John Gillham - Walking the Shropshire Way: A two-week circular trail including the Wrekin, Stiperstones and Wenlock Edge

About the Author

John Gillham was born in Bournemouth, Dorset but now lives with his wife Nicola in Hoddlesden, a small village in the West Pennine Moors.

John has been a full-time professional writer, illustrator and photographer since 1989. His first book, Snowdonia to the Gower: A Coast to Coast Walk Across Highest Wales , has been described as one of the classic books on Wales. He also pioneered three other long-distance routes: Lakeland to Lindisfarne, Pennine Ways (an alternative Pennine Way) and the BowlandDales Traverse, all of which were published in book form. Johns recent books include The Pictorial Guides to the Mountains of Snowdonia Volumes 14 , Best Day Walks in Snowdonia , the AAs Leisure Guide Wales , and Cicerones The Cumbria Way and Hillwalking in Shropshire .

John writes regularly for The Great Outdoors (TGO) and has written occasionally for Dalesman , Cumbria Magazine and Lakeland Walker . He has written and contributed to many AA publications. He has twice won Outdoor Writers & Photographers Guild Award for Excellence, firstly for his guidebook Best Day Walks in Snowdonia and secondly for the outdoor book Coast-to-Coasting (with Ronald Turnbull).

Hillwalking in Shropshire

The Cumbria Way

WALKING THE SHROPSHIRE WAY

A TWO-WEEK CIRCULAR TRAIL INCLUDING THE WREKIN, STIPERSTONES AND WENLOCK EDGE

JUNIPER HOUSE, MURLEY MOSS,
OXENHOLME ROAD, KENDAL, CUMBRIA LA9 7RL
www.cicerone.co.uk

John Gillham 2019

First edition 2019

ISBN 9781783626687

Printed by KHL Printing, Singapore

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

All photographs are by the author unless otherwise stated.

Crown copyright 2019 OS PU100012932

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank my wife Nicola for being a lovely companion on the hills and for proofreading the book before publication; my good friend Ronald for sharing his knowledge of Shropshires geology; the wonderful hospitality shown to us by the good people of the county, including campsite wardens, innkeepers and the many cheerful bus drivers who took us to some of the remote corners. Many thanks must go to the Shropshire Way Association including their chairman, Audrey Menhinick, with whom I have been collaborating and sharing information from the start, and the route champions co-ordinators Gill Pursey and Trevor Allison and their teams, who have worked so hard to make sure the routes are all waymarked and free from obstructions. Theyve also proofread my text and suggested the necessary changes. Last but not least, Helen Beresford with Shropshire Council Outdoor Partnerships Team and their volunteers, who have helped resolve route anomalies.

Updates to this guide

While every effort is made by our authors to ensure the accuracy of guidebooks as they go to print, changes can occur during the lifetime of an edition. Any updates that we know of for this guide will be on the Cicerone website (www.cicerone.co.uk/1008/updates), so please check before planning your trip. We also advise that you check information about such things as transport, accommodation and shops locally. Even rights of way can be altered over time. We are always grateful for information about any discrepancies between a guidebook and the facts on the ground, sent by email to updates@cicerone.co.uk or by post to Cicerone, Juniper House, Murley Moss, Oxenholme Road, Kendal, LA9 7RL.

Register your book: To sign up to receive free updates, special offers and GPX files where available, register your book at www.cicerone.co.uk.

Front cover: Passing the Devils Chair on the Stiperstones ridge

Manstone Rock from Cranberry Rocks, Stiperstones

FOREWORD

Descending Small Batch with Ragleth Hill ahead

Although devised as a long-distance path, by 2014 the original Shropshire Way had become obscured in a network of routes throughout the county. In 2016, in order to recover the original route, I re-constituted the Shropshire Way Association. Our aim was not only to restore but also to preserve the Shropshire Way for the future. The decision was taken to build a website to act as a guide to walkers with the possibility of a guidebook at a later date.

I encountered the Shropshire Way in 1983 when I bought the first guide by Robert Kirk. Beginning with circular walks based on the route, I walked my first complete circuit in 2008 when the distinctive black and white buzzard waymarks were still in place. This was replaced by a re-designed waymark when Shropshire Council decided to introduce many alternative routes to the long-distance path.

The Association has negotiated and worked with Shropshire Council to identify a main route, design a new waymark and improve the footpath. I am proud and delighted that 10 years on we have launched Shropshire Way Main Route with distinctive orange, black and white waymarks.

I was delighted when John Gillham contacted me early in 2018 to say that Cicerone Press needed a guidebook to simplify the plethora of routes. John was the ideal person to write the guide being already familiar with the Shropshire Hills and very experienced in writing walking guides. Since then we have been working in partnership to retain the stages of the route, already established by the Association and to keep the data consistent across both media. Johns excellent route directions ideally complement the website which aims to make the route clear without including detailed directions.

This guide is an invaluable companion to anyone wishing to complete the whole circuit of around 200 miles or for those who wish to make several visits to Shropshire completing a few stages at a time. You will find supplementary information on places of interest on the way, whether historical, geological or even mythical but Johns excellent photography is bound to tempt you to every corner of the county. He has trodden every step of the way, experiencing Shropshire in all seasons and conveys his love of this unique and varied landscape in his writing. The original Shropshire Way was a circuit of the Shropshire Hills with a spur to Whitchurch. The new route includes the Meres and Mosses in the north of the county which are areas of Special Scientific Interest. Both loops are centred on Shrewsbury making repeat visits possible if using public transport. The new guide to the Shropshire Way, together with the website, will enable many walkers to discover and enjoy our beautiful county.