Ramblers Routes Ramblers Routes Britain’s best walks from the experts Britain’s best walks from the experts Central England Central England 07 Clun, Shropshire 08 Woodwalton, Cambridgeshire l Distance 10km/5½ miles l Time 3hrs l Type Hill and forest l Distance 12km/7½ miles l Time 3¼hrs l Type Field and meadow NAVIGATION LEVEL FITNESS LEVEL NAVIGATION LEVEL FITNESS LEVEL walk magazine autumn 2015 autumn magazine walk walk magazine autumn 2015 autumn magazine walk Plan your walk Plan your walk WOODWALTON CLUN SHROPSHIRE CAMBRIDGESHIRE R E T S l O l l Hereford Y Cambridge N F M Bedford A A I L R Cardiff A l HY: HY: HY: B HY: P P WHERE Circular walk above WHERE Circular walk from the town of Clun, in the Woodwalton, via Great PHOTOGRA Shropshire Hills AONB. Raveley and Upwood. PHOTOGRA START/END Car park off the START/END Woodwalton You find them here, you find them Clunton, Clungbury and This walk is a fairly gentle stroll the public bridleway but continue B4368, in the shadow of Clun Village Green (TL214808). there... sometimes it seems as Clungunford, as ‘the quietest place through the open countryside of straight on around the field edge Castle (SO300808). TERRAIN Mainly footpaths though you can find Bruce under the sun’. the Huntingdonshire district of with the hedgerow on the R. TERRAIN Quiet lanes and and farm tracks. No stiles Chatwin’s footsteps everywhere. Cambridgeshire. Although the After just over 1km, at the woodland tracks. and fairly level for most of The brilliant travel writer and 1. START Begin at the car park by start is close to the East Coast junction of bridleways, carry MAPS OS Explorer 201; the way, with one small hill novelist would have been 75 this the B4368, alongside the River main line railway and only two straight on with the hedgerow on Landranger 137. climb from Keeler Farm. year, and this walk winds its way Clun in the shadow of Clun Castle. miles from the A1, it is a peaceful R. The path then turns R and then GETTING THERE Between MAPS OS Explorer 225; up one of the many Black Hills that A lovely 15th-century stone and tranquil walk taking in a L, continuing over a footbridge Easter and the end of Landranger 142. claim a link with his acclaimed packhorse bridge (pictured) couple of small nature reserves with hedgerow now on L. Follow September, Clun is served by GETTING THERE Transport novel, On the Black Hill. He wrote spans the river here, though the and visiting the villages of Great it and then turn R to follow broad the Castle Connect weekend options are limited and this much of the tale at nearby Cwm walk turns R uphill along Church Raveley and Upwood, where food track through farmyard to road in shuttle bus (www.shropshire walk can be accessed only Hall, though a glance at an OS Street. St George’s Church repays and drink can be obtained at the Great Raveley. hillsshuttles.co.uk). by car or taxi. Park or map confirms several other Black a brief pause: it boasts a squat local pub. Otherwise, train via the Heart drop-off point near Hills within easy reach of Clun, any Norman tower, and beyond the 2. Turn L on road in Great Raveley of Wales line to Knighton Woodwalton Village Green. one of which could have been the imposing 18th-century lych gate 1. START Facing the Elephant & and then turn R at post box to (✆ 01597 822053, www. EATING & DRINKING Food source for Chatwin’s work. But this there’s an ancient yew and the Castle pub in Woodwalton, turn R follow public footpath signed heart-of-wales.co.uk) and a and drink available at the route provides glorious views grave of playwright and actor and follow the road to Great ‘Upwood ¾ mile’. Cross Meadow taxi (www.knightontown.net). Cross Keys pub in Upwood. across Shropshire’s hugely John Osborne, writer of Look Back Raveley. Walk uphill, passing the Lane on entering Upwood village EATING & DRINKING The Closed on Mondays (except underrated countryside, including in Anger. village hall on the R. At top of hill and continue north along High Maltings Tearooms, High bank holidays). No food an eye-popping perspective on turn L on road, ignoring the track Street. The Cross Keys is 500m on Street, Clun (✆ 01588 640539, bank holiday Mondays, two of its most distinctive 2. With the lych gate at your back, to R. After 100m, turn R off road R. The route leaves Upwood 250m www.caryscakes.com/ Tuesdays (currently) or features, the Long Mynd and the turn L and immediately L again up to follow public bridleway along High Street, turning L along tearoom). Sunday evenings (✆ 01487 Stiperstones. It begins and finishes Hand Causeway. The climb is steep signposted ‘Little Raveley 2¼ Bentley Close. Turn R between SLEEPING The Castle