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Central Central England 08/08/2013 15:50 07 , 08 Wetton, Staffordshire l Distance 10km/6 miles l Time 3hrs l Type Country l Distance 10km/6 miles l Time 4-5hrs l Type Country NAVIgATION LeVeL FITNESS LeVeL NAVIgATION LeVeL FITNESS LeVeL walk magazine autumn 2013 walk magazine autumn 2013 plan your walk plan your walk l Stockport l

l Manchester Liverpool Chesterfield l

Stoke-on-Trent l ES WETTON l OSWESTRy Stoke-on-Trent l SHROPSHIREBirmingham STAFFORDSHIREDerby l

Where: Circular walk near Where: Circular walk from Oswestry, northwest Shropshire. Wetton, Staffordshire. oat NEIL C PhotograPhy: Start/end: Queen’s Head Start/end: Wetton aLaMy PhotograPhy: (SJ339268). (SK110554). Constructed in the 1790s to whole canal is a linear nature In the 1930s, a far-seeing the head of a sharp valley, then R terrain: Easy walking on terrain: Level former serve the limestone quarries at reserve and the number of boats Staffordshire County Council through a handgate to Thor’s towpath, back lanes and field trackbed and hilly paths Llanymynech, the Montgomeryshire strictly limited, meaning only an converted the trackbed of the Cave. This vast cliff-face eye-socket paths. Some sections might that can be muddy, with Canal eventually reached occasional narrowboat will disturb abandoned Leek & Manifold has given up countless artefacts, be boggy, and watch out for one steep descent and one Newtown, in mid-Wales, in 1821. your wildlife watching. After two Valley Light Railway into a from the bones of cave bears to flying golf balls near the end. steep climb. It closed after a breach in an miles, the canal bends sharply R recreational footpath. The route Neolithic burials. Head down the MapS: OS Explorer 240; MapS: OS Explorer OL24; embankment east of Queen’s to reach Bridge 78. Slip up to the burrows up the deep limestone steps into the valley, keeping L for Landranger 126. Landranger 118. Head in 1936. Over the past 30 L and through the adjacent chasms of the Manifold and Hamps Ladyside to cross a footbridge over GettinG there: Queen’s GettinG there: A very years, disparate groups have bridlegate. From the foot of the Valleys in the southern fringes of the River Manifold to a tarred trail. Head is a hamlet off the A5, limited bus service, number worked on restoring sections of earth ramp, head to the far-L the White Peak, providing a three miles southeast of 405, runs weekdays to Leek, the canal to use, including this corner of the field and a stile 20 magnificent, easy ramble through 2. Turn R on the Manifold Track. Oswestry. There’s a car park from where there are tranquil stretch not far from its paces L of the oak. Follow the old stunning ashwoods. More Between 1904 and 1934 this was a opposite the pub by the mainline rail connections junction with the main Llangollen hedge on your R to a boggy corner challenging are the paths to and narrow-gauge railway rattling canal. Arriva bus service 70, (✆ 0871 200 2233, www. Canal. Along the way the walk and a footbridge. Cross this to from the Staffordshire Moorlands’ beside the secluded rivers Manifold between Shrewsbury and traveline.info). Car park at diverts to find St Winifred’s Well, reach the half-timbered building limestone plateau, which the and Hamps, linking Hulme End Oswestry, runs regularly southern edge of village. a secluded, medieval place of guarding St Winifred’s Well here at second half of this walk visits. with the standard-gauge network (not Sundays) and stops eatinG & drinkinG: The pilgrimage still visited by the Woolston hamlet. In AD1138, the You’ll encounter Stone Age at Waterhouses and carrying milk outside the Queen’s Head Royal Oak Inn, Wetton faithful to this day. The return bones of St Winifred were rested activity at Thor’s Cave and the and curious tourists. Cross the road pub (✆ 0871 200 2233, (✆ 01335 310287, www. is along quiet country lanes overnight by zealots, who were area’s stark copper-mining directly into a lane, soon crossing a www.traveline.info). royaloakwetton.co.uk); and through landscaped taking her relics from Holywell heritage in this exploration of a bridge over the Manifold. In drier eatinG & drinkinG: The Wetton Mill Tea Room estate farmland. (Flintshire) to . quieter quarter of the Peak Park. months there’s no river here, just a (✆ 01298 84838). Navigation Inn, As with other places where her green stream of gigantic butterbur Marsh (✆ 01691 672958, SleepinG: The Old 1. START Leave the car park body was said to rest, a spring 1. START Turn R from the car park leaves. The water sinks through www.thenavigation.co.uk) – a Vicarage B&B, Wetton (SJ339268) and turn R over the immediately issued from the (SK110554), R again for Wetton fissures in the limestone riverbed convivial canal-side dining (✆ 01335 310296, www. canal bridge, then R again to the ground. This miracle ensured that Mill and then L at the T-junction. In and flows deep underground,

