Ditton Priors Walk 1

1. Start from the centre of the village with the Howard Arms behind you and the church on your right. Walk approximately 50 metres from the village board, take the second turn left (waymarked), continuing down the road to the fingerpost marked Hall Yard Path. Follow the path for a short distance, over a stream, through a gate and to the end of some barn conversions.

2. At the end of the barns turn right, take the waymarked path to the left of the stream and cross a stile into a meadow. Go diagonally right, crossing two fields to bring you into Chapel Lane.

3. Turn right up the lane and at the sharp right bend take the road going straight up past the end of the terraced houses originally quarry workers’ cottages, through a gate on to the field path the old quarrymen’s route to work on the Brown Clee. Follow the path over two fields.

4. Immediately after the second stile turn right and, keeping the hedge on your right, cross five stiles, eventually bringing you on to Powkesmore Lane via a flight of dhustone steps another relic of an old route to and from the Brown Clee.

5. Cross the lane and go through a wicket gate into a wood, keeping to a path which follows the edge of the wood and then crosses the main forestry track into a woodland ride. After 100 metres the path turns left by a waymarked post and follows the line of an old fence for a further 100 metres. Turn right along another woodland ride to a stile. crossing into a meadow and, continuing with the hedge on your left, cross the stile into Ashfield Road.

6. Turn right, then almost immediately left on to a stoned track an outrack or old drovers’ route. At the farmhouse the path goes over a stile on the right , past a pond and over a further stile into a small copse through which flows the Rea brook. After 100 metres the path goes over a bridge and follows the stream and copse on the right. Go over a stile into woodland, cross a bridge and stile into a meadow, aiming diagonally left to the electricity pole in the middle of the field.

7. Turn right across the field and head for the gate in the middle of the hedge next to a large Ash tree.

8. Through gate, bear slightly left down field to small metal gate (centre of hedge by large Oak tree).  Bear right, over 2 fields, cross stile in corner of field, following the hedge on your left for 40 metres, looking for the waymarked post which marks a bridge over a ditch, and then head for the far left corner of the field, crossing the gate into Ashfield Road.

9. Go left for 20 metres and then go over the stile on your left aiming for a stile nearly opposite. Walk diagonally right over the next field, and cross a stile and a bridge on to the playing field.

10. Take the path immediately right noting the bog area on the left with associated fauna and flora leading to a gate into Vicarage Lane. Follow the track opposite but, before the house on the right, go through a small gate on the left and then, keeping the modern house and stream on your left, go through two further gates, turning left to retrace your steps to the centre of the village.