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Hillwalking in Shropshire

32 hill and country walks

ISBN

9781852848071

Availability

Published

16 Sept 2016

Reprinted

31 Jan 2022

Edition

First

Pages

192

Size

17.20 x 11.60 x 1.35cm

Weight

220g

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Guidebook to 32 walking routes in Shropshire in the West Midlands. The routes range from 3 miles (5km) to 12 miles (19km), taking in highlights such as The Wrekin, Wenlock Edge, Long Mynd and Stiperstones, Castle Ring and Bury Ditches. Many routes start near delightful towns and villages including Church Stretton, Ludlow and Bishops Castle.

Seasons

All the routes can be done in all seasons, with Autumn being best for those in woodland. August, when the heather is out, is best for Stiperstones and the Long Mynd.

Centres

Llanymynech, Telford, Church Stretton, Craven Arms, Clun, Ludlow, Bridgnorth and Much Wenlock

Difficulty

Shropshire's summits are generally easy to climb. Being such a fertile county its low level paths can become overgrown in Summer. Lightweight boots are the best footwear and if you're wearing shorts, take make sure you have waterproof trousers to protect your legs from nettles and dew covered long grasses.

Must See

The volcanic peaks of Stiperstones and Caer Caradoc, steep-sided, crag-fringed Batches of the Long Mynd, numerous Iron and Bronze Age hilltop forts, and charming little towns and villages with half-timbered buildings and fascinating historical heritage make Shropshire a hillwalkers paradise.

ISBN

9781852848071

Availability

Published

16 Sept 2016

Reprinted

31 Jan 2022

Edition

First

Pages

192

Size

17.20 x 11.60 x 1.35cm

Weight

220g

Overview

A guidebook to 32 day walks in Shropshire, exploring the hills, outcrops, rivers and towns of this beautiful county. The routes are graded according to difficulty, ensuring there is something for all levels of fitness and experience, and the majority are located within the Shropshire Hills National Landscape.

The walks range from 5–22km (3–14 miles) in length and can be completed in between 2 and 8 hours. They are arranged geographically, mostly falling in the area bounded by Shrewsbury, Bridgnorth, Ludlow and Welshpool.

1:50,000 OS maps reproduced at 1:40,000 for greater clarity
GPX files available to download
Details of terrain, refreshments and public transport for each walk
Information given on local geology and wildlife
Includes accommodation listings arranged by area
Easy access from Birmingham, Oswestry and Manchester

Table of Contents

Map key

Overview map

Introduction

Shropshire geology (by Ronald Turnbull)

History

Plants and wildlife

Getting there

Getting around

When to go

Bases for the Shropshire hills

Maps and GPS

Safety

Using this guide

The walks

Walk 1 Llanfair Hill and Offa’s Dyke

Walk 2 Knighton, Cwm-sanaham Hill and Offa’s Dyke

Walk 3 Mary Knoll and Ludlow

Walk 4 Titterstone Clee Hill

Walk 5 The Bury Ditches

Walk 6 Burrow Fort and Hopesay Hill

Walk 7 Norton Camp and Stokesay Castle

Walk 8 Callow Hill and Flounders Folly

Walk 9 Brown Clee Hill and Stanbroughs Wood

Walk 10 Brown Clee Hill and Clee Liberty

Walk 11 High Rock, Bridgnorth and the River Severn

Walk 12 Bromlow Callow and Mitchell’s Fold

Walk 13 Nipstone Rock

Walk 14 Stiperstones

Walk 15 Snailbeach and the Castle Ring fort

Walk 16 Norbury Hill from Wentnor

Walk 17 Minton Hill and the Packet Stone

Walk 18 Adstone Hill

Walk 19 Pole Bank and Devil’s Mouth

Walk 20 The Long Mynd and Ragleth Hill

Walk 21 Caer Caradoc

Walk 22 The Long Mynd skyline

Walk 23 Plush Hill, the Batch and Castle Hill

Walk 24 Ridges Three, Hope Bowdler Hill,
Caer Caradoc and the Lawley

Walk 25 The Lawley

Walk 26 Hope Bowdler Hill from Cardington

Walk 27 The Betchcott Hills and Duckley Nap

Walk 28 Much Wenlock and the Wenlock Edge

Walk 29 Earl’s Hill

Walk 30 The Wrekin

Walk 31 The Ironbridge Gorge

Walk 32 Llanymynech Hill and Llynclys Common

Appendix A Route summary table

Appendix B Accommodation

Appendix C Useful contacts

Updates

October 2023

Walk 8 Callow Hill and Flounders Folly

Author’s Note October 2023: The eight years since the route was first written has seen the forestry tracks reduced to narrow paths by growing trees and thick vegetation. Many of the unused tracks are not now obvious on the ground making the previous description superfluous and the right of way shown on current maps as mentioned in the previous text, does correspond to the lines shown on the map.