pub with great local produce oldvicaragewetton.co.uk); towpath. Put the canal on your R pilgrims were drawn here to pray 50m, fork L on the walled track. re-emerging at Ilam, 8km/5 miles

and beers. Closed Mondays Hall Farm Holiday Cottages, to commence a tree-shaded walk and take the waters, said to cure Beyond a gate, use the waymarked downstream. Continue to the

and Tuesday lunchtime. The Wetton (✆ 01335 310035, ▲ ▲ ▼

broken bones, bruises and eye stile R onto a distinct path around bridge at Wetton Mill. ▼ along this peaceful waterway. The 57 - 58 walk40 RR central.indd 1 57 -58walk40 RRcentral_rev1.indd 2 Ordnance Surveymapping©Crowncopyright.AM34/08 Ordnance Surveymapping©Crowncopyright.AM34/08 Continued... Continued...

www.hallfarmwetton.co.uk); Queens Head, Queen’s Head START The Manifold Inn, Hulme End (✆ 01691 610255). FINISH (✆ 01298 84537, www. 4 Map not to scale. sLeepinG: The White House, themanifoldinn.co.uk). Representation of Maesbury Marsh (✆ 01691 Visitor information: Leek OS Landranger 1 4 MAP 118 1:50,000 658524, www.maesburymarsh. TIC, Market Place www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk co.uk); Fitzwarine House, (✆ 01538 483741, Whittington www.visitpeakdistrict.com). (✆ 01691 680882, www. Guidebooks: Day Walks in fitzwarinehouse.co.uk). The Peak District: 20 new Visitor information: circular routes by Norman Oswestry Visitor Information Taylor & Barry Pope (£12.95, Centre, Mile End Vertebrate Publishing, 5 (✆ 01691 662488, www. ISBN 978 1906148164); River oswestry-welshborders.org.uk). Manifold Walks by George Guidebooks: More Favourite Shufflebotham & Phil Rushton Walks around Oswestry and (£8.99, Sigma Press, the Borders by Peter Carr 3 ISBN 978 1850589129). (£4.95, Ramblers, LoCaL rambLers Group: ISBN 978 0956902108); Best Leek Ramblers Shropshire Walks by Les (✆ 01538 373239, 3 Lumsdon (£8.99, Sigma Press, www.leekramblers.org.uk). ISBN 978 1850588535). Map not to scale. Representation of LoCaL rambLers Group: OS Landranger Oswestry Ramblers 2 MAP 126 1:50,000 3. Cross the bridge and fork L on www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk (✆ 01691 662149, www. the rough lane to Dale Farm. At ramblers.co.uk/groups). the farmyard, turn L (signed for 2 1 Hulme End) along a gated track. To download this route and hundreds of others, At the T-junction, turn L, cross the START FINISH conditions. The well still flows and visit www.ramblers.org.uk/routes river and then fork R for Wetton. a few hardy pilgrims still take a At the bend in 100m, turn R, dip. The chapel building is now rejoining the old railway. Looking the spindly firs skirting the this parkland pasture with a herd a Landmark Trust holiday let. back you’ll see the old rail tunnel To download this route and hundreds of others, farmyard and remain with the of pedigree highland cattle, for hedge, which shortly becomes a which the estate is renowned. – now a single-track road. Remain 2. Return to the canal and turn L, visit www.ramblers.org.uk/routes line of ancient, gnarled old lime Climb the waymarked stile (look with the cycle track for a kilometre. continuing to Maesbury Marsh – a and beech trees, ending up near out for the electric fence!) and go To your R, Ecton Hill is pockmarked