Hotel, 813384, http://thecrosskeys in the small town of Clun, tucked from the off, but the views are miles’. Walk along the bridleway bungalows No. 7 and No. 9 to Bishop’s Castle, from £150 per upwood.co.uk). away from the rest of Shropshire, a distraction from aching for about 1.5km to reach a bench a kissing gate leading into double room with dinner and SLEEPING Accommodation let alone the rest of the world, and hamstrings: rolling humpback hills at Poplar Spinney. Follow open meadowland. At Upwood breakfast (✆ 01588 638403; can be found in the market described by AE Housman, along create the impression of a bridleway until you reach a gap in Meadows Nature Reserve ▲ www.thecastlehotel ▲ town of Ramsey, nine miles ▼ with its alliterative neighbours, landscape slightly out of focus. ▼ the hedge on R. Do not turn R on noticeboard walk straight P53-54_WALK48_RRS_CENTRAL.indd 1 11/08/2015 11:28 Created withMemory-Map.©Crowncopyright2015OrdnanceSurveyMedia048/15 Created withMemory-Map.©Crowncopyright2015OrdnanceSurveyMedia048/15 Continued... bishopscastle.co.uk); Middle Woodbatch Farm B&B for Map not to scale. £80 per room per night Representation of 3 OS Explorer (✆ 01588 630141, www. START MAP 225 1:25,000 middlewoodbatchfarm. FINISH www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk co.uk). 4 1 VISITOR INFORMATION 2 Visitor Information Point at Bright Flowers florist by 5 Clun Bridge, or visit 6 www.clun.info, www. bishopscastle.co.uk and 4 START 2 FINISH shropshirehillsaonb.co.uk. GUIDEBOOK A Guide to Slow 1 Travel in the Marches by Les Lumsdon (£10, Logaston Press, ISBN 978 1906663537). LOCAL RAMBLERS GROUP 3 Clun Ramblers (✆ 01588 640027, www. clun.org.uk/walking.htm). Map not to scale. Representation of Some of these hills are OS Explorer MAP 201 1:25,000 encumbered by nothing more www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk than a single tree and big Continued... To download this route and hundreds of others, Shropshire skies. Our Black Hill, visit www.ramblers.org.uk/routes meanwhile, seemingly far off to away, including the George the south-west, is covered in pines. Hotel, which has double It looks dauntingly distant and To download this route and hundreds of others, rooms with breakfast from ahead for 50m to kissing gate and Footpath Church End 2 miles’. elevated from the lower reaches visit www.ramblers.org.uk/routes £65 (✆ 01487 815264, www. bridge through gap in hedge. After 250m, pass around Brighty’s of the road, but don’t worry! georgehotelramsey.co.uk). Continue straight ahead towards Farm and continue on this track Continue on the lane as it swings VISITOR INFORMATION Lady’s Wood. for a further 800m before turning L, then R, with views across to the Long Mynd ridge, cloaked in the Troutbeck Valley in the Lake Cambridge Tourist Information L to Moat Farm. Pass through the tors of the Stiperstones. heather, sweeping down and District, just without the crowds. Centre (✆ 0871 226 8006, 3. Turn L to walk around the farm and continue on farm track up again to the Stiperstones. www.visitcambridge.org/ outside of Lady’s Wood, although for a further 900m to Keeler Farm. 3. You will reach a lonely Continue ahead, ignoring the first 6. The track finally ends and turns visitor-information/tourist- there is a circular path inside if At right-hand edge of farm crossroads at Pen-y-wern. Turn L sharply angled path to the L. R past Pooh Hall. Follow the quiet information-centre). you wish to explore. Otherwise, building, follow footpath uphill here, signposted for Obley, along lane to the village of Woodside GUIDEBOOK Although there turn L at end of Lady’s Wood to for 500m before descending for a lane that contours above the 5. The path re-enters woods. At a and turn R downhill to reach Clun isn’t one devoted to this follow track for 100m to cross a further 500m to gate at right- Clun Valley. The mountain range slightly angled crossroads, take the church. Turn R to return to the car specific area, Cambridgeshire dyke. Turn R and follow field edge hand side of small copse. Pass to the south is the Brecon sharp left-hand track, which slowly park and the centre of Clun. guidebooks include Pathfinder for further 100m to pass through through gate to right-hand Beacons. At the next crossroads, descends through woodland. From Route devised by Mark Rowe Guides: Cambridgeshire & the hedge and then walk diagonally edge of next field, exiting keep ahead, following the forest time to time the views open up Fens – Walks (£11.99, Crimson, south-west to five-way junction of through gate onto small road bridle path. At the far end of the to the north and west of the River ISBN 978 0711749801).