West Midlands |
A-Z Index | Regional Index
| Introduction
This extensive tour of the county has some breathtaking views and includes the most celebrated countryside, combining bracing hill sections in one of the most rugged parts of the English midlands with gentler, more pastoral walking in the valleys. The main route is a narrow and wiggling loop 224km/140-mile loop from Shrewsbury taking in the Shrewsbury Canal, Shropshire Hills, Bishop's Castle, Clun, Craven Arms, Ludlow, the Clee Hills, Wenlock Edge, the World Heritage Site at Ironbridge, the Wrekin and Wem. Here a 19km/12-mile northern spur connects with Whitchurch and Grindley Brook on the Llangollen Canal. From Bridges the main route runs via Stiperstones, Bishops Castle, Offa's Dyke Path and Clun to Craven Arms, while a more direct 21km/13-mile alternative visits the Long Mynd, creating a shorter circuit around these most celebrated landscapes. The Way was originally devised by local Ramblers in the late 1970s and subsequently expanded. A shorter signed linear route, Wild Edric's Way, uses substantial sections of the Shropshire Way to link Church Stretton and Ludlow (79km/49 miles), and provides an alternative route through the Shropshire Hills including the Long Mynd and Kerry Ridgeway. The name commemorates a Saxon warrior at the time of William the Conqueror. Public Transport The Way is well served by public transport. Shrewsbury has
main line rail services to London, Manchester, Birmingham and Cardiff, and local
services to Chester, Aberystwyth, Machnynlleth and to Swansea over the scenic
Heart of Wales line. It is also served by express coaches, and an extensive
network of local buses to most other parts of Shropshire and surrounding
counties, though services may be sparse on Sundays. To join the walk at Grindley
Brook, use nearby Whitchurch (trains from Manchester and Cardiff, good local bus
services) and either take a bus or walk down the Llangollen Canal towpath;
alternatively, there are buses to Grindley Brook from Chester. There are also
stations on or close to the Way at Ludlow, Craven Arms, Church Stretton, Prees,
Wem, Yorton and Wellington. In the south, the local bus network is centred on
Ludlow. The Shropshire Hills Shuttles serve many sections of the Way, providing
a service specially aimed at leisure walkers. Publications
|
Region West Midlands
Local authorities
Connecting routes
Parks and countryside Maps Visitor
information Accommodation Booking and luggage transfer Holiday operators |
Bed and breakfast listings