Walking the Shropshire Way. John Gillham

      

      About the Author

      John Gillham was born in Bournemouth, Dorset but now lives with his wife Nicola in Hoddlesden, a small village in the West Pennine Moors.

      John has been a full-time professional writer, illustrator and photographer since 1989. His first book, Snowdonia to the Gower: A Coast to Coast Walk Across Highest Wales, has been described as one of the classic books on Wales. He also pioneered three other long-distance routes: Lakeland to Lindisfarne, Pennine Ways (an alternative Pennine Way) 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, the AA’s Leisure Guide Wales, and Cicerone’s The Cumbria Way and Hillwalking in Shropshire.

      John writes regularly for The Great Outdoors (TGO) and has written occasionally for Dalesman, Cumbria Magazine and Lakeland Walker. He has written and contributed to many AA publications. He has twice won Outdoor Writers & Photographers Guild Award for Excellence, firstly for his guidebook Best Day Walks in Snowdonia and secondly for the outdoor book Coast-to-Coasting (with Ronald Turnbull).

      Other Cicerone guides by the author

      Hillwalking in Shropshire

      The Cumbria Way

      WALKING THE SHROPSHIRE WAY

      A TWO-WEEK CIRCULAR TRAIL INCLUDING THE WREKIN, STIPERSTONES AND WENLOCK EDGE

      JUNIPER HOUSE, MURLEY MOSS,

      OXENHOLME ROAD, KENDAL, CUMBRIA LA9 7RL

      www.cicerone.co.uk

      © John Gillham 2019

      First edition 2019

      ISBN 9781783626687

      Printed by KHL Printing, Singapore

      A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

      All photographs are by the author unless otherwise stated.

       © Crown copyright 2019 OS PU100012932

      Acknowledgements

      I would like to thank my wife Nicola for being a lovely companion on the hills and for proofreading the book before publication; my good friend Ronald for sharing his knowledge of Shropshire’s geology; the wonderful hospitality shown to us by the good people of the county, including campsite wardens, innkeepers and the many cheerful bus drivers who took us to some of the remote corners. Many thanks must go to the Shropshire Way Association including their chairman, Audrey Menhinick, with whom I have been collaborating and sharing information from the start, and the route champions’ co-ordinators Gill Pursey and Trevor Allison and their teams, who have worked so hard to make sure the routes are all waymarked and free from obstructions. They’ve also proofread my text and suggested the necessary changes. Last but not least, Helen Beresford with Shropshire Council Outdoor Partnerships Team and their volunteers, who have helped resolve route anomalies.

      Updates to this guide

      While every effort is made by our authors to ensure the accuracy of guidebooks as they go to print, changes can occur during the lifetime of an edition. Any updates that we know of for this guide will be on the Cicerone website (www.cicerone.co.uk/1008/updates), so please check before planning your trip. We also advise that you check information about such things as transport, accommodation and shops locally. Even rights of way can be altered over time. We are always grateful for information about any discrepancies between a guidebook and the facts on the ground, sent by email to [email protected] or by post to Cicerone, Juniper House, Murley Moss, Oxenholme Road, Kendal, LA9 7RL.

      Register your book: To sign up to receive free updates, special offers and GPX files where available, register your book at www.cicerone.co.uk.

      Front cover: Passing the Devil’s Chair on the Stiperstones ridge

      CONTENTS

       Overview profile

       Map key

       Overview map

       Foreword

       Route summary table

       INTRODUCTION

       The Shropshire Way

       Shropshire’s history

       Shropshire’s geology (by Ronald Turnbull)

       Wildlife and plants

       When to go

       Getting there

       Getting around

       Accommodation and planning

       Safety

       What to take

       Using GPS

       Waymarking

       Using this guide

       THE SHROPSHIRE WAY

       Stage 1 Shrewsbury to Bridges

       Stage 2 Bridges to Bishop’s Castle

       Stage 3 Bishop’s Castle to Clun

       Stage 4 Clun to Craven Arms

       Stage 5 Craven Arms to Ludlow

       Stage 6 Ludlow to Wheathill

       Stage 7 Wheathill to Wilderhope Manor