Route 14 The Stiperstones to Exfords Green

Illustration of Cooks Cottage, Blakemoorgate Discover Walking from Shepherd’s Rock on Blakemoorgate There are nearly 2000 years of mining the Stiperstones to Exfords Green history to be found here. When you get to Blakemoorgate make will show you to some of the best sure to take the short detour to see To run the mine there were collieries preserved remains of Shropshire’s the miners’ cottages. In the late 1800s in and a railway line to mining heritage. small settlements of squatters began Minsterley and at one stage an aerial to appear on the hills around the ropeway carrying coal and ore over Think of what the hills would have lead mines. The ones here have been the hills. been like in days gone by. All the renovated and show so well what life way along the ridge would have for these miners would have been like. The hills and nature been smoke belching chimneys of A stone built cottage with a garden It’s not all industrial past to see, you the boiler houses used to power the root store and a byre for their pigs and mines. They ran the pumps to keep cows. It must have been a bleak life in will walk the wonderful Lordshill, the mines dry, ran the ore crushers winter so high on the hill. through Poles Coppice nature reserve and around Earl’s Hill with its Iron Age and powered the wheels that lowered fort. Here the wildlife abounds. There the miners deep into the ground. Snailbeach Lead Mine are ancient oak woodlands thick with This carefully restored lead mine wild plants and orchids abound in the And not just in recent times, they was the biggest in Shropshire and is old quarries. If you have the time and have been mining here since the said to have produced the highest energy walk up to the Iron Age fort Romans arrived and there is proof. amount of lead per acre of any mine in on Earl’s Hill, it’s worth it. To the north In 1796 they found a Roman ingot at Europe. But all the noise and bustle is there is no higher land for a many a Snailbeach that weighed 193 lb and in the past, the now still buildings and mile and the views over the flood plain was engraved with the name of the of the are spectacular. machinery show so well what it was Emperor Hadrian. Now it’s different, like in its heyday before its run down all is quiet and the ridge abounds and closure in 1955. with nature.

The Devil’s Chair, The European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development: Europe investing in rural areas Stiperstones

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A5 DISMANTLED RAILWAY

Hanwood A49 Hook-a-gate A488 The Stiperstones ridge

Ascott Discover Shropshire Great Lyth Route 14 Old Coppice Plealy Longden Lyth Hill 0 KILOMETRES 1 2 Pontesbury Pontesford Country Park

1 0 MILES /2 1

Exfords A488 Green Polesgate Pontesford Hill Earls DIFFICULTY: often uneven and undulating Minsterley Hill Wrentnall ROUTE 15 woodland paths and stony tracks Longden Stapleton Common 16 kilometre section Wrentnall Habberley For a more detailed map directions and informationA49 visit: www.shropshirewalking.co.uk Lawn Hill Perkins Beach Shropshire Way Footpaths Bridleways Snailbeach Pulverbatch

Visitor Information Centre Place of Worship Mines Café Museum Public House Car Parking Toilets Nature Reserve Sheppen Fields Shops Country Park Castle Fishery Walking routes Camping/Caravan

Open Access Areas Woodland Stiperstones Route Profile Perkins Beach 500m Thresholds 400mSmethcott 300m ROUTE 8 200m Stiperstones 100m National Nature Reserve Kilometres 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 Miles 1 234Leebotwood 5 6789 You are not permittedROUTE to 1 copy, sub-licence, distribute or sell any of thisStitt data to third parties in any form. © Crown copyright and database rights 2012 Ordnance Survey 100049049 Cranberry Rock ROUTE 8

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G O L D E N A49 Comley Bridges Belmore Duckley Nap Jinlye