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STAGE 1

Shrewsbury to Bridges

Start	Kingsland Bridge, Shrewsbury
Finish	Bridges Youth Hostel, Ratlinghope
Distance	14¾ miles (23.8km)
Ascent	535m
Descent	330m
Time	7hr
Terrain	Town streets, woodland and field paths, two ridge tracks
Map	OS Explorer 241 and 216
Supplies	Shrewsbury, Bayston Hill

Looking at the map the first day doesn’t promise much but, in reality, it offers many pleasant surprises in small packages. Shrewsbury is an historic delight and the way out, through the Rad Brook and Rae Brook valleys, gives walkers more greenery and beauty than they have the right to expect in the suburbs of a sizeable town. Then there’s Lyth Hill with its airy ridge, its blossoms and its wide panoramas.

The Shropshire Way begins to climb in earnest late in the day with the ascent of Wilderley Hill and it follows the course of the ancient Portway. By now the iconic Stiperstones tors have come into full view. The day is ended with a very pretty descent into the Golden Valley where the path weaves between grassy folds in the hills down to Ratlinghope.

SHREWSBURY

Although it might have been the site of Pengwern, an early capital of pre-Roman Powys, Shrewsbury, or Scrobbesbyrig as it was then known, was developed as a town in Saxon times, probably around the eighth century and under the rule of Mercia. Previously the largest settlement was the Roman town of Viroconium Cornoviorum (Wroxeter) about 5 miles away, but Roman artefacts have been found in Shrewsbury proving that they would have had some form of settlement here. The town was strategically sited within a tight loop on the river.

Three years after the Norman Conquest of 1066, William I had a primitive timber castle built but this was burned down by Welsh invaders. Roger de Montgomery, a relative of William I, was made Earl of Shrewsbury and he built a more powerful castle on the mound where the current castle lies. The abbey was founded in 1083 as part of a Benedictine monastery and town walls were built in this period and Shrewsbury became the county town of Shropshire. The town fell to Llewelyn the Great, Prince of Wales, in 1215 and it would be a Welsh frontier town for nearly 70 years. In 1283 Edward I, the scourge of the Welsh, had Dafydd ap Gruyffydd tried and found guilty of high treason at Shrewsbury. This last Welsh Prince of Wales was subsequently hung, drawn and quartered. Edward would make his son Prince of Wales thus ending the Welsh dynasty.

In 1403 Henry IV defeated Henry Percy (Harry Hotspur) at the Battle of Shrewsbury, which featured in Shakespeare’s Henry IV Part 1. You can visit the site at Battlefield in the north-east part of the town.

In the Middle Ages Shrewsbury grew into a sizeable town, its wealth largely coming from the wool trade. Many of the beautiful half-timbered buildings that grace the town today were built in Tudor times. The town centre still retains its medieval street pattern with numerous narrow passages known as shuts. Henry VIII is said to have offered Shrewsbury cathedral city status, something that the townsfolk declined.

The public library sited beneath the castle was built in 1552 as Shrewsbury School. Pupils included the ‘hanging judge’ Judge Jeffreys and Charles Darwin. The school was moved to its present site at Kingsland in 1882.

The sandstone castle you see today was built in 1643 and further repaired with additions, including Laura’s Tower by Thomas Telford in 1780. Telford, who at this time was Surveyor of Public Works in Shropshire, oversaw the building of the original A5 London to Holyhead road, which crossed the English Bridge. Many of the monastic buildings of Shrewsbury Abbey were demolished in the process. The A5 now by-passes Shrewsbury.

The railways came to Shrewsbury in 1848. The station buildings were built from stone quarried at nearby Grinshill – you’ll see it later on the northern part of the ‘Way’. The classical mock-Tudor Victorian building has a fine castellated and pinnacled clocktower.

Today, Shrewsbury has over 650 listed historical buildings. As its industries declined, this rich heritage, along with its beautiful position on the River Severn loop, has enabled the town to flourish as a place of tourism and leisure.

Getting to Kingsland Bridge

Many Shropshire Wayfarers will be coming from the railway station so the description starts from here, and the route will take in as many of the town’s sights as can be fitted into a logical course to the official start on Kingsland Bridge.

