BUCKNELL | Darky Dale BUCKNELL | Darky Dale BUCKNELL | Darky Dale

Walking with Offa 9 GETTING THERE: You can find public transport options Walking throughout at: 9 Food, drink and www.travelshropshire.co.uk. with Offa accommodation Or contact Traveline on 08712 002233. Imagine patrolling BY TRAIN: Bucknell is on the Heart of railway line. the border without BY BUS: There is a regular scheduled service between a decent pub. How and Knighton (738/740) passing through Bucknell. would Offa’s Dyke Bucknell is also served by Castle Connect, a 33 seat Meadows and woods have been built Shuttle bus which runs every weekend and Bank Holiday Mondays, from May to September – to Darky Dale without them? www.shropshirehillsshuttles.co.uk Over a thousand BY CAR: car parking is available at The Baron at A hilly five and a half mile walk through years later, keep up Bucknell, SY7 0AH. the tradition and meadows and woods, returning by the stop for a drink or To get the best from your walk we recommend River Redlake taking around three hours. a bite to eat at The comfortable walking boots, waterproof jacket and Baron at Bucknell. overtrousers, warm clothing, gloves and warm hat or sun 6+ stiles. cream and sun hat (depending on the season!), a mobile phone and something to eat and drink. Sheep and cattle The Baron at Bucknell are often in the fields on these routes – dogs must be is a charming country kept under close control or on leads at all times. inn with excellent home cooked food and five Walking with Offa Promoting the Welsh English border luxury en-suite rooms, as a great place to get your boots on, enjoy the beautiful so you could enjoy the countryside and indulge in some fabulous food and drink. hospitality and then stay For more details contact the Shropshire Hills Area of

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Contact Debbie and Phil W on 01547 530549. or see www.shropshirehillsaonb.co.uk www.baronatbucknell.co.uk Many thanks to Mike Starr from Bucknell for developing this walk. Photographs by Bob Craddock. The Baron is open Mon to Fri 12.00 - 3.00 There are 18 pub walks in this series and four and 6.30 - 11.00. Sat, Sun and Bank Holidays, ‘Days Out’. Download, including podcasts, from open all day from 12 noon. Camping is also available. www.shropshirewalking.co.uk/walking-with- offa. Turn your Smartphone into a complete The Welsh English Border - outdoors GPS. Download an app: www. where King Offa met his match! There are other lovely places to stay around viewranger.com and search for ‘Walking with Offa’. A guide featuring twelve walks is available. Bucknell. See www.exploremortimercountry.com. One of a series of walks with spectacular views and glimpses of Shropshire Hills history, wildlife and archaeology. Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty

This project has been supported by Advantage ’ Natural Assets Programme in partnership with Natural . in the Shropshire Hills Walking Meadows and woods A hilly five and a half mile walk through meadows and woods, with Offa 9 to Darky Dale returning by the River Redlake taking around 3 hours.

CRAVEN ARMS Start at the Baron at Bucknell, SY7 0AH 5 Turn left and follow this track about 1 Turn left out of The Baron at Bucknell and walk 1 /3 mile until you see a sign saying “No along the road to the first bend. Turn Mountain Bikes”. Bear left here and LUDLOW left here into Dog Kennel Lane, then left again onto drop down a grassy track through two BUCKNELL a bridleway just past the house called Caverswall. Go gates. Swing left in front of the cottage KNIGHTON through a gate and up the hill, keeping close to the field ‘Gripesnest’, go through a metal field gate, WIGMORE nd boundary on your right. Continue through a 2 gate and then walk up past the iron barn to the and go up to the top of the next field, keeping close to next gate, where you enter Hopton Wood. the sunken path on your left. Take a moment to look over your 6 Keep straight on, climbing gently 5 shoulder and admire the fine view of Bucknell. through this wood (ignoring a track on the 2 Cross the junction and follow the lane (signposted right after 50 yards) until it emerges at a 6 Mynd) to shortly cross a stile on your right. Go left to junction of many paths at the top. cross a stile to the right of gate in field corner then 7 Go through the kissing gate onto a 7 slightly right to cross another and then head up wide open pasture. You are now looking at the 4 through kissing gates to a road just right of a house. Chapel Lawn valley, dominated on the far side by the bare Looking back gives views of Brampton Bryan Hill, with the wooded Coxall Knoll hill of Caer Caradoc. This is an Iron Age hill fort with (an ancient hill fort) to its left. impressive ramparts at the top. Carry on downhill 3 Turn right and walk up the road to the next over several stiles to a kissing gate above 8 junction, where you turn left and pass Mynd Farm. a house. Go down the grassy bank and Climb the stile on your right just past the farm buildings through the next gate on the left and carry and cross the top of the sloping field beyond, keeping on down the field to the Chapel Lawn road fence to your left. Fine views of the Clee Hills ahead. Go down in the valley bottom. 3 through the gate to the right near the field corner and 8 Turn left onto the road and follow it for descend steeply to a stile. Turn right onto the road and about ½ mile. Where the road bends sharply 9 almost immediately turn left through a wooden gate right, go through the gate on your left. Bear and drop down into Darky Dale. Go through a metal right and take the grassy track uphill, through a gate and bear left into a marshy area by a small stream. gate and past a line of redwoods on your right. 4 After 30 yards cross the stream (no bridge) and 9 Swing right past these trees, through a 2 aim right for the waymark post in bracken, then follow gate and keep to this bridleway as it contours the markers through trees, up the hill opposite. After a round the base of Bucknell Hill above the brief climb follow the waymarks back downhill and left river Redlake. 10 to a stile and enter a wood. Pick your way through fir ! Two more gates lead you onto a road, trees, keeping the stream on your left, then bear right which you then follow downhill for about ½ at the end of the wood and continue uphill. At the top mile into the village of Bucknell. You emerge 1 turn left and go a short distance uphill to meet a major at a road junction with the pub immediately forest track. on your left.

2nd Edition, August 2013 © Crown copyright and database rights 2011 Ordnance Survey 100049049 You are not permitted to copy, sub-licence, distribute or sell any of this data to third parties in any form.