Words & Photos Roger Butler

July 01 2010

The traffic news came on the radio and I felt quite smug as it described the tailbacks building up around Birmingham at the start of another working week.

Things felt good: the sky was crystal clear, I’d successfully negotiated the motorway network, and I was going to spend the day walking in the Welsh Borders.

A.E Houseman, Shropshire’s famous poet, coined the term “blue remembered hills”, and it had never seemed more apt than today. Misty horizons formed layers of mauve, blue and grey that stretched all the way south to the dark wedge of the Black Mountains. This part of the world is usually pretty quiet, so on a Monday morning I guessed my only company might be a quad biking farmer following his high tracks across the windswept ridges where England meets Wales.

From Hopton Castle I warmed up by taking forestry tracks over the east side of Great Hagley and then dropped down to cross the River Redlake. A track climbed steeply on to Stow Hill, where the sudden feeling of space and freedom made me want to walk, run and cycle all at the same time. A short diversion took in the trig point before I continued due west along what must have been a busy drove road in years gone by.

Blue skies prevailed as I crossed the empty A488 and strode purposefully towards Offa’s Dyke. This is one of my favourite stretches of the Dyke, characterised by big skies and buzzards, and for a few miles north of Knighton it’s so distinctive it could have been built by someone called Hadrian. The trail twisted up and down, often marked by clumps of larch trees, and gave uninterrupted views towards the first slopes of mid Wales.

Just after Llanfair Hill I bade farewell to King Offa and walked east through a sun-trap valley to follow lanes and a steep old track down to the homely little town of Clun.

I allowed myself 10 minutes by the squat mediaeval bridge, but there was no time for what would have been a welcome paddle. A short length of tarmac led to Sowdley Wood, where two roe deer tried to out-stare me before leaping into the undergrowth. On breaking out of the trees the map was deceptive for a moment or two, since some woodland has long since disappeared, but there were now just a couple of miles to go as dusk started to turn to dark.

It will probably be a long time before I have another Monday quite like this one. I’d thought I might meet a farmer or two, but in the end the final score was quad bikes 0, walkers 0. A goalless draw played out in bright sunshine.

Distance: 19 miles/31km Ascent: 3180ft/970m Time: 9 hours Start/finish: Hopton Castle (GR: SO 365782) Map: OS Explorer sheet 201 (Knighton and Presteigne) Information: Ludlow, 01584 875053 Travel: Shuttle bus from Craven Arms station calls at Clun on Sat and Bank Holidays, April – September: www.shropshirehillshuttles.co.uk

Technical Spec
Bridleway SW into forestry. Track and path to Meeroak Farm then descend to lane by River Redlake. Take track signed Lower Lye and climb SW to Stow Hill. W on track to meet A488. Cross road and walk SW to meet Offa’s Dyke trail. Follow it NNW for four miles, crossing two lanes. By junction with third lane turn E (signed: Jack Mytton Way) towards Burfield. Continue E and at crossroads take lane ENE. After first bend take path on R and climb to meet old track to Clun. Take lane E past church and continue to Woodside. Turn L on bridleway, then fork R (marked Pooh Hall Cottages) leading to Sowdley Wood plantation. Turn E on good path at end of forestry and descend to lane. After 500m take path on R and follow this back to Hopton Castle.