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Home , Abcott, Acton Scott, Aston on Clun, Bushmoor, Cefn Einion, Clun

The best way to see the Hills Right, are you ready to go? Then read on... – ¢ A quiet village in a hidden valley.The is by bike! Cycle from the Secret Hills Your experience starts at the Secret Hills church of St Mary’s (built 1192) has a fine Norman Centre, turn right out of the car park and doorway. Part of the churchyard is a Wildlife Centre in and in five 1 take the second left along Newton Street to the Meadow and picnic area. minutes you are in the heart of Corvedale Road. Turn right cycling out of Aston on – P ° + Every May the villagers the Shropshire Countryside. Craven Arms on the Corvedale road (B4368). decorate their rare Black Poplar ‘Arbor Tree’ to Discover for yourself superb views, Cross the and take the first left to commemorate a local 17th century wedding. But hidden valleys, ancient castles, quiet the village of Halford. the custom may originally go back much further, to woods and sleepy villages. 2 Continue past Halford church and fork left at the honour a Celtic goddess.This is the last tree dressing old ‘School House’,down a stony track and turn ceremony in . The Hopesay Hop – 14 MILES, left through the ‘kissing gate’ into the 6 To continue on Route 2 and 3 go straight on 1 allow 2 ⁄2 HOURS. Hilly to start then watermeadows of the River Onny. Follow the through Round Oak, past the telephone box easy cycling. path through to the next ‘kissing gate’ and cross and up a short hill (wonderful views of the 11 the River Onny on a metal footbridge. Cycle up to & ). Down a very steep hill Dynamo – 27 MILES, the junction with the A49. (take care) to Basford and then up again allow at least 4 HOURS. Hilly but easily towards . achievable in a day. Partly off road on 3 Cross straight over at the A49 (Take care) 2 signposted for Long Lane Industrial Estate. 2 forest tracks. Not suitable for racing At the top of the hill you will find an old Milestone, bikes. 4 Go over the level crossing, past the industrial left over from the days when this narrow road would have been an important link between Bishop’s Castle Cracker – 30 MILES, estate & straight on up a steep climb for just Bishop’s Castle and Craven Arms. allow 5 hours. Detour missing out under 2 miles to the top at Wart Hill. forest tracks at Bury Ditches. Edgton – i You can make a diversion here to the 33 Wart Hill – site of an Iron Age Hillfort. At 324m the lovely hill top village of Edgton. A Pottery in the Old fort has excellent views of the surrounding hills and REFRESHMENTS Schoolhouse (next to the church) is open daily Clun, Bishop’s Castle and Craven Arms have plenty of is the focal point of ‘The Wart Hill Wander’, a Secret 10–5pm. The village well is covered in a willow arch facilities for refreshments. The Bird on the Rock tea Hills Walk. room at serves teas & light lunches. and is ‘dressed’ each year. 5 Continue downhill to the hamlet of Round Oak 7 Cycle past the milestone & Edgton Village Hall. (no sign, just a few houses). WHERE TO START Go straight on at the next junction, signposted All three routes start from the Secret Hills Centre The Hopesay Hop Route 1 for . in Craven Arms. The town is on the main line Total 14 miles (22km). The shorter route railway service connecting to and 8 A very grand vicarage is on your left hand side turns left at Round Oak signposted for The Fish (see Travel Information). as you go up one last hill. Lydbury North can be & Hopesay. From Hopesay, carry on down the seen straight ahead, the church is exactly in the valley to . Turn right on the Use the map and the numbered route 1 centre of your view. Downhill now (past B4368, after ⁄4 mile take the first left. Follow descriptions to help you find your way. Stop Lynchgate) all the way to the valley bottom and the River Clun upstream along a narrow lane via occaisionally to read the text in yellow boxes as it the junction with the B4385. to join the main cycle route at the describes the special features of the Secret Hills. junction of the B4385, turning left continue to 9 Turn right on the main road towards Lydbury Twitchen. (Go to Point 20) North. © Crown Copyright. All rights reserved. Shropshire County Council. Licence number LA 076821/01/2001 Route 1 CYCLING WITH CARE Route 2 Route 3 Watch out for other vehiclesWhittingslow Steep Climb especially tractors BISHOP'S CASTLE Black Knoll Whizz Down Hill B4370 Main Road Always wear a helmet Secondary Road Totterton Eyton Other road SCALE: Oakeley Plowden Mynd Ride in single file 0 1 Kilometres 2 3 Railway Colebatch Woolston Felhampton Woodland Horderley Plowden Follow the Highway Code and ▲ Ridgeway 334 Hill Summit Wood(ht ins metres) Leamoor Hill take care at roadCommon junctions Pubs Lydbury Five Ridgeway Blakeridge North Turnings Wood 10 9 8 R i 11 A489 v e Brockton Lynchgate Edgton

r U 7 Shadwell n Hall k Basford Three Gates Bryn Cheyney Walcot 6 Wart Longville Lower Down Hill 5 12 Short Oak Motte Wood 14 Llanhedrick 13 Walcot Park The Bury Fish 4 Ditches 3 Colstey Halford CRAVEN 27 2 Hopesay Sibdon ARMS 15 Carwood Guilden Kempton Fort Whitcott Bicton Down Hill 26 Keysett Long 1

