Shropshire Way 80k Festival

Leaving the Discovery Centre, you head up onto the limestone escarpment of Wenlock Edge before turning north through farmland, passing through Acton Scott, the home of BBC’s Victorian Farm. You then climb Ragleth Hill, with views over the Long Mynd, your next challenge.
Passing through the old market town of Church Stretton, you head up on to the Long Mynd its self, reaching Pole bank, the highest point on the iconic Long Mynd. The route then takes us down into the tiny village of Bridges and up onto Stiperstones with its mystical jagged rock formations including the fabled Devil’s Chair, which at 536 metres, this is the highest point on the whole route. The next climb is that of Linley Hill with its avenue of ancient beech trees before we drop down to the town of Bishop’s Castle, home to two breweries and numerous pubs. Please resist the temptations here as you still have lots of work to do!
Next, we head East beneath the Kerry ridgeway to the tiny hamlet of Churchtown where the route joins Offa’s Dyke Path. A vicious climb out of the hamlet is rewarded by the fact that you are now following Offa’s Dyke , King Offa’s eponymous Saxon earthwork, as it climbs through the enchanting borderlands.
Several climbs bring us to the top of “Cefns” Welsh for “ridge”, with fantastic views and an incomparable descent along the wide, grassy ridge into the Clun Valley and the town of Clun, one of A.E. Housman’s “quietest places under the sun”. The ruins of the ancient castle still dominate this lovely small town.
The final section of our walk takes us high above the Clun valley across the massive Iron Age hill fort known as Bury Ditches, whose earthworks were only recently discovered when the great storm of 1987 blew down the trees which for centuries had hidden its secrets. We then pass through the ancient woodland of Walcott Wood before our final climb takes on to Hopesay Hill, home to wild ponies and red kites. From here you should be able to smell the bacon cooking as it’s an easy couple of miles down to journey’s end where your breakfast at the Discovery Centre awaits.