MAPS : Landranger 126; Pathfinder 888
DISTANCES : 7 miles; shorter walks, 3, 3 and a quarter or 4 and a quarter miles
MAIN START : Anywhere convenient in the village of Stiperstones, situated about 10 miles south west of Shrewsbury off the A488 Bishops Castle road. The best approach from the north is via a left turn at Ploxgreen and along the lane through Snailbeach or from the south via a right turn through Shelve. GR364005
Public Transport : Spasmodic service only (522) on schooldays and Saturdays but should be possible to plan a trip if you check the times carefully. If walking on a weekday please bear in mind that the Stables Inn at Hopesgate is closed at lunchtimes (see below) and you could start from an alternative location to incorporate a break at the Stiperstones Inn.
SHORT START : There is a choice of two short walks from Stiperstones and one from Hope/Hopesgate. The Stables Inn at Hopesgate is located three quarters of a mile to the north of Hope, which is on the A488 four miles south of Minsterley. GR343019
Public Transport : As above. There is nothing to Hopesgate but the 552 also stops at Hope and you could easily start from there
TERRAIN : Superb hill walking to start with magnificent views, followed by a descent into the gentler Hope Valley and return through woods and farmland. Walk at any time except when there is bad weather about. Some fairly stiff climbing is involved so do not attempt unless you are reasonably fit
THE PUBS : The Stiperstones Inn has an olde-worlde charm, indeed it is about 300 years old, and is well frequented by walkers. There is a bar and lounge serving Boddingtons, Woods, Whitbread, Strongbow, Heineken and others. Excellent bar food available. Beer Garden
Open every day from 11am to 11pm. If you can't make it home you can stay bed and breakfast.
The Stables Inn also has a quaint olde-worlde character with beamed ceilings and stone fireplace. Ales on offer include Worthington, Tetleys, Robinsons, Guinness and Carlsberg plus Addlestones cider. Bar snacks and a selection of mouthwatering meals available
Closed at lunchtimes during the week

STIPERSTONES. The area around Stiperstones is a fascinating blend of majestic crags, folklore and ancient mines. It is dominated by the brooding quartzite ridge with its strangely shaped rocky outcrops thrusting dramatically skywards, which reach a peak with Manstone Rock some 1750 ft above sea level. Tales of the devil are rife as indeed are legends surrounding Wild Edric, an Anglo Saxon character, after whom a long distance path over the South Shropshire hills is named. It is said that if Wild Edric is seen galloping furiously over the hills it is a portent of war. As for ancient mines, the locality is peppered with old lead mines, once the most productive in Europe. They can be seen best at Snailbeach, Shelve and Gravels. The latter boasts the oldest of these reputed to date back to Roman times. The Stiperstones Inn was a former mineworkers alehouse (not the Roman ones though!). Lots to explore when you have time.

With your back to the Stiperstones Inn turn right and after a few yards right again by a telephone kiosk taking the right fork along a waymarked bridleway signed Perkins Beach Dingle. This loops to the right to climb past a converted chapel and about 15 yards after that bear left up a concreted driveway. You go across the front of two cottages and, on reaching a third cottage, divert left down a grassy track, through two gates some 80 yards apart then continue on a narrower track between ash trees.

The track shortly opens out onto a paddock in front of an isolated cottage and you cross it diagonally to go through a gate into a broad grassy track between trees. It will not be long before you come to an information board about the Stiperstones and one of its legends about the Devil. We will take in the extreme northern end of the range on this walk but the main ridge can be seen at various points on the route.

If you look around you will notice that you are in a huge 'bowl' surrounded on all sides by ridges and I'm afraid a strenuous climb will be required to get out of it. I can promise you, however that the efforts will be worthwhile. Continue ahead and uphill on the grassy track which narrows and becomes much steeper towards the top of the ridge. Take care as getting a good foothold can be a little difficult in places particularly in damp weather. When you get to the top the view backwards is spectacular with the village of Stiperstones below and the gentler hills beyond, which are your eventual destination.

On reaching level ground continue on the track directly forward as views open up to the left towards Minsterley. The track broadens out and passes to the right of some trees bordering a fenced off enclosure. About halfway between the end of the enclosure and a hedge line some 150 yards ahead, leave the broad track in favour of a narrower one to the left. You pick up a fence on your right and stay ahead with a wooded valley below on the left before crossing a stile to proceed on a grassy track through bracken. Ignore a small gate on your right and stay on the track as it bears round to the left and passes by some corrugated metal buildings then another after a further 150 yards. Another 150 yards or so will bring you to a waymark post where you turn sharp left downhill on a narrow path.

