Norton Camp Climb 2 Cross the river and head out across enclosure on the right. You emerge onto a the middle of the field, just to forest track with a view of Norton Camp’s An energetic walk up through beautiful the right of the electricity double ramparts ahead. woods to a large iron age hill fort, posts ahead. Please keep 6 Turn left onto the track which curves to descending through varied woodland your dog on a lead in this follow the edge of the hill fort. There’s a and along the River Onny to finish. field as there are usually short track off to the right, one of the fort’s livestock. Just before you 5 miles/7.5km entrances, which leads to the large pasture reach the hedge turn right to cross which makes up the interior of the fort these 2½-4 hours the tiny stream on a small footbridge and days (private land). Almost opposite this follow the hedge-line on your left, uphill 5 stiles* track is a gateway on the left from which along the line of a sunken lane. there are wonderful views to Brown Clee Pasture with cows and sheep – dogs (on the left) and Titterstone Clee Hill. At 510 must be on leads for some sections, Cross the stile next to a gate and follow woodland, muddy and rough in the track through Whettleton Farm to reach metres Brown Clee is the highest point in places. A moderately steep climb up a small gate on to the road. the Shropshire Hills Area of Outstanding to Norton Camp, several fields with Natural Beauty. Whettleton was once a thriving village. It has crops. not always been as quiet. In 1645, during the Norton Camp is renowned for the double NB: This walk was originally the first half of the Three Woods Walk Civil War, the fields above the farm were the rampart and ditch of its Iron Age defences – you are likely to see some old waymarks etc along the route. 'The route directions were correct when printed (2017), however scene of a bloody skirmish. Parliamentarian which may be over 2500 years old. Evidence there may be minor changes over time, for example stiles are from excavations elsewhere suggest that increasingly being replaced by kissing gates to make routes easier. soldiers charged down the hill to surprise a OS Explorer Map 217. larger Royalist force. The Roundheads won hill forts like this were really hill top towns. If you encounter any significant problems with the route please Imagine the interior full of iron age huts, report them at the Discovery Centre and we will inform Shropshire the day, killing Sir William Croft, one of the Council who can liaise with the landowner. Cavalier’s commanders, and taking several animal pens and the busyness of hundreds hundred prisoners. of people! Start behind the 3 Turn right along the road. Take the next Discovery Centre footpath left, just past a large house. Follow the path as it begins to climb steeply up into 1 Walk into the Onny Meadows and take the Norton Camp Wood. first turn, left, past the Community Garden. Follow the path ahead through Newton, 4 Take the left hand fork at the Y-junction, keeping right to follow the narrow lane to a climbing along the edge of the wood to white metal bridge across the River Onny. eventually head rightwards up a sunken track. The Onny is one of the major rivers of the Shropshire Hills. When crossing you might 5 Keep straight on along the narrow path catch a glimpse of brown trout, a favourite then continue climbing as the path curves food of otters. You might also be lucky and round to the left and then through clumps see a kingfisher. of rhododendrons and past a pheasant Walk Route TO SHREWSBURY Corvedale Road River Other rights of way Onny B4368 Field boundaries A49 Woodlands CRAVEN ARMS Corvedale Road Shropshire Hills AONB Newton A-Roads B4368 Clun Road B-Roads Shropshire Hills Other Roads Heart of Discovery Centre Wales Line Railway 2 Whettleton Caution: busy road 1 or rail crossing Onny 3 Viewpoint Meadows 5 Contains OS data 16 © Crown copyright and 6 database right (2017) 4 15 Norton 7 Stokesay 8 Camp Church Stokesay 1 KILOMETRE Castle 14 13 9 Nortoncamp Wood 10 A49 Stoke Wood River k) ac Onny Tr ( e n a L g 12 n i t t o R Whettleton Hill TO LUDLOW Norton Camp Climb 11 Park Croft 7 Continue along the track, following the To your right the sheer limestone cliff outer edge of the camp until you reach an resembles the Wenlock Edge that runs old house. There is another entrance to the in an unbroken line from Craven Arms to fort here. Go on between the house and an Much Wenlock. The