Walking the Shropshire Way. John Gillham

to Ironbridge and Bridgnorth forged its way through here.

      After crossing two footbridges, the second over Rae Brook, take the right fork path between metal railings, then follow the Shropshire Way signs highlighting a short field-edge route leading to a busy road where you should turn right. This takes the Way over a bridge spanning the busy A5 dual-carriageway.

      Over the bridge, go through a kissing gate on the left and cross a field to a country lane at Pulley. Turn right, passing Pulley House, before turning left through a gate and following the left edge of the first field. Beyond a stile at the far end, turn right by the hedge on the right. Turn left with the hedge to a large tree, where a waymarker shows the way right (southwest) across a large field. The houses of Bayston Hill are clearly visible ahead.

      Go through a short ginnel between the houses, which leads to Castle Lane. Turn right at the end of the lane along the village’s main road. At the crossroads with Glebe Road go straight ahead but where the road starts to bend right take the lane forking left. Leave the lane at a tarred parking area, keeping to the left of a youth centre building. The enclosed path passes some allotments. Watch out for a waymarked left turn onto a farm lane that takes the route through Lythwood Farm. This gradually curves left across huge fields. Where it ends, aim for the left side of a covered reservoir at the far end of the field.

      Turn right along the lane then at the Lyth Hill car park take the track on the right. This rises along the crest of the hill.

      LYTH HILL

      Although it is less than 170m above sea level, Lyth Hill, the first real hill on the walk, offers superb views over the surrounding hills and plains of Shropshire. Looking north among chequered pastures of grass, cereal crops and the odd bright gold of rape are the spires and rooftops of Shrewsbury, framed by the bold outlines of the Wrekin and the hills of the Welsh border. To the east the ridges of Lawley and Caer Caradoc dominate. The serrated outline of the Stiperstones lying to the southwest offers a promise of the day to come.

      Three hundred years ago flax and hemp ropes for ships, mines and factories were built here and exported all over the world.

      Spring Cottage on the edge of the hill was once home to Mary Webb and her husband Henry. After their separation and in ill health she returned to the cottage. She died in the same year.

      Lyth Hill in blossom

      The most beautiful part of the path descends and rakes along the southern side of the ridge, across slopes where gorse, broom and bluebells thrive alongside fruit trees. It continues through the trees of Spring Coppice, which were planted to commemorate the Queen’s Jubilee.

      By a red-bricked dwelling take the left fork lane and follow it down to a junction, where you turn left, then right on an unsurfaced lane leading to Exfords Green. Where the lane turns left at a hedge-lined junction by a farm, take the farm track on the right, then almost immediately follow a waymarked path on the right, passing pens and enclosures. Go through a gate into a field and aim half-left to follow the hedge on the left side. At the far end an enclosed path over a stile leads out to the road near Little Vinnals.

      Turn right along the road and left along a farm track by the Hollies (cottage). At The Vinnals (farm) go through the farmyard and turn right on a stone and dirt track. Where the track fords a stream, use the footbridge on the right.

      Beyond the stream and what can be a muddy area, the Shropshire Way continues along a hedge-lined green lane. Cross the track from Castle Place and head south across a field towards the woodland of The Gorse. The route meets a country lane at a kissing gate just to the left of the woodland perimeter. Go through the kissing gate on the far side of the lane and continue south across a field. Go across a footbridge at the halfway point before coming out at another country lane with the ongoing footpath staggered to the right beyond another gate. The cross-field path follows field-edges on the left and crosses the first of two footbridges. Keep the bungalow of Cottage Farm well to the left as you cross the next field towards the second footbridge which is slightly obscured by trees but is left of a farm gate. Across this, head for a lane-side kissing gate to the right of the outbuildings of the farm.

      Turn right along the narrow lane lined with grass banks and tall hedges. After 1½ miles the lane comes to Wilderley Hall, where you turn left on a farm track to start a long, steady climb. The track soon degenerates to a grass track before entering fields. Cross a farm drive linking the Beeches and Sheppen Fields.

      In the next field follow a curved grassy bank to a kissing gate at the far side. This cuts a corner from the route shown on current OS maps and is the landowner’s preferred route.

      On Wilderley Hill

      Ignore a vague left fork but follow a faint track roughly parallel with the hedge on the right, aiming for the right edge of a conifer plantation. The continuing path follows the edge of the plantation. It soon becomes a wide grassy track climbing Wilderley Hill. You’ll have noticed a fine if small rugged craggy hill to the north. This is Earl’s Hill, which has an ancient fort on the summit.

      From the hilltop continue southwest through a kissing gate in a hedge not shown on the current OS map, then across two fields. In the second field there is a standing stone to your right as you reach a roadside kissing gate. Go straight ahead across the road on a tarred lane, which is part of the Port Way.

      The Port Way in an ancient track linking the Kerry Ridgeway at the River Onny, south of the Long Mynd and the Wrekin-Oswestry track. It used high ground wherever possible to avoid densely wooded, marshy valleys. The numerous barrows alongside the route are from the Bronze and Iron ages. In medieval times the Port Way later served as a drovers’ route between the markets of Bishop’s Castle and Shrewsbury.

      After a short distance the tarmac surface becomes crumbled and there are views into the Golden Valley of Darnford Brook, with the crag-serrated ridge of Stiperstones on the horizon. Your peace may be disturbed by the sound of trail bikes on the Picklescott Enduro Track on the left. Go through a kissing gate on the right, descending the clear path signed ‘to Bridges and Stiperstones’. The path winds through folds of pastured hills, past the renovated farm of Lower Darnford and passing close to the houses of Ratlinghope. Finally, it enters pretty woodland, emerging on the lane east of Bridges Youth Hostel. For those staying at the Bridges Inn (formerly the Horseshoe Inn), continue down the road to the first junction and turn left.

      The impressive Gothic-looking Bridges Youth Hostel, complete with bell tower, was commissioned in 1866 by Lady Scott as a village school but soon closed as there were not enough children in the Ratlinghope area to keep it going. It became a youth hostel in 1931 and remained part of the YHA until 1991 when it became a privately owned hostel. The name Bridges refers to the three bridges over Darnford Brook and the East Onny.

STAGE 2

      Bridges to Bishop’s Castle

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