Discover Shropshire Circular Walk 6 – Brown Clee

Walk directions

1. Step 1

   The numbers in brackets refer to the downloadable map below these instructions.
   From Abdon Village Hall car park walk back onto road, turn right. A few metres along on the right is a stile.  [1]

2. Step 2

   Cross the stile and walk along the Car Park fence, then straight across the field towards to the lone tree. At the tree [2], bear half right down towards a kissing gate [3].

3. Step 3

   The path bears left down to steps and crosses a small stream [4]. Cross this, ignore the gate on the right, and take the the path immediately left after the bridge through woodland.

4. Step 4

   After about 0.7km / 0.5 mi, go through a gate and turn right onto the road [5]. After about 100m take the road turning on the right, uphill [6].

5. Step 5

   Where the road bears right, take the footpath straight ahead [7] through a gate uphill onto open moorland. Shropshire Way sign.

6. Step 6

   Where the path forks, take the right hand path and continue uphill.

7. Step 7

   You will pass a metal gate on the right hand side – shortly afterwards there is path turning sharply on the left [8]. Follow the path which is fairly level and has wonderful views to your left. Continue for approx. 1 mile, following as it climbs gently round the hill  until you reach a wooden gate at the edge of woodland. Do not go through the gate but turn right right uphill and follow the fence line. 

8. Step 8

   You will reach the access road, where there is a cattle grid. [9] Turn right up the road and continue following the access road as it winds its way towards the masts.

9. Step 9

   Still following the access road cross a stile at the cattle grid. 

10. Step 10

    Just before you reach the mast, take the small track off the road up to the toposcope and view point [10]. This is the highest point in Shropshire. In fact there are no hills higher to the east until you reach the Urals in Russia.

11. Step 11

    Walk down the steps from the viewpoint, turn right down the hill. Follow the path down the hill, keeping the fence line to your right.

12. Step 12

    As you approach another fence line across your path, bear left to follow it downhill in the direction of the radio mast on Clee Burf.

13. Step 13

    As you descend, you can will see a sign for a memorial to the 23 airmen who died in crashes on Brown Clee in WWII – this is a very short detour if you want to visit this.

14. Step 14

    The path takes you down to the col (lowest point) [11] between the two peaks of Brown Clee. When you reach the col, go through the gate and keep left to skirt the edge of the wood along the fence line, then follow the clear path uphill towards the mast.

15. Step 15

    Just before you reach the mast [12], ignore the stile ahead of you and cut across in front of it following the security fence of the mast. You will see the top of  the access road, then turn right down the access road.

16. Step 16

    Make sure you enjoy the view of Nordy Bank’s circular ramparts at the far end of the spur in front of you as you descend. As you approach the ramparts, the road veers right downhill. Take the path off the road to the left [13] and into Nordy Bank.

17. Step 17

    In hill fort stay to the right hand edge and exit in a gap in the mound. Take the path which descends steeply towards farm building: at the bottom, turn left onto a stony tack and along to the road.

18. Step 18

    Turn right up the hill [14]. Immediately after the telephone kiosk, turn left up a track [15].  Shortly after passing through a wooden “Middleton Farm” gate, look for a small gap in the hedge [16] on the right next to a small wooden post.  Follow the path over the footbridge and stile.

19. Step 19

    Bear half left diagonally up the field to a stile. Cross the stile and follow the path, keeping the hedge on your left.  Cross the hedge at a kissing gate.

20. Step 20

    Head for the gate/stile at the centre of the opposite side of the field. Cross the stile.  Follow the path, keeping the hedge to your left. Go through the gate onto a stone track continuing in the same direction until you meet the road near Abdon. Turn right onto the road. 

21. Step 21

    As the road bears left [18], bear right along the lane, signed Public Footpath.

22. Step 22

    There is a stone house on the left and then the lane splits into 3 drives. Between the stone house and the drive furthest left is a VERY narrow entrance to a path (just to left of a sign saying Old Rectory). You will think you are entering the garden of the stone house but this is a footpath. Continue up the path past a small metal shed until you reach a stile into an open field.

23. Step 23

    Keeping the fence on your right, follow the path to a kissing gate, then straight over to the top corner of a field, where there is a stile into the churchyard.

24. Step 24

    Cross the stile and turn left around the back of the church. Leave the churchyard and turn right up the road back to the Village Hall.