The path twists and winds and eventually brings you to a small stream crossing. However, do not cross the stream but turn right in front of it to continue the descent with the stream on your left. After a few yards bear right onto a broader crossing track to maintain the downward momentum now with another stream on your left. This is an attractive path through deciduous woodland and you stay on it through an area of cottages and smallholdings to reach a junction with a lane in a settlement with the intriguing name of Crowsnest. MAP REF 1

Turn left on the lane and round an S-bend before passing an unusual residence on your right converted from an old engine house. Just after the property branch right along a waymarked bridleway on the entrance drive to Central Farm. Ignore a stile immediately on the right and stay on the broad track until immediately after passing the farm buildings where you go right at a waymarked junction. You will pass through three gates and come out into a field where you follow the right boundary. After going through another gate you enter onto an enclosed track, cross a brook and go through a further two gates to walk along an avenue of trees.

The track loops right to Hogstow Hall and you go through another two gates along the rear of the property after which you follow the track 90 degrees left to arrive at the next gate in front of an open field. Once through bear right along the field edge and after about 120 yards, at the end of the field, you go through another gate with a notice posted on it forbidding you to gallop. Please take note - I don't want to hear of any users of this book getting into trouble for not obeying instructions! Keep ahead with a fence on your left before going through a further gate to continue on a broad straight track between fences. At the end you go through yet another gate to reach a junction with a concreted lane. MAP REF 2

Bear right, although effectively continue ahead, on the lane and go through some more gates to exit onto the A488. Turn left on the main road then branch off right after only 25 yards into Hope Velley Nature Reserve. There is an Information Board at the entrance which you pass before entering a narrow track up the side of a wooded escarpment. The track can get boggy in parts as you walk above and to the rear of some property fronting the main road and, shortly after that, you bear left at a fork to reach a waymark at the top of the incline which directs you left along the top edge of the wood. After a while you pass a waymark post on your left and after another 300 yards, just past another waymark, you will find a stile in the fence on your right which takes you out of the wood into a large pasture field.

Take care over direction here. You need to keep right but move away from the boundary on your right towards a crossing boundary which you may not immediately be able to see. Do not be tempted to veer left uphill towards the tree line. Hidden in trees in the crossing boundary there is a stile - cross and follow the tree line on the left for a few yards then strike ahead on the same line across a pasture field. After about 80 yards look over to your right for a stile in the right field boundary a similar distance away and turn to make for that. Cross the stile and a little footbridge and bear slightly left heading to the left of a white painted building ahead and into the field corner. Here there is another stile to cross before turning right into a lane to arrive at the white painted building which is in fact The Stables Inn. MAP REF 3

You may be relieved to learn that you have completed the most taxing part of the walk but do not sink into such a state of lethargy that further progress becomes impossible. On leaving re-cross the last outward stile and turn right to walk alongside the right hedge then tree boundary. At the end of the field cross another stile and continue forward on the same line to the left of a boundary fence and, as this kinks right, continue ahead across the field for 50 yards to a stile in the far boundary which exits onto a lane.

Turn right then immediately left down a waymarked path between hedgerows which runs around the rear of Hope church (locked at the time of my visit) and takes you through a small metal gate, after which keep left at a fork to cross a footbridge. Proceed on a path between timber fencing to exit onto the main road again.

Turn left along footpath in front of the church but cross the road carefully after 30 yards to go over a stile into a field. Keep to the right boundary and shortly cross another stile to continue the line forward over a scrubby field. You will be obliged to get through some overgrown hedging into the next field where you proceed with the tree boundary on your right.

The way twists around to reach a waymarked timber gate, around which the ground may be muddy, and you go through into deciduous woodland. Cross a stile after which there is wood on the left and field on the right, ignore another stile on your right and continue ahead with a fence line to reach another stile in the middle of nowhere! No need to cross it so stay with the fence on a descent to cross a footbridge onto a shaled track.

At this point you can see the Stiperstones crags directly ahead. Turn left on the shaled track and left again after 150 yards at a junction with a tarmac lane. After a further 100 yards or so you come to a crossing right of way and branch off right over a stile into a field. Keep to the right hedged boundary until at the bottom of the field you are diverted left then immediately right down an embankment to a footbridge in some trees. Go over it and proceed directly forward for about 50 yards to cross another stile to the left of a hollow.

