BBC Countryfile magazine’s Great Days Out section, in the February 2019 issue, looks at Lost Worlds, and I’ve got a piece in there highlighting the varied lost worlds of Shropshire.
Limited space meant that I wasn’t able to include any detailed walking routes, but if you’d like to explore the areas I mention in more detail, check out the following links below:
Ludlow Bread Walk
http://www.ludlow.org.uk/walking.html – For a route map click on the View Map link in the Whitcliffe and Bread Walk section.
Craven Arms – Shropshire Hills Discovery Centre
For a wide range of varied walks check out the Shropshire Hill’s Discovery Centre’s walking page so you can stretch your legs … after you’ve seen the lifesize Shropshire mammoth they have there! http://www.shropshirehillsdiscoverycentre.co.uk/page/30/walking.htm (The Riverside Ramble, and the Hills and Dales Hike are my particular favourites.)
Wenlock Edge
There are two routes listed on the National trust website: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/wenlock-edge/lists/try-one-of-these-walks-or-discover-your-own Both are great, although, personally, I prefer the tantalising glimpses of the Shropshire countryside that you get from the Major’s Leap route. (You also get great views of the quarries, where you can see first hand the evidence of what was once a coral reef.)
The Wrekin
There’s more than just The Wrekin on this walking route suggested by the Royal Geographic Society … and it’s a fab route to explore. But if you’ve just got time to do The Wrekin (allow a couple of hours) then start from the car park at point 16 on this route and climb up to the summit (point 11) and return via points 13, 14 and 15. https://www.discoveringbritain.org/activities/west-midlands/walks/wrekin.html
Ellesmere – Shropshire’s Sunken Lake District
There are a variety of walks around Ellesmere and its glacial lakes. Check out these two in particular:
1-mile introductory wander: http://www.shropshiresgreatoutdoors.co.uk/route/meres-meander-walk-1/
7-mile Meander around a couple of the meres: http://www.shropshiresgreatoutdoors.co.uk/route/meres-meander-walk-4/
The Stiperstones
For a truly great introduction to this shattered landscape, check out this 5.5-mile route that explores the main Stiperstone’s ridge, starting from The Bog Visitor centre, which was once a village school: http://www.shropshiresgreatoutdoors.co.uk/route/shropshire-way-circular-walk-2-stiperstones/
Enjoy!