R Meadowend i v e r Aston on Clun K e Oaker Radnor m 16 p Wood B4368 Wood Little Clunton Brampton B4367 The 18 Beambridge 19 Green Broome Stoke Wood 17 River Clun Clun Clunbury 25 The Secret Hills Cycle Rides Weo Fm Sowdley Wood have been funded by Purslow Wood Clunbury Other Publications Churchbank Cycle Shops & CycleCwm Hire 20 Hill Available from Tourist Information Centres Onny Mountain Bike Hire, Flowers Coffee Shop, Cycling for PleasurRockhill e in the Marches: Market Street, Craven Arms (01588) 672710 The Black Hill 24 Crossways 5 Cycling maps of ShropshirRockhille & . Wheely Wonderful Cycling, Petchfield Farm, Twitchen Pen-y-wern 23 Cycle Friendly Accommodation guide Elton, Ludlow.Tel (01568) 770755. Cycle Hire 21 22 Welcome cyclists with a safe storage area for Centre & Cycling Holidays. Abcott Saddle Hill cycles. Pearce Engineering, Fishmore Road, Ludlow. Riv European Regional Cycles and Spires: Easy cycle routes to historic Tel (01584) 876016. Cycle sales, repairs & hire. er Clun Development Fund churches (i) Leominster, (ii) Tenbury Wells, Climb On Bikes, 22 Bull Ring, Ludlow. (iii) . Tel (01584) 872173. Cycle sales & repairs. The National Byway: , covering Terry’s Cycles, 6 Castle Hill, All Stretton.Tel Hopton Wood Hoptonheath Shropshire from Whitchurch to Ludlow. (01694) 723302 / 724334. Cycle hire & repairs. Lydbury North – o P yΩ+ 13 Continue through the car park taking the main Further Information The village is dominated by the large estate of forest road past the wooden barrier, to follow a SECRETHILLS, Discovery Centre, Walcot Hall. A Georgian House with Arboretum, signed cycle trail through the forest to the Ludlow Road, Craven Arms SY7 9RS, once occupied by Clive of India. Open May & June Colstey Woods entrance on the A488. Easy level Tel: (01588) 676040. (limited days). The Norman church has a cycling on graded forest roads (take care if tree Discover the wonders of the Shropshire Hills from the massively buttressed clock tower with a unique felling is being carried out). splendour of the scenery to the complexity of their history and heritage. carved bell frame, holding a peal of 6 bells. 14 At the main road (A488) turn left uphill (only a 1 1 Tourist Information Centres in the area 10 Cycle through Lydbury North and after 1 ⁄2 short bit) and then downhill for ⁄2 mile. Turn LUDLOW – Castle Street, Ludlow SY8 1AS Open all year, miles turn left signposted to Brockton and Bury right at Harp (house on the corner) signposted accommodation booking service.Tel: (01584) 875053 Ditches Hillfort. for Bicton. SHREWSBURY – The Music Hall,The Square, Shrewsbury, SY1 1LH open all year, accommodation booking service.Tel: Bishop’s Castle Cracker– Route 3 15 Cycle past a small lake and downhill to Bicton. At (01743) 350761 E-mail: [email protected] the valley bottom keep left, signposted for Clun. –The Library, Church Street, Total 30 miles (46 km). You can extend the route Church Stretton (Closes in winter).Tel: (01694) 723133 to Bishop’s Castle, by missing out the forest Your first views of are straight ahead. KNIGHTON – Offa’s Dyke Heritage Centre,West Street, tracks (and very steep hill) at Bury Ditches. 16 At the T junction with the main road, turn right Knighton.Tel: (01547) 528753 Don’t turn left to Brockton but continue on the BISHOP’S CASTLE – 29 High Street, Bishop’s Castle and continue onto Clun. Tel: (01588) 638476 main road to Bishop’s Castle. From Bishop’s Castle take the A488 to Colebatch and turn right Clun – Ü≠º y P •‡iΩ°+ Travel Information to Cefn Einion, Shadwell, Llanhedrick, Bicton One of the ‘Quietest places under the Sun’according Mainline Railway stations are at Shrewsbury, Church Stretton, to the poet AE Housman. An unspoilt village Craven Arms and Ludlow. Trains carry 2 bikes per train and Clun. (Go to point 16) (Reservations are essential). For information on all bus, coach dominated by its Norman castle. The ancient Bishop’s Castle – and train services in the Shropshire area call: Ü≠oºy P •Ò‡iΩ°+ is a reminder of Clun’s importance 0870 608 2608 A vibrant as an old droving route. A good place for a lunch border town with a strong community spirit and MUCH stop with three inns and three tea shops! WENLOCK little changed in looks over the last 100 years.The

