Route 2 Bishop’S Castle to Clun

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Route 2 Bishop’s Castle to Clun

Offa’s Dyke

B4385

N E E R totally owned by the local estate with all G E L T Discover Shropshire Bishop’s Castle S A C the people working for the landowner. Walk from Bishop’s Castle to Clun Clun Castle ET Villages like Bishop’s Castle grew in the 19th RE B T U S E L L L L W T A S and you will find some of the E N B4384 century when landowners cut down the LS A E H C ST Town RE SALO E P ST T R Hall EE number of people permanently employed T T quietest places in Shropshire. E BI E NG R SL T E S W Y and seasonal workers were forced to rent O C H

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A T Leave the unspoilt town of Bishop’s

R their own accommodation in these open E N

O EW T E T ST R S

Hospital S

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N O ET C STRE I N O R School IO I T villages.

AT Castle and you are soon on ancient N A

R U Library O U T P H R S C O C Recreation Auction Yard drovers’ ways and the Saxon earthworks D A488 OA Ground Offa’s Dyke R H KE TC R L BA RY C W OD L EN O A E of Offa’s Dyke. This really is border N R E G

G Walk in the footsteps of Saxon armies when N I GR L ANGE ROA D W O country, the heart of the Marches, B you follow a section of Offa’s Dyke National BR AM P TO steeped in history. With wonderful place N Trail. It was made between 757 to 796 AD

RO A D by Offa King of Mercia to form a boundary names like Woodbatch, Reilth, Middle B4385 between England & Wales. I wonder if the Knuck, Hergan Hill, Three Gates and Bishop’s Castle Saxons ever fought the Celts here? Whitcott Keysett. Until 1832 this colourful little town was one Cefns of the so called “rotten boroughs”. These A special part of the walk is along the were places that returned members of The wonderful ridge running from Three bare windswept Cefns (this means Gates to just outside Clun is called the Parliament but had so few voters that a rich “ridge” in Welsh) with its unspoilt views Cefns. Its probably part of an ancient person could buy the votes and thus a seat in every direction. Then it’s into Clun, in Westminster. But its beginnings were far Drovers’ road that followed the ridge to one of Housman’s “quietest places under earlier, an Anglo-Saxon settlement and the avoid the marshy, forested lower land. site of a Norman motte and bailey. It is at Look closely as you walk it and you will the sun” with a ruined castle, tranquil air the end of the Kerry Ridgeway. A drovers’ find a stone circle. and fine inns. road along which cattle, sheep and even Clun geese were walked to market. The Drovers “Clunton and Clunbury, Take time to wonder the village and must have been a thirsty lot for there have explore more than just the waymarked been 2 breweries here since 1642! It’s also Clungunford and Clun, path through it. There are many hidden an “open village”. Many of the small villages gems, a castle and some welcoming Are the quietest places in South Shropshire were “closed villages” hostelries. This is the smallest town in under the sun” Shropshire and is smaller than many villages. It’s the only town in the county never to have had a railway line or station. Designed by MA Creative • www.macreative.co.uk Upper Snead

The Cefn Ridge from the east Snead A489 Pentre More

Discover Shropshire Lydham Newton Cwm Route 2 B4388

A488 Aston Hill Dog & Duck Bankshead Bishop’s Moat B4383 Upper Woodbatch Lea 5 Middle Woodbatch BISHOP’S CASTLE Circular Walk Lower Edenhope Reilth Top

Reilth Top Middle Mainstone Woodbatch Churchtown Farm Oakeley Hill Churchtown Colebatch Hill B4385 Mynd

0 KILOMETRES 1 2

1 0 MILES /2 1 Colebatch Cefn Einion Blakeridge Wood Bryn A488 Hill

Brockton Hergen Bryn Hill Walcot Park Lower Acton Down Argoed

Mardu The Cefns Withins Wood Bury Red Wood Ditches

Graig Hill Sunny Hill

Whitcott Guilden Clunton Hill Keysett Steppleknoll Bicton Down Stepple Newcastle B4368 A488

Radnor Wood Upper DIFFICULTY: Some steep uphill sections Spoad Clunton B4368 B4368 Spoad Weston Hill Leasowes 12 mile section

Shropshire Way Footpaths Bridleways CLUN Sowdley Wood Burfield Circular walk Open Access land A488

Visitor Information Centre Place of Worship For a more detailed map and information visit: Café Llanfair Hill Caravan/Camping Site www.shropshirewalking.co.ukChurchbank Public House Museum Bishop’s Toilets Car Parking Hergen Hill The Cefns Upper Castle Clun Building of Historical Interest Railway Station Treverward 400mRockhill Castle English Heritage 300m Gardens National Trust 200m Visitor Attractions Forestry Commission Kilometres 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16

Hill summit Youth Hostel 0 Miles 2 Hobarris 4 6 8 10