Stay ahead now on a track above the hollow, which has a brook running through it, and emerge from the trees to find yourself in a scrubby field with buildings ahead. As you aim towards the left of them you will find it necessary to climb up an embankment on your left to reach level ground and the next stile. Cross this and the next a few yards further on to exit onto a shale track. MAP REF 4

The exquisite black and white Venusbank House is off to your right but do not take either of the shaled tracks leading in its direction but enter the concreted driveway more or less directly ahead, signed Venusbank Farm. The next section is a little complicated to explain. As the track veers round to the right towards the farm outbuildings continue straight ahead over a fence stile to the right of a metal gate onto a track between fence and hedge. At a point where the track narrows between fencing leave this route through a gate on your right to continue the same line to the right of the fence.

Where the enclosed track you were previously following ends in a gate bear half right across a scrubby area of small fir trees to a metal gate in the opposite hedge line. Go through this and veer immediately left on a grassy track to climb gradually with a hedge on your left and fence on your right. Continue through a gate and as soon as the ground starts to fall take the yellow waymark taped gate in the right fence into a long narrow field at the base of a wooded hill. I hope all these things are still in place now!

Keep to the left boundary and, after about 150 yards, a waymark post directs you left over a stile into the adjacent field in which you proceed downhill heading towards farm buildings. You will find a gate close to the bottom left corner of the field and to the right of the buildings. Go through and cross a farm track, through a wicket gate to the right of buildings into a paddock and then walk across the paddock to another wicket gate in the bottom boundary 60 yards ahead.

Once in the next field follow the left hedged boundary to a stile after 100 yards which you cross into a small open field and bear slightly right across it to another stile in the far boundary. Once over veer half right to go through a gate which exits onto a track in front of a brick and timber renovated cottage. Now turn left onto the broad earth track which takes you over a cattle grid to pass in front of some houses and exits onto a lane where you turn right back into Stiperstones.

SHORTER WALK

From Stiperstones
1. Distance Three and a Quarter Miles
Follow the main walk from the start to Map Ref 1 and the junction with the lane at Crowsnest. Turn left on the lane through an s-bend to pass an unusual dwelling converted from an old engine house. You can now simply continue on the lane for two thirds of a mile or so back into Stiperstones but, for a rather more interesting alternative, just after this point take the waymarked stile opposite in the left hedge and proceed ahead on a gently rising farm track. You cross a cattle grid where you are confronted with a gate clearly labelled 'No Right of Way'. Here you double back on a grassy waymarked track to ascend a hill for about 15 yards before going through another hairpin to continue the climb.

Go through a waymarked gate to pass directly in front of whitewashed stone cottages and continue ahead to exit cottage garden via a further waymarked gate. You now enter the Stiperstones Nature Reserve again and stay ahead on a grassy track with a post and wire fence on the right. Where the fence veers right follow the waymark direction half right along a path through bracken to enter a deciduous wood and continue the gentle ascent on an indistinct path. You soon meet the woodland boundary on your right and follow this as it first rises then sharply drops and turns hard left.

The path continues along the edge of the wood and eventually emerges into an area of bracken and heather with wonderful views opening out to the right. Proceed along the path keeping to a post and wire boundary on your right as it gently rises and falls. Eventually it descends steeply for about 20 yards (can be slippy, so take care) to meet a stone crossing track. Turn right and immediately cross a waymarked stile alongside a metal gate to enter a bus garage area. Go down to the left of the garage and a subsequent house to emerge onto a lane in Stiperstones and turn left back to the start.

2. Distance Four and a Quarter Miles
From the starting point follow the main route through to Map Ref 2 and the junction with a concreted lane. Here turn left for about 150 yards to arrive at a junction of tracks in front of Venusbank House, which is Map Ref 4. Turn left again now up the concreted track and pick up the main route from Map Ref 4 back to Stiperstones.

From Hope/Hopesgate
Distance Three Miles
Pick up the main route from your starting point and follow it through to Map Ref 4 and the stile which exits onto a shale track by Venusbank House. Turn left on the track going away from the house. After 150 yards it turns to concrete at Map Ref 2 and here bear left to continue with the main route again back to the start.