Church Stretton town runs a number of festivals during the year and 17 Cycle out of Clun on the B4368, past The Sun Bishop's is home to the historic brew pub ‘The Three Tuns’. Inn towards Craven Arms. Castle 18 CRAVEN ARMS 11 To continue on Route 2, the Bury Ditches Follow the Clun valley through Clunton to

Clun Dynamo, go through Brockton, past the Purslow. Highland Seeds buildings and then up a very LUDLOW Clunton – ≠ The Crown Inn. Another of those steep hill to (would you believe) Lower Down. Knighton ‘quietest places’ in the beautiful Clun Valley. The Tenbury Wells Crown Inn is a rarity, its a community owned village 12 Another very steep hill (you might have to get inn. A consortium of local people banded together The map covering this area is: off & push here) to Bury Ditches car park. Landranger 137 – Ludlow, Wenlock Edge and Surrounding Area to buy it when it was threatened with closure. Bury Ditches – Ω¢ A spectacular Iron Age 19 At Purslow and the Hundred House Inn turn Published by Secret Hills, Shropshire Hills Discovery Centre, as part of the Sustainable Managed Hillfort. Cycling is not allowed on the Hillfort, but a Access Project in partnership with Wheely Wonderful Cycling. right signposted for on the B4385 Designed by MACreative (01743) 231261. The publishers have made every effort to ensure the short walk from the car park takes you to the information in this publication was correct at the time of printing. If you have any comments and continue across the River Clun. regarding this publication please contact the Sustainable Managed Access Project, Shropshire summit with excellent views over the whole area. Hills Countryside Unit, 2 The School House, , Church Stretton, SY6 6QN Purslow – ≠ Hundred House Inn.The oddly named 25 Carry straight on along this road and down a long pub is a reference to the old taxation boundary. steep hill (take care). Cycle under the railway bridge to the junction of the main road (B4368). 20 At the hamlet of Twitchen turn left at the small crossroads signposted for Abcott. You can 26 Turn right and then immediately left (just before make a short diversion here to visit Hopton the Craven Arms sign). Carry on along this Castle (see map). narrow lane and turn right at the crossroads CycleCycle RidesRides (next to Long Lane Industrial Estate). You are Three MORE routes Hopton Castle – Built in the 14th century on the now back on the outgoing cycle route. Go over through the Shropshire Hills site of an earlier castle. It was the scene of a very the level crossing to the junction with the A49. bloody siege in the Civil War, when all the occupants were massacred & thrown into the ditch nearby.The 27 Cross the A49 (take care) and cycle back nearby Hopton Wood is excellent for through the watermeadows to Halford and mountainbiking, with over 15 miles of specially Craven Arms. developed off road paths. Well done, we hope you enjoyed this cycle route. Look 21 Cycle up a short hill, then a good roll downhill out for the other Secret Hills Cycle Rides leaflets to to the main road at Abcott and the very Church Stretton, available from the Secret Hills Centre. welcome sight of ‘The Bird on the Rock’ tea- room (open Wed to Sun 10-5pm). CRAVEN ARMS TOWN MAP and symbols used in the text 22 Turn left at the main road (B4367) towards

Clungunford. Outward A49 Route Long Lane D A S

O H R Clungunford – 13th century church on a Saxon site. R N E A W M S B O U Next to the church is the remains of a ‘Motte’ and R HALFORD R

T Y E E R R O

T A S bailey fort probably used to defend the bridge CRAVEN D G N I L T ARMS crossing the River Clun. A Return W Playing Route RAILWAY Field 23 Cycle past the church and into the village. Take STATION

OAD DALE R the sharp left hand bend then turn right up CORVE School Lane.

L U D L O 24 Up a short hill to the T junction at Crossways W R O A D SECRETHILLS (two white cottages). Turn left to follow the line CENTRE of the old Roman road towards Craven Arms. Cycle route in/out of town Roman road – part of the Roman Watling Street Ü Café ≠ Pub/Inn o Restaurant West which links Caerleon with Chester. Local places º Toilet y Tourist Information P Shops linked were the roman garrison town of Bravonium • Post Office Ò Bank/Cash Point ‡ Museum (now called Leintwardine) and Viroconium i Crafts/Pottery — Gardens 9 Monument ¢ Craven Arms to Clun, () near Shrewsbury. Picnic Area S Rail Station Ω Car Park ° Petrol + Accommodation ı Cycle Hire Bishop’s Castle & Bury Ditches