rock has been quarried old red brick building along a permissive in many places. Limestone was often path that keeps following the curves of the 'burned' in lime kilns to make slake lime for ramparts. Keep going on ahead back into 'sweetening' fields and lime wash mortar. Shropshire Hills Discovery Centre, the wood until you reach a junction and a 9 The path winds away from the edge the home of Grow Cook Learn stile over on the left hand side. eventually bearing left then turning right to descend more steeply to ‘Rotting Lane’. School Road, Craven Arms, SY7 9RS 8 Cross the stile and follow the narrow path Keep right and ahead down the track +44 (0)1588 676070 as it winds along the top of the escarpment which is now a bridleway. [email protected] in the wood. There are glimpses of views www.shropshirehillsdiscoverycentre.co.uk across to the rest of the Shropshire Hills 10 Rotting Lane joins a forestry track that, still through trees on the right. Keep following descending, heads left then curves right the narrow path, staying away from the edge to reach a metal gate. Pass the gate and Grow Cook Learn is a registered charity, of the cliffs below. follow the track to the bottom of the hill. connecting people to the food, history and landscape of the Shropshire Hills AONB, 11 At this point you turn right, away from providing opportunities to local people and Park Croft, to begin the return route back, visitors to learn and discover. northwards, to the Discovery Centre along Visit the Centre for the Shropshire Hills the forest track. exhibition and film, our cafe which serves delicious home cooked meals and for walks 12 After 250 metres, and, before a house through 30 acres of riverside meadows. on the right, zig-zag up to the right onto There are regular bus and train services to a track on a higher level. Turn left along Craven Arms. this track and follow it left in the same direction around the bottom of the wood The Shropshire Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is recognised as one of Britain's finest for some distance. There are views to landscapes. It's one of 46 AONBs in the UK. Stokesay Castle through the trees after a Walks produced with support from: while. 13 When you reach a corner with a stile, gate and fence on the left climb the stile to take the footpath down into a field below. Follow the footpath along the hedge-line CRAVEN ARMS Community Food down to the road below. Initiative 14 Turn right along the quiet road back, northwards towards Whettleton again. miles5 Keep your eyes peeled for red kites. They are two massive banks and ditches around SHROPSHIRE HILLS are now seen regularly over Craven Arms. most of the rest of the fort. To the south It was in 2006 when a pair of red kites west there are two more outer banks which first bred successfully in Shropshire as DISCOVERY WALKS they recolonised from the once tiny may have been built as additional lines remaining population in Wales. of defence. It is difficult to interpret this enclosure as anything other than defensive Norton Camp You can either return – although it may have been as much a using the route you symbolic show of power by the local tribe as Climb started on taking an actual one. the small gate According to legend, a giant lived on Norton on the left at Camp and another (his brother in some Whettleton Farm OR to take in a lovely versions) lived across the valley on View stretch of the River Onny follow points 15 (or Weo) Edge – the ridge that overlooks and 16. the valley from the west. They kept their treasure at Stokesay Castle, but upon losing At a gateway on the left before the farm 15 the key to the castle, they both died of grief. look for the stile on the right hand side of the gate. The footpath cuts diagonally across the field to a stile in the fence roughly in line with Stokesay Castle on the horizon. Cross the stile into the riverside pasture. Skirt left, round to the riverside Guidelines for walkers footpath. Head right, along the riverside, upstream. • Wear suitable clothes and footwear for the walk, paying attention to the local weather forecast. Follow the river, then the path climbs up 16 • Take water and refreshments with you suitable and then through a couple of kissing gates. for the length of the walk. Keep left and drop down a bank to a small footbridge. Cross the field to the white • Most of the Discovery Walks have muddy patches metal bridge where you started the walk.