During the months of May to September 2008 you will find two walks on this web site page. One will enable you to take advantage of the Shropshire Hills Shuttle Bus at weekends,
the other gives you an alternative for mid week.
The walk of the month using the Shropshire Hills Shuttle Bus
It’s Springtime in the Hills
The full version of this walk appears in the May edition of Stretton Focus which includes photography by Sabine Hutchinson www.virtual-shropshire.co.uk
A walk for you to enjoy wonderful scenery, unfurling leaves in woodland, summer migrant birds arriving and gambolling lambs. Spring is much later in the hills but seems to catch up by June.
You have a choice of three walks by catching the Shuttle Bus to Ratlinghope, [Bridges] enjoy the walk and return on the Shuttle Bus. Short walk:-Bridges to Ratlinghope Church Shuttle Bus stop 1.5km/ 1 mile approx Medium walk Bridges to Stitt request stop 4.8km/3 miles approx Full walk from Bridges to Shuttle Bus stop at Duckley Nap 9km/6 miles approx.
Timetables are available on www.shropshirehillsshuttles.co.uk
For the first part of your walk follow the signposts for Darnford Walk, from Bridges.
Swallows and House Martins should be busy nesting on the Horseshoe Inn and the YHA. Notice the unusual tower on the latter building which used to be the local school. Mahalia Scott, a member of the family which owned the Ratlinghope and Norbury Estates in the 1800’s, was responsible for this ornate addition to the building.
Continue along the road till you reach the bridge. Take the path which follows the Darnford Brook to Ratlinghope. Firstly you will find yourself walking between the trees along the carriage drive which served The Manor. If you are very lucky you might see a Dipper feeding in the brook, but later in the month you might spot some yellow flowers, Mimulus, which are believed to have escaped from a garden further upstream.
Still following the sign posted route enter the conifer wood. Pause and look upwards into the top of the tree canopy. Here our smallest bird, the Goldcrest, can be seen flitting among the branches. Cross the track and follow the path through Garden Coppice. The summer migrants such as Flycatchers, Redstarts and Warblers abound in this area.
Go over the stile.
Short walk cross the brook and take the track which reaches the road by Ratlinghope Shuttle Bus stop.
For medium and full walk continue keeping the brook on your right till you reach Lower Darnford Farm. The old house which was reputedly haunted was demolished last year.
Continue on the Darnford Walk which takes you gradually uphill. This is the area where the first sighting of a Red Kite occurred in 1981. There is a pair which circles this area today, often in conflict with the numerous Buzzards. Keep the pools on your right and walk along the wide track till you reach a road. On the hillside on your left there are the ramparts of a late Bronze Age ‘hill fort’, ahead of you there is a view of The Stiperstones.
Medium walk turn left and walk down the hill to Stitt request stop.
Full walk Turn right towards Thresholds where there is shelter and a picnic stop and displays about the area. From here on during your walk the lambs at play in the fields provide a spectacle with their racing and leaping. Lambing in this area usually starts in early April.
This area was well known to the Shropshire authoress, Mary Webb, who stayed both at Stitt and Thresholds. Her friend used to ride side saddle over the hillside opposite Thresholds shooting the weathercock, ‘Annie Get Your Gun’ style. The weathercock is on display in the large building.
Walk past Thresholds, along the road for approx 400 yards. In the field on the left there is the boundary stone of the Manors of Wilderley and Cothercott erected at the time the Marquis of Bath enclosed the area along The Portway from Church Stretton to Thresholds and beyond.
Turn right and walk along the tarmac road which is signposted Shropshire Way / Darnford Walk.
Views of the Stretton Hills and The Wrekin can be enjoyed on the next part of your walk in addition to sights of Skylarks, Ravens, Lapwings and Curlews. Keep on The Portway, through the gate with a notice asking you to close the gate at all times. The tumbledown buildings are the remains of Top Darnford Farm. There were several smallholdings and cottages on this part of the hill in the 1800’s and early 1900’s when there was more employment on large farms and houses in addition to the copper and barytes mines on Cothercott and Wilderley Hills. [See additional walk of the month below]
Go through the next gate, notice the blue Ride UK marker and follow the well trodden path towards an old gate post in the field. Continue towards what appears to be a gap between two fields with a patch of gorse. This will help you find your route if you have not walked on this area of The Portway before.
Look west [ right] along the Darnford Valley. This area was cut off by deep snow both in 1947 and 1963 for several weeks. This end of the valley is thought to be one of the areas explored by the famous geologist, Murchison, when he was studying the Shropshire rock formations. It is also an area visited many times by the then Prince of Wales [ later Edward VIII] and the Earl of Dudley on shooting expeditions.
