Ironbridge, after all, our original group of 6, like when we started out the day at Clent Hills, ended the day visiting the bridge for which the city is named.

 This iron bridge happens to be the first arch bridge made of cast iron ever built in the whole wide world.

Construction began in 1775 and is now open only to pedestrian traffic.  

 Standing on the iron bridge, you have a great vantage point from which to see the Ironbridge village
and the Ironbridge gorge.  Population around 2500.
And that's where we ate one of England's specialties:  steak pies!

From bacon butties to steak pies...with lots of blogger camaraderie in between.  How can you beat that!