With your back to the railway station entrance turn left along Castle Gates, past the Bulls Head pub, then the impressive library with its statue of Charles Darwin. The castle lies to the left and it would be worth a visit if there’s time; otherwise continue to the High Cross, where the street ahead becomes pedestrianised and where you should turn left along St Mary’s Street. This passes St Mary’s Church, which has Saxon origins.

The now redundant St Mary’s Church is maintained by the Churches Conservation Trust. It has one of the tallest spires in England and the interior with the nave’s oak ceiling and its wonderful stained-glass windows should be a must-see on your itinerary.

Turn right on Church Street by the Loggerheads pub to reach St Alkmund’s Church. Turn right, then left on a paved street along the perimeter of the churchyard before descending the Bear Steps, which lie in a passageway through the half-timbered Bear Steps Gallery building. These lead down to Fish Street, where there are several more of the Bear Steps’ historic half-timbered buildings. Turn right for a few paces along the narrow, cobbled street, then left down Grope Lane, one of Shrewsbury’s ‘shuts’. This brings the route onto High Street where you should turn right to the Square. Here you’ll see a statue of Clive of India and the Old Market Hall. Pass to the left of both before turning left along Princess Street. On reaching a raised church green, that of Old St Chad’s, turn right, then turn left along the passageway by the church.

Old St Chad’s was once a substantial square-towered church but by the late 18th-century it had fallen into disrepair, a fact noted by engineer Thomas Telford, who advised restoration. The church collapsed in 1788 and was largely demolished with only the Lady Chapel and crypt remaining. It was rebuilt as a neo-classical round church overlooking the Quarry Park.

Turn right along the narrow street (Belmont) and follow it to the junction with Town Walls. You’ll see the old town walls to the left overlooking sports fields. Turn right to pass the 14th-century Town Walls Tower, then turn left by Shrewsbury High School. The road leads to Kingsland Bridge. If you’ve walked along the riverbank to get here you’ll have to walk along a passage on the east side to get on the bridge by Shrewsbury High School.

Shrewsbury School from Kingsland Bridge

Official start of the Shropshire Way

The grand brick-built building high above the opposite bank of the River Severn is that of the ‘new’ Shrewsbury School. Cross the Kingsland Bridge and follow the winding Kingsland Road beyond to a T-junction, where you turn left, then right along Beehive Lane. Beyond the houses this transforms into a stony track through trees and bushes. Turn left at the next junction to cross a bridge over Rad Brook. The path comes out to a road opposite a cemetery.

Turn right along the road, ignoring the next right fork (Old Roman Road). Turn left at a busy roundabout, crossing to the pavement on the far side as soon as possible. A Shropshire Way signpost highlights the path along the edge of the school’s playing fields in Meole Brace and alongside the road.

Novelist and poet Mary Webb (1881–1927) grew up in the village of Meole Brace. Holy Trinity church on the roadside to the left is where she and Henry Webb were married. Mary was known for her poetic descriptions of nature and landscape and her first published novel Golden Arrow took inspiration from her new home in Pontesbury. Precious Bane, a novel from 1924, won her the Prix Femina Vie Heureuse, a French literary prize. After a life of ill health Mary died at the age of 46.

Bear right as the route pulls alongside a railway line, then cross the tracks with care at the next footpath sign. A hedge-lined ginnel then takes the route between houses to a road. Turn left here, then right along a busier road. Turn left again by a vicarage and along Church Road. This passes a small recreation area on the right and Holy Trinity church on the left, where the road turns right, eventually to pass Meole Brace primary school. A little further on, the path forks left by some railings to enter the woods of the Rae Brook Valley.

The Rae Brook Valley is managed by Shropshire Council as a local nature reserve, which stretches from the Abbey Foregate almost to the A5. This green corridor through an urban environment is a mixture of streamside woodland and pastureland. Otters and kingfishers are said to live here. In medieval times the valley was farmed by the monks from the abbey. In later years until its closure in 1963 the Severn Valley railway line 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

Start