The Wenlock Circuit

Walk directions

1. Start

   FOLLOW THE BLACK CIRCULAR ARROWS ON A WHITE BACKGROUND

   From the clock tower in the square, face the Guildhall and then turn right along Barrow St, until you reach the Raven Hotel. Turn right into St. Mary’s Rd, and follow it until it reaches the main road A458. At the garage, cross the main road (take care), and go through a large farm gate. Follow the path to a kissing-gate, and turn left up a wooded track.

   Keep the hedge on your left as you reach the top of the long narrow wood, take the diagonal path down the large field below for 500m until you meet the farm track .

   Turn right on to track, and follow it round to the right, head to the right of the ruined farm buildings. Take great care here as traffic is fast and visibility is poor

    

2. Step 2

   Keep the hedgerow on your left. The path heads across the field, joining a path straight up the hill, alongside the hedge on the right. The path passes through trees, to the right of the house and garden, to meet Bourton Rd. (Marker 1) where traffic is fast-moving (take care). Turn right, and after 200m there is a footpath to the left, through a kissing-gate. Cross the field to the far right-hand corner.

3. Step 3

   Pass through a small metal gate, and over a stile. Follow the path between the hedge and the fence, until it turns left. Take that turn (ignoring the stile on your right), and take the steep hill down to the left which is very slippery when wet, to reach a kissing gate. Keep the hedge on your right, through another kissing gate, and walk alongside the hedge on your right.

4. Step 4

   On reaching the Cuan Wildlife Rescue Centre, turn left through a gate into the car park and follow the drive down to a rough road. Turn right, then left over the old railway bridge to reach the Stretton Road (take care) (Marker 2) 

5. Step 5

   Turn right, and after 100m, turn left into Wenlock Edge Car Park (NT). From the information panel, turn right up the hill to a gap in the stone bank and then turn left, continuing uphill along the Blakeway Hollow track. Follow it up and round to the left, ignoring gates on your right. At a junction of paths go straight on, bearing slightly right towards Harley Bank, and when the path is about to descend steeply take a right turn, following the Wenlock Circuit arrow. Go up the hill, with a hedge on your left and a fence on your right, through two gates, into a stretch of meadow. Follow the grass path to the left, next to a fence.

6. Step 6

   In the bottom left corner go through two gates, and then take the path down right. Go down the steps, crossing a steep path heading down to Harley. Carry straight on up, to join another track coming from the left. Go right, and then follow the main path, through two gates, until you come to the Shrewsbury Rd. This is a busy crossing; (take care). (Marker 3)

7. Step 7

   Turn right and walk for 100m along Shrewsbury Rd. and then turn left through the kissing-gate, and straight on along a muddy drive through a wood. Turn left before the hedge, uphill along a narrow path, keeping the hedge on your right.

8. Step 8

   At the top of the path, you meet a T-junction of paths, with a metal gate on your left and a path down the edge straight ahead of you. Turn right along Wenlock Edge for 1 km, until you come to a post at the end of a fence. Pass to the left of it, and continue between the hedge and the fence.

9. Step 9

   The path descends into a gully, where you ignore a path to the left, continuing alongside a hedge to your right. After a gap, go to the right of the hedge, and follow a grassy path, through a kissing-gate, and then down to a metal gate next to a farm gate on Farley Rd. (Marker 4) Cross the road to a small flight of grassy steps, and follow the path to your left which winds up through a wood to the top of Windmill Hill.

10. Step 10

    Take the path to the bottom of he hill, turn left and go through a metal gate. Follow the path round a left bend, ignoring turns left and right, down to the old railway track. Turn left
    and follow it for just under 2 km.

11. Step 11

    Continue past the abandoned quarry on your left, then turn right onto the Wyke Road for 250m. (Marker 5) Opposite Bradley Farm turn right onto a farm track and continue for 1500m, between two hedges, and then keeping the hedge on your right. Follow the Shropshire
    Way signs through a kissing-gate, and then down to a bridge.

12. Step 12

    If you have a dog with you, make sure that it is on the lead at this point. Go over the bridge, past the house and along the drive, turning left at the kissing-gate on your left. Head right over a small bridge, up a slight rise, keeping mid-way between the two fences. You will see a series of three posts, sunk into the field, and after passing the third head diagonally right to the kissing-gate in the corner of the field.

13. Step 13

    Go through it, and continue along the right-hand side of the field. At the end of the field, turn right and, ignoring a kissing gate to the left, pass Bell Hole Cottage and continue along the drive until you reach the Broseley Road, which can be busy. (take care). (Marker 6) Turn right and walk along the road for 1500m, until you reach a fingerpost pointing left. Go along a narrow alley into the Walton estate, turn left up the road and right at the top. Between numbers 16 and 18 turn left along a narrow path, through a kissing-gate and climb the hill, up and to the right. At the top, go through the kissing-gate and continue along the left-hand edge of the field.

14. Step 14

    At the end of the field, go through a gate and turn right onto Merrywell Lane and head down the road for 300 metres (take care as traffic can be heavy and fast). At the bottom of the hill, turn right, indicated by the fingerpost , between trees and then along the left hand side of a field. At the end of the field, follow the path around right and turn left over the stile into Forester Rd. (Marker 7) Follow this onto Barrow St., which will take you back into Much Wenlock.