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Stiperstones low level circular from Stiperstones Inn

Shropshire Hills Walk

Region - Shropshire Hills

County/Area - Shropshire


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Author -

Length - 4.0 miles / 6.5 km    Ascent - 300 feet / 91 metres

Time - 2 hours 20 minutes    Grade - easy

Maps Ordnance Survey Logo Anquet Maps Logo

Ordnance Survey Explorer 216Sheet Map1:25kBUY
Anquet OS Explorer 216Digital Map1:25kBUY
Ordnance Survey Landranger 137Sheet Map1:50kBUY
Anquet OS Landranger 137Digital Map1:50kBUY

Walk Route Description

Photo from the walk - Stiperstones low level circular
Click image to see photo description.

This walk is very flexible, it circles around the pub and has 3 opportunities to head back home along the route (perfect for the time restricted publican!) This is one of my favourite walks, partly because it involves a limited amount of climbing, but also because it's very flexible with many opportunities to take a short-cut home if I'm short of time. I've called it a berry picking walk as there are a lot of hedgerows on the way with plenty of opportunities for picking in the late summer, but this walk is a nice easy route for most of the year. A small section of the walk from Mytton dingle to Perkin's Beach dingle can get quite prickly with gorse over-running the little path.

The walk starts from The Stiperstones Inn, You're welcome to park at the Pub, but please try to car-share, if you are meeting friends and have multiple cars, then more plentiful car-parking is available at Snailbeach Village Hall or the Bog Car Park.

From The Stiperstones Inn turn right and head down the road in the direction of Snailbeach. Stay on the road for about three quarters of a mile till you get to a 5-bar gate on the right hand side with a stile on the left hand side of the gate. Through the gate follow the track up the hill to another gate with a cattle grid across it. There is a small gate on the right hand side for dogs like Bob who have been unable to learn how to navigate cattle grids. Once through the gate the path heads up and to the left and then turns sharp right and through another small gate. The path now goes through the front garden of a little cottage and then going through one more gate takes you into the wood. This lovely little wood path follows the fenceline heading back towards the Stiperstones village and needs very little guidance, after about quarter of a mile you will pass an old bath set in the top of a field on your right hand side. Continue on past the bath for further quarter of a mile and you will come to a rocky outcropping which you'll need to scramble down. The path now swings round to the left and continues to follow the fenceline round to the right and then down to a second rocky scramble down to the unadopted road. If you want to cut the walk short you can turn right here and head down Mytton Dingle back to the pub, If not then turn left and follow this road past 2 cottages and through a wooded area until the road ends in a clearing.

Here you will find a small map of the Stiperstones and a plaque commemorating the death of all 5 crew members of a Whitley Bomber which crashed into the hillside on a training run in 1944. Just after the plaque you need to bear right and follow the small path into the woods. The path forks as you enter the wood the left hand path heading uphill is the easiest path to take, it quickly levels out and follows the contour of the hill through the wood till it reaches a fenceline (if you've taken the bottom path you'll come to a stile, don't go over the stile instead head up hill until you reach the top of the field and turn right.). Carry on with the fence on your right, twice the fence drops away on your right and both times you should take the path that leads slightly downhill to continue following the fence. (If you stay on the higher paths you're likely to get bogged down in fern and gorse). You'll pass a small summer gazebo/platform on your right and soon after this the fenceline drops again. This time continue straight on the path which winds through the ferns and the heather.

You'll come to another small rocky scramble and the path once again meets up with the fence only to lose it again a few minutes later. Carry on across the next clearing till you join the fence again, follow this fenceline for a short while and then drop down to the track when it clears. Go through the 5-bar gate on your right. Once again you can choose to cut the walk short here by carrying straight on down the unadopted road in front of you (Perkin's Beach Dingle). Alternatively take the path to the left to continue the walk.

