you’ll find that low-level paths may be a little overgrown. Make sure you take your waterproof leggings at this time for dew-drenched vegetation can soak you quite quickly, as can farmers’ crops, which might well be tall. Mid to late August is the best time to see the heather blooming on Stiperstones and the Long Mynd.
In autumn the nights draw in again, but the flame colours of the bracken and the woods add great beauty to the landscape. Bilberry leaves have turned red and the heather to dark russet. Together they mix with the grasses to create a tapestry of colour any tweed designer would be proud of.
Bases for the Shropshire hills
The range of accommodation available in Shropshire is wide. However, accommodation providers are always changing and so it would be impractical to provide a complete listing here. A selection of campsites, hostels, the long-established inns and hotels is provided in Appendix B, and up-to-date accommodation lists and availability can be found at www.trivago.co.uk, www.laterooms.com and www.booking.com.
Ludlow
Ludlow, in the south of the county, has good road links to Knighton and Craven Arms and good bus and train links with Craven Arms, Church Stretton and Shrewsbury. The market and tourist town has plenty of shops, a large supermarket, several hotels, inns and B&Bs and two campsites. It’s well known for its restaurants, has a theatre, and you can visit the castle and the museum. With riverside walks and so much of interest, this is a great base for southern Shropshire.
South-west Shropshire
There are no sizeable accommodation centres for those wanting to explore the Clun and Teme valleys. The biggest is the market town of Knighton just over the Welsh Border. Knighton has quite a few shops, a handful of B&Bs (including a couple of inns), and is on the Heart of Wales railway line with links to Ludlow, Craven Arms, Church Stretton and Shrewsbury. The next largest centre with a couple of inns and B&Bs is Bishop’s Castle.
Bridgnorth
The historic market town on the banks of the River Severn has good road links to Telford, Ironbridge and the Wenlock Edge and bus links to Much Wenlock, Ludlow and Telford. The town has many hotels, inns, B&Bs and shops, including a large supermarket. There’s a campsite on the hillside at Stanmore, just over a mile to the east. The town is crammed with history and things to see and do, including the Severn Valley (steam) Railway.
Church Stretton
Deservedly the most popular base for the Shropshire Hills, Church Stretton is a busy little town surrounded by characterful hills, including the Long Mynd, Ragleth Hill and Caer Caradoc. There are regular buses and trains along the valley to Shrewsbury and Ludlow and there are plentiful inns, B&Bs and one hotel. There are campsites at nearby Leebotwood and Little Stretton.
Church Stretton and Caer Caradoc from the Long Mynd ridge (Walk 22)
Much Wenlock
Much Wenlock lies on the northern end of the Wenlock Edge just five miles south-west of Ironbridge and the Ironbridge Gorge. This splendid small market town has quite a few small shops for stocking up and a few pubs and cafés. It has a really good campsite (the Sytche) and several inns and B&Bs.
Stiperstones region
There are no real walkers’ centres for the Stiperstones area; just a handful of small villages and country inns. See Appendix B for contact details.
Telford (including Ironbridge)
The new town of Telford is known for its by-pass, its roundabouts and its huge shopping centre. It has several large chain hotels, which can, if booked in advance, work out to be inexpensive. Bus links are quite good. Ironbridge in the Ironbridge Gorge is far nicer though, and there are many cafés and shops here in addition to the inns and B&Bs. A visit to the museums highlighting the area’s fascinating industrial heritage is a must. There are lots of good short walks too.
Maps and GPS
Ordnance Survey maps
While OS Landranger maps – which have been used for the route maps within this guide – are fine for the hill sections, it is recommended that you also carry a more detailed OS 1:25,000 Explorer map with you. The following maps cover the walks and the relevant sheet number is specified at the beginning of each route description:
201 – Knighton & Presteigne
203 – Ludlow Tenbury Wells & Cleobury Mortimer
216 – Welshpool & Montgomery
217 – The Long Mynd & Wenlock Edge
218 – The Wyre Forest & Kidderminster
241 – Shrewsbury
242 – Telford & Ironbridge
Using GPS (global positioning system)
These days GPS units are excellent companions, whether they be 7-inch tablets or specialist units like Garmin and Memory Map. The GPS tracks for all the routes in this guide can be downloaded by visiting the Cicerone site: www.cicerone.co.uk/member
In recent years GPS units have become quite sophisticated and nowadays they usually include OS mapping for the UK. They are a very useful addition to your equipment, especially if you’re caught out in hill fog on the mountains.
In addition to the dedicated GPS units there are apps for iPhones, Android and Blackberry smartphones and tablets too. Viewranger and Memory Map are the best known, and their maps are stored on your phone rather than being online ‘in the cloud’ (like Trailzilla maps). Remember, if the maps are in the cloud and you don’t have a phone signal, then you don’t have a map.
Most dedicated units come with map packages. Some come with complete OS Landranger 1:50,000 maps for the UK, while others just include National Parks. OS Explorer maps are better and you can buy DVDs covering the whole of the UK – although they are expensive. The other way of doing this is to go online and download the exact area you want (both Memory Map and Viewranger facilitate this). You can always add to the area you bought later.
All units will need charging at the end of the day. Dedicated GPS units can usually last at least eight hours, and most have facilities to attach battery cases to keep them topped up. If you’re using a smartphone as a GPS, be aware of the battery life. You may need at least one spare battery or you’ll have to use the app sparingly – that is, when you’re unsure of where to go next – so it doesn’t run down unnecessarily.
A word of caution here: GPS devices should be used as a supplement to the maps, as their battery may lose power unexpectedly.
Safety
Although nowhere in Shropshire is really remote, it is extremely important that all walkers are fully equipped and practised in the use of map and compass. If bad weather such as a blizzard comes in quickly then trouble can occur in a matter of minutes.
Make sure to take enough food and water – keep additional emergency rations in the corner of your rucksack. Not taking enough food is the quickest way of becoming tired, and being tired is the quickest way of sustaining an injury. Good breathable waterproofs are essential. Remember: getting cold and wet will render the walker vulnerable to hypothermia, even outside the winter months.
It is important to wear good walking boots. Shoes have insufficient grip and ankle support on difficult terrain. Even the lower-level sections can become slippery after rainfall. It is a good idea to pack some emergency medical supplies (such as plasters, dressings, tape, painkillers); there are plenty of good kits available.
Using this guide
Listed in a box at the start of each walk is the following information: start/finish point