Continue on the well used path, down the dip into Sheep Dip, up the other side till you meet the road. Turn right and walk for about 500 yards until you reach the Shuttle Bus stop at Duckley Nap.
We hope you have enjoyed your walk. More information about the area and other walk ideas can be obtained from Anne at Thresholds Centre, Picklescott, Church Stretton SY6 6NU tel:- 01694 751411 www.thresholdscentre.co.uk
This walk starts at Thresholds Centre
and does not require transport via the Shuttle Bus
In the Steps of Drovers and Miners at Bluebell Time
approx 5 miles / 7.6 km
Thresholds is situated on the road between Picklescott and Ratlinghope [ 411994].
A wide verge outside Thresholds gives walkers the opportunity to leave their car whilst enjoying a walk or stroll in the area.
.It is suggested that you use this walk details in conjunction with
Explorer maps ; 216 & 241 in addition to
The Mines of South West Shropshire leaflet
produced by SWSMATG
available from Thresholds Centre
or downloadable from this website
guided walks, themed tours & talks page
There is a permanent display at Thresholds Centre in the low building accessible every day. Chairs and tables in the building give you an opportunity to shelter in comfort or have your picnic under cover.
If your group wish to book in advance we can open a building with WC and drink making facilities
Park outside Thresholds Centre on the wide grass verge. Spend a little time in the Visitor Information area in the low building which houses a permanent display about the history of mining
on Cothercott Hill.
This is open every day of the year.
A leaflet including colour photos and full explanations of what you can see in relation to the history of mining on Cothercott Hill is for sale by contacting Thresholds Centre www.thresholdscentre.co.uk/bookshop
1. Turn left out of Thresholds courtyard area. At the end of the stable block go over the stile on your right. Walk uphill towards the radio mast on Cothercott Hill [WNW] and see the view of The Stiperstones Ridge appear.
2. Walk towards the Devil's Chair, which is visible on the horizon, which should enable you to find the stile in the fence.
3. Go over the stile and bear obliquely right going slightly downhill. You will find traces of an old hedgerow and a large patch of gorse. Keep above the gorse but still walking downhill until you reach a rather high stile. If you cannot manage to get over this continue downhill keeping the hedge on your right.
4. When you reach the tarmac road turn left, cross over [ watch out for traffic] then take the lane immediately on your right. Follow this lane towards Leasowes Bank for about half a mile.
5. When you reach the point where the lane is no longer tarmaced but has a gravel surface go through the gate on your left onto a grassy bridleway/ byway. You have at this point been following a Drovers Road which connected the Stiperstones with The Portway by Thresholds. This route was regularly used until WW2 by farmers driving their livestock from The Stiperstones to Dorrington Sheep Fair.
6. Just through the gate bear immediately right and follow the fence beside the track to Leasowes Bank. Keep to the right of a pool which possibly originated as a dewpond used by the Drovers.
7. Bear left just after the pool. A track becomes visible leading downhill. Go through the gate and take this track down the side of a small valley. Take time to admire the view of The Stiperstones and the Gatten Valley.
8. As you approach another gate a large pool should become visible. Go through the gate, walk across the field towards some large trees at the end of the pool. You need to walk round the edge of the pool to follow the path along the other side. Bear away from the pool towards the road.
9. Turn right and walk along the road [ a quiet lane] for about three quarters of a mile. The Bluebells are rather wonderful along the sides of the valley at the moment.
10.Take the Ride UK track on the right by the sign for Hunters Cottage. You should now find that you are walking uphill on a well defined track. When you reach the tarmac road turn right. [ You are now on the original coaching road to Shrewsbury from Bishop's Castle]. This track and road have just been reopened after an adit collapsed on Westcott Bank
11.Walk along the road for about half a mile towards Cothercott Hill. Hopefully the angle of sunlight will enable you to see the remains of adits; tramway tracks and spoil heaps from the barytes mine which closed at end of WW2. The concrete base is where the mill was situated and if you look over the fence some mill stones are visible in the vegetation.
turn left when you reach the main road by the mine. Walk approximately one quarter of a mile to a stile. [ Beware traffic]. Go over the stile, walk uphill towards the fence. Follow the fence uphill to a corner. Now bear obliquely left continuing uphill till you reach a double gate. Go through. Walk straight ahead. Here you should see an enclosure with some small trees. Ahead of you you should see Thresholds buildings but before you walk back to your car, pause and admire the panoramic view. Photos of the view are on display in the low building thanks to Sabine Hutchinson of www.virtual-shropshire.co.uk .
We hope you have enjoyed your walk.
