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South Shropshire Hills Clun Forest B&B Accommodation for Walkers & Cyclists |
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Footpaths Shropshire Way Offas Dyke Kerry Ridgeway Long Mynd Stiperstones Bury Ditches
For those who like more serious walking, there is Offa’s Dyke path and innumerable other footpaths and bridleways over the top or along the valleys. Within an easy drive you have the Long Mynd to the north east and half the hills of Wales to the west. Restless visitors can even jump into their cars and drive to the sea-side for the day. For gentler strolls there are country lanes and Forestry Commission roads.
In the last quarter of the eighth century, Offa, the powerful king of Mercia and overlord of the greater part of England, constructed a great dyke to mark out the western boundary of his kingdom and to control incursions from Wales. Twelve hundred years later this great linier earthwork, the longest in Britain, became the inspiration for a long distance footpath traversing the border country of England and Wales for 170 miles from Sedbury Cliffs on the river Severn to Prestatyn near the estuary of the Dee. The Offa's Dyke Path, a National Trail funded by the Countryside Commission generously signed and waymarked throughout, was opened in July 1971. The nearby market town of Knighton (town on the dyke) has a centre dedicated to Offa's Dyke. The walk northwards boasts some of the highest and steepest terrain along its whole length with breathtaking views all around.
This is Shropshires own long distance footpath. It meanders and winds its way around the county for 172 miles taking in all the finest walking country, but also providing a linking route between the more popular spots. It is well marked throughout by its distinctive flying-buzzard badges fixed to the majority of the signposts. It crosses and merges with several other well known local footpaths such as Offa's Dyke, Kerry Ridgeway and the Jack Mytton Way. Throughout its length it takes in well known land marks such as the Long Mynd, Stiperstones, Clun, Bury Ditches, Hopesay Hill, Stokesay Castle, Ludlow and the CleeHills. It also incorporates the ridge of the Wenlock Edge to the Ironbridge Gorge then onto the Wrekin.
West of Bishop's Castle, the hills become higher and more numerous. This is sheep country. The Kerry Ridgeway; the ancient route to Montgomery and beyond, overlooks Churchstoke and the Camlad valley. The route of the drovers' road is marked by frequent plantings of groups of Pines.
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The
Bury Ditches hillfort, near Lydbury North in Shropshire, dates
from the 1st millennium B.C. and is considered to be one of the
finest hillforts in Britain. The hillfort is on Forestry
Commission land so it is freely accessible to members of the
public, with a car park close by. This walk takes you round the
fort, enabling you to see some of its archaeological features.
In the 1970's the hillfort was really revealed for the first
time, following a number of winter storms that removed many of
the trees from the top of the hill. On reaching the top there is a fibre-glass relief map and sign
giving an outlined history of this scheduled Iron Age Hill Fort
monument. On the highest point of a lane that
connects Brocton
The Long Mynd
lies off the B4370 through the
Church Stretton Valley and is in the heart of the Shropshire hills.
It is half way between Ludlow and Shrewsbury and half way
between Brown Clee and the Welsh Border. The Mynd offers walks
to suit most ages and conditions. There are over
There is a picnic and car-parking site at the
Bog that was once a small lead mining community. Stiperstones
itself is an area of extensive moorland. Although the climbs are
not very steep the paths are strewn with boulders making it
rough terrain for the walker. Because of the wildness of the
surroundings