former canal port still with remnant winding-engine house for the 5. Go L to the hairpin bend and the secluded Keeper’s Cottage. ahead through a gap onto a with old workings – remains of warehousing, a crane and a former former Ecton Deep mine. Turn R turn R here on the continuing lane woodland path. At the far side, what were perhaps the planet’s bone works nearby. There’s also a below the wall (don’t use the to its end at Pepper Inn (once a 4. Go through the gate farthest-R look for the stile and cross the richest copper mines 250 years ago. welcome pub, the Navigation Inn, handgate) and use the nearby stile. beer-house, later a smallpox of the cottage and then ahead to narrow field to a tree-shaded here at a settlement, which 4. At the lane crossing, there’s the Continue half-R on the waymarked hospital). Use the squeeze stile use another gate at the near end footbridge leading onto Oswestry essentially developed as Oswestry’s option of continuing ahead on the concessionary path to the trig opposite, cross a slab bridge and of a wooded strip. Bear R along Golf Club. Frequent waymarked distant canal wharf. trail for a further mile to Hulme pillar topping Ecton Hill, where a continue along the wall to your R the field (not the wooded strip), posts keep you on the path, panorama of the White Peak around Wetton Hill. In around aiming to pass immediately R of eventually reaching the clubhouse. End, where the old station has 3. Leave the towpath and walk awaits. Look for a distant, small 500m, cut across a long field (as the stand of 6 trees visible ahead. Walk through the car park, displays about the railway and past the inn. In 200 yards turn R concrete wall-side shelter around waymarked), following the path to Off to the L, the imposing façade carefully cross the very busy A5 mining heritage, plus a nearby along Waen Lane, remaining 500m away and head for this, the stub-end of a track dropping of Aston Hall draws the eye, and road and turn R to the nearby shop and tea room. Otherwise, with this roughening byway all beyond re-built stone walling. into Wetton. nearby is the creeper-clad ruin of L-turn for Queen’s Head. turn R, then look half-R from the the way through to the imposing adjacent junction for the potholed You’ll then pass further mining Route devised by Neil Coates the estate church. You may share Route devised by Neil Coates heritage to reach a tarred lane. Bromwich Park farmhouse. track (a path signed for ‘Top of Continue along the tarred lane for Ecton & Wetton’), climbing past a further 900m to a sharp-L bend, mine-related housing. Beyond the keeping ahead-R here towards last house and arch, go L off the IN ASSOCIATION WITH NEW LAdiES’ ZONdA nearby Fox Hall farm. Within 50m IN ASSOCIATION WITH NEW MEN’S BOrA stile onto the very steep path VERSATILE FLEECE & WINDPROOF look on your L for the fingerposted HILL-WALKER’S FLEECE & WINDPROOF through wall-side scrub. Continue DUO DESIGNED FOR HILL WALKERS, stile and turn R inside the COMBO GIVES WATERPROOF 12/08/2013 16:43 up the grassy slope to old workings PERFECT FOR TRAVEL. WEAR PROTECTION EQUIVALENT TO ANALOGY TOGETHER OR SEPARATELY! hedgeline. Keep immediately L of LIGHT IN A VERSATILE PACKAGE. and a barn, which is actually the