The legacy of industry is still to be seen on Brown Clee, which is the tallest peak in Shropshire.

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All is quiet now but this was once the site of the highest coalfield in England, where limestone and dhustone were also extracted.

I parked at the picnic spot near Ditton Priors before dawn and walked up through woodland in near total darkness, with only the whistling of the wind in the trees to accompany me.

I stood on Abdon Burf - the higher of Brown Clee’s two summits - and watched the sun come up over abandoned buildings that once echoed with the shouts and sounds of industry.

At one time quarrying formed the main income of the area, and people would walk from as far afield as Bridgnorth and Ludlow to put in a gruelling day’s work before heading back home again.

Different days indeed, and not so very long ago either.