It was 1933 and Magdalene Weale was faced with a dilemma. How to best explore her beloved English countryside? A motor car was denounced for its lack of involvement with the landscape. The bicycle, a "useful vehicle," was nonetheless ruled out as it restricted the traveler to much the same view afforded from a car. Plus walking allowed only a limited degree of rural investigation. It seemed logical therefore to set out on horseback What better way to do justice to the glorious "Highlands of Shropshire" or experience a sense of wild freedom than from the back of a saddle? A picturesque part of England steeped in legend, Weale discovered that Shropshire hosted ancient stone circles once frequented by sun worshipping primitives, Roman ruins close to their still tightly cobbled roads, and the remains of Saxon, Norman and Viking settlements. "Through the Highlands of Shropshire" is also full of natural beauty with page after page revealing the poetic observations of flora and fauna, birds and wildlife, as seen from the back of Weale's ambling mare, Sandy. Part historical account, part Edwardian remembrance, it invokes a gentle, softer world inhabited by gracious country lairds, wise farmers, and jolly inn keepers. Complete with pencil drawings and detailed maps, this fine little book begs the reader to follow Weale's advice. "Go thou and do likewise."
