MedSoc Moonlit Walk October 2023

I got the chance to join Mr. Brown and a few other students on a walk to the hills of the Shropshire countryside. Though it was raining earlier that day, the sky cleared up just in time for our adventure. We were each handed an LED hairband, or ‘headgear’ as we called it, and they lit up the scenery with colourful, shimmering beams of light. But the most mesmerising sight was the moon above, round and bright and golden, following our every step as we made our way up the grassy path. I will never forget the view of the whole town from above lighting up against the darkness of the night to my left side, and the shining moon with its dazzling aura to my right. As we climbed even higher, everything slowly became covered with a thin layer of fog, making the scene even more breathtakingly mysterious and picturesque. On the top of the hill, Mr. Brown gave out Halloween treats and hot drinks for everyone before we slowly made our way down again. It was not a long or adventurous walk, but nothing’s quite like a walk under a starry, moonlit night on the hills, is it?

– Eliana, 6.1

Although rain was intermittent a few hours before the moonlit walk, we were greeted with clear skies and a bright moon along with Mr Brown’s playlist of “moon” songs during the trip to Church Stretton. The hills, or as Mr Brown described, extinct volcanoes that were formed millions of years ago, oversaw the town of Church Stretton and provided us with a great view of the moon amidst the sky. It was a 20 minute drive and it was quite interesting to see how bright the moon really was as it started to ascend further into the sky.

The hike was relaxing although wind and haze started to build up the further we ascended – it felt as if we were hiking with the moon since the moon too was ascending higher and higher as we approached the peak. Upon completing the hike, Mr Brown shared Halloween themed cupcakes and hot ribena with everyone, along with stories of his past moonlit walks and adventures. At one point, everything started to clear out and the moon was at its clearest and brightest; shadows of us were visible and if you’d look at the foot of the hill, it was possible to see some colour and even a few clouds in the sky were quite evident too. The moon also outshone stars which can usually be seen at campus and constellations such as the Big Dipper were dimmer than usual. With such little light pollution, however, you can still expect to see stars but the moon is equally as fascinating as the stars.

The experience throughout felt nostalgic and funny, especially hiking with our “bright headgear” and small funny moments such as Mr Brown’s treat or treat handouts and his biology briefings during the hike. Thank you Mr Brown!!!

– Brosco, 6.1