P61 para 2

On entering Strefford Wood the gradients steepen. On reaching a hollow with a path crossing ignore a muddy path climbing through a deep cutting and instead follow a parallel one a few yards to the left (Note; Not the slimy wider track 20m to the left). This starts uncertainly but soon becomes clear as it takes you on an embankment overlooking the main path. As the cutting ends the routes join forces and the going gets easier, raking up to the top of Wenlock Edge. Leave the edge path for a pleasant hedge-lined farm track on the right. This eventually joins the tarred access lane from Moorwood Farm, which in turn leads to a country lane with a triangular grassy island. Turn right towards the afforested Callow Hill. At the first corner leave the lane to go straight ahead on a forestry road – there’s a Flounder’s Folly information sign here.

P62 Para 1

Not far up the track there’s a crossroads of tracks. Go straight ahead on the track that then rakes half left uphill. Ignore the left fork bridleway but stay with the main track, which is crowded by birch, beech, rowan, ash and sycamore. Near the top of the ridge it doubles back right – now raspberries, elders and bramble are added to the rampant vegetation so there’ll be plenty of nourishing berries in the summer. The stone tower of Flounder’s Folly appears suddenly as you go through the gate at its foot. There are superb views and lots of seating to enjoy them.

Continue on a narrow path through the trees then go left through a kissing gate to follow the edge. The right of way shown on the map as descending into Callowhill Plantation does not exist on the ground but there’s a waymarked path just beyond wooden duckboards and railings at SO 459 849 that replaces it. The path down through the forest is signed with light blue Flounders Folly signs and waymarker arrows that don’t correspond to the right of way marked on current maps. The narrow path angles back right then, at another waymarker post, descends steeply left in steps to reach a forestry track path, which will zig zag down to the bottom of the plantation. Many of the marked forest tracks are now overgrown and will not be noticed.

Turn left along the bottom path, which is currently narrow and overgrown.

December 2021

2021 reprint route updates

807 Reprint 2021 (3.953 MB)

July 2021

22 The Long Mynd Skyline

P125/6

The following paragraph should say left, and not right.

Stay with the valley path ignoring paths to both left and right. The path passes to the left of the most northerly visible earthwork section of Cross Dyke, a Bronze Age border. Beyond this the valley becomes shallow and the path narrows and fades into the grass. Leave the hollow on a path at SO 443967 that has come down the hillsides to the left. This angles back right to join and turn left along another path with the fields of High Park not far to the right. The path in turn joins a wide grass track running parallel to the field edge. Take the less prominent right fork track at SO 439 967, where the track gets closest to the fields.

July 2020

Corrections

Walk 5 Bury Ditches

Page 46, para 1

Should read eastern edge not western

Page 47, para 1

Should read western end not eastern

January 2020

2020 reprint route updates

807 Hillwalking in Shropshire 2020 (8.541 MB)

May 2018

Correction

On page 16, 164 and 166 the book states that Thomas Telford designed the Ironbridge. It should have read Thomas Farnolls Pritchard drew up the original designs for the Ironbridge under the instructions of Abraham Darby III. The bridge was finished after Pritchard’s death.

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By John Gillham

John Gillham has been a professional writer, illustrator and photographer since 1989. His first book was Snowdonia to the Gower: a Coast-to-Coast Walk Across Highest Wales. He also pioneered three other long-distance routes: Lakeland to Lindisfarne, Pennine Ways and the Bowland–Dales Traverse, all of which were published in book form. John’s recent books include The Pictorial Guides to the Mountains of Snowdonia Volumes 1–4, Best Day Walks in Snowdonia and the AA Leisure Guide to Wales. John writes for several outdoor publications, and two of his books have won the Outdoor Writers & Photographers Guild Award for Excellence.

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