Onny Meadows Trail – Shropshire Hills Discovery Walks

Walk directions

1. Start

   Start from the Discovery Centre and walk to the meadows, through the Mammoth’s Tusks.

2. Step 2

   At the next junction you can turn left to go into the Community Garden. (Many of the longer Discovery Walks head off in this direction)

3. Step 3

   At the next junction keep left and you see the stack of scrambling logs ahead of you and the short easy access circuit where many children learn to ride their bicycles.

4. Step 4

   Heading along to the left you pass Ned’s Shed. A small shack in the 1960s, made into a music instrument as an arts project. Give it a play and hear the different tones.

5. Step 5

   At the gate keep left and ahead and you’ll see the orchard field – a large oval area. This contains many fruit trees with local varieties of apples, pears and there are even some medlars. You can either go round to the left hand side of the orchard, through the withy beds of coppiced willows, or keep to the easy access trail ahead which is a more direct route to Kingfisher Corner. 

6. Step 6

   At Kingfisher Corner you reach the River Onny. Turn right and follow the riverside downstream. 

7. Step 7

   After about 100 metres you may be able to see the ruins of an old mill in the river bed. On your right are shallow depressions which mark the previous course of the river. See if you can spot the sculpture of a leaping salmon. Salmon and trout both swim in the River Onny. Otters have very occasionally been sighted along this stretch of river too.

8. Step 8

   You can explore to the right around the Ash Coppice and across to the pools where there is an old picnic table.

9. Step 9

   Keeping on ahead you reach a wooded area which is used for forest school classes. Children can explore, build, create and cook amongst the trees. Skirt round this to the right or left and you will find another woody area which is the wild play area – feel free to stop here to play for a while!

10. Step 10

    From here you may want to take the bridge over to the wild flower meadow and head back towards the Centre, via the meadow or Oxbow pools. There is a platform over one of the pools – from which children often pond-dip for insects.

11. Step 11

    If you’re happy to continue then find the path across the ditch and follow it leftwards back to the riverside. Here there are a number of nut trees.

12. Step 12

    On the right is another hay meadow. There are plans to develop a community growing project in this area.

13. Step 13

    After a short distance you will see the double holly hedge leading off to the right. This is another option if you want to loop back towards the centre at this point.

14. Step 14

    Otherwise carry on along the riverbank. You reach a number of ancient willow trees which have been pollarded.

15. Step 15

    Eventually you reach the end of the meadows and the river disappears off under the noisy road bridge of the A49 above. Just a few metres further down the river is a large curved weir with a salmon ladder to allow the salmon to swim up river. There is a footpath along the other side of the river if you want to explore there another day.

16. Step 16

    Turn right to head along the fenceline back towards the Discovery Centre. You pass through a large group of plum trees and an area where many teasels grow. These are particularly favoured by goldfinches which love their seeds in the autumn.

17. Step 17

    Follow the path through the holly hedge and take one of the paths ahead, parallel to the road.

18. Step 18

    As you get back to the path alongside the large wildflower meadow you will see several grassy areas
    sloping up to your left and a mini look-out platform. You can walk back to the Centre directly from here or turn right through the hedge to follow the path over to the Oxbow Pools. 

19. Step 19

    From the Pools you can continue following the path, past the dipping platform and loop back to re-join the path you headed out on.

20. Step 20

    When you reach the scrambling logs again you will see the Centre ahead of you.