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Shropshire Hills

Hilly country in west Shropshire
804 sq km/810 sq miles
Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
West Midlands

The most mountainous part of the English West Midlands, where the pastoral English lowlands meet the remote Welsh uplands. There are many celebrated sites, and much of geological and wildlife interest, including limestone rocks and 400-year-old hedgerows. The area is surrounded by historic market towns and dotted with attractive villages.

Sites of interest include:

  • Brown Clee Hill and Titterstone Clee Hill, two landmarks east of Ludlow easily explored via the local footpath network
  • The Long Mynd, a 16km/10-mile flat-topped ridge just west of Church Stretton which, with the adjoining Carding Mill Valley, forms a 2,368ha/5,850-acre open access site under the care of the National Trust (see below)
  • Stiperstones, the next ridge west of the Long Mynd, south of Minsterley, with its distinctive landmark the Devil’s Chair, a Shropshire Wildlife Trust nature reserve and woodland sites
  • Wenlock Edge (National Trust, tel 01694 723068), a wooded limestone escarpment on the other side of Church Stretton, running for 24km/15 miles between Craven Arms and Ironbridge, with 318ha/786 acres of access and numerous signed paths
  • The Wrekin, a distinctive wooded 407m volcanic hill topped by a prehistoric fort, accessible by footpath. More from Telford council (below)

Accessibility

Ask the AONB office or Discovery Centre (below) for further advice.

Public transport

Rail services connect Birmingham with Telford, Wellington (within walking distance of the Wrekin) and Shrewsbury to the north of the AONB; and Shrewsbury to Church Stretton, Craven Arms, Ludlow, Leominster and Hereford through the west of the AONB. Some services from Craven Arms continue along the Heart of Wales line to Llanelli. Buses link Shrewsbury and Telford with principal locations in the AONB.

Shropshire Hills Shuttle bus services operate at weekends and bank holidays from April to October with services connecting Kerry and Bishops Castle through Clun Forest; Craven Arms and Bishops Castle with Bridges; Pontesbury and Bridges with Church Stretton via Stiperstones and the Long Mynd; Church Stretton with Much Wenlock alongside Wenlock Edge; and Much Wenlock with Ironbridge. The Mere and Moses Shuttle operates a circular route linking Wem, Ellesmere, Whitchurch and Market Drayton. Day rover tickets cost £4 adult, £7 family, £12 concessions (2004 prices) and Shire Rider tickets are valid (see above). For timetable leaflets incorporating walk suggestions tel 01588 673888 or see www.shropshirehillsshuttles.co.uk [06/04].

Maps

Publications

  • The Shropshire Hills: A Walker’s Guide by David Hunter, ISBN 1 85284 064 1. Cicerone £7.99
  • Secret Hills Walks and Rides, 50p from Secret Hills Discovery Centre (below)
  • The Brown Clee Hill, £1.50; Walking on the Long Mynd, £1.50; The Long Mynd Rights of Way, £7.99, all from Shrewsbury TIC (below)
  • >Walks along Wenlock Edge, free from National Trust dispensers on the Edge itself

Paths and routes

Contacts

Regions

Local authorities

Visitor Information

Accommodation