The track goes through a clearing called "New Venture" or "Ventnor" there are some small cottages on the left and mine working scattered throughout the hills above. Follow the track round and you'll come to a small white cottage, here the track becomes a path up to your left where it meets a stile (with dog stile). Head over the stile and up the hill keeping right till you come to a small stream. 90% of the time you can hop across the stream to the path on the other side. If it's a bit boggy follow the stream uphill till you find an easier crossing point. The path follows the fenceline up the hill and round to the right stay on the path and you'll come to another small stream (sometimes just a boggy patch, which can be a bit smelly - dog owners beware!) which is the run off from one of the old mine workings. The path continues straight for a short while and then heads down through the woods. Just before the main path levels out at the bottom there is a small path on the right hand side.

Here you have a choice - the lower path is wider and easier, but it drops down and then climbs back up again. The higher path is a bit more of a scrambly sheep-path, but it stays at the same level. The paths join back up again after about half a mile at the top of a sheep field with a stile. Don't go over the stile. Follow the path along the line of the fence where you'll find another stile (and dog stile) leading into the woods. Follow this wooded path and it will widen out into a track, keep heading straight till you come to a 5 bar gate with a stile. The gate doesn't open and the stile is slippy so be careful over this one. There also isn't a dog stile here, but as there's no fence either it's easy for the dogs to head round through the undergrowth on the outside.

This is your final chance to head back home early. Just follow the road to the right back down to the pub. Alternatively turn left and head up the road for about 100 yards. You'll come to a wide sweeping bend which has great views across the valley. If you stand on the corner looking down the valley with the unadopted road on your left, you can have a quick check for cows in the fields in front and to your left. If there are cows in the field and you have a dog with you then I heartily recommend cutting the walk slightly short and heading back down the road as these particular cows tend to be on the grumpy side. If the field is clear then head down the unadopted road till you come to a 5-bar gate on your right. Through the gate (it can be very muddy on the left hand side so be careful) and follow the tractor trail slightly up hill. The path now heads slightly right across the field to meet up with the fenceline of the woods.

At this point the official path on the map appears to be inside the wood itself, but there is no way into the wood here, a track does follow between the fence and the brambly hedgeline, but this path is often very boggy so it may be easier to walk in the field with the brambles on your left until you reach the end of the field. Head through the gate into Buxton wood. The path wanders through the wood for a while until it forks, take the left hand fork up the hill to the top and then continue on dropping down slightly till you get to another 5-bar gate. Heading through the gate you're still in woodland but this part is also farmland and often has sheep. Follow the track down through the wood and continues on till you come to two more 5-bar gates which are set close together. Head through them both and you'll be on another unadopted road. Follow the road down and it'll lead you back to the main road. When you join the main road head right and the pub is just round the corner.

I hope you've enjoyed this walk as much as I do.

Other walks nearby

Walk 3529 Stiperstones from Snailbeacheasy/mod7.0 miles
Walk 1871 Snailbeach & the Stiperstonesmoderate7.0 miles
Walk 1809 Shelve & the Stiperstones from The Bogmoderate9.0 miles
Walk 2083 Linley Hill and Linley from The Bogmoderate8.5 miles
Walk 3395 The Stiperstones Ridgeeasy/mod5.5 miles
Walk 3422 Ratlinghope & the Stiperstones from the Knollsmoderate7.5 miles
Walk 3596 The Stiperstones from the Knollseasy2.0 miles
Walk 3045 The Stiperstones & Blakemoor Flat from the Knollseasy/mod5.0 miles
Walk 1832 The Hollies & Poles Coppice from near Habberleyeasy/mod5.0 miles
Walk 2745 Betchcott Hills & Pole Bankmoderate9.0 miles

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Hillwalking in Shropshire

Hillwalking in ShropshireGuidebook to 32 walking routes in Shropshire in the West Midlands. The routes range from 3 miles (5km) to 12 miles (19km), taking in highlights such as The Wrekin, Wenlock Edge, Long Mynd and Stiperstones, Castle Ring and Bury Ditches. Many routes start near delightful towns and villages including Church Stretton, Ludlow and Bishops Castle.
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