Church Stretton Walking Festival Bishop's Castle Walking Festival
Do the famous 5-mile Stiperstones Stomp, try the Mucklewick or Flenny Bank Walks - two of the popular circular walks starting from the Bog Visitor Centre - or consult the fascinating and very popular booklet listing nine circular walks in the area. The Visitor Centre has all the information you need on these...and some other ideas, too.
DAVE CROKER'S PICTURES: The top two are in SO3698, looking NNE. The top picture is at the north end of Manstone Rock, with the Devil's Chair in the distance. The middle picture shows the view from the trig point atop Manstone Rock (at 536m, the second highest point in Shropshire). The bottom picture is in SJ3701, looking south near the abandoned settlement of Blakemoor Gate, where some restoration work is beginning.
WALKS FROM THE BOG VISITOR CENTRE
The Bog Visitor Centre lies close to the start of the Stiperstones Stomp, an 8km (5 mile) walk from the National Nature Reserve car park at The Knolls, up and along the broad but rocky ridge and down to Habberley Village. Both locations lie on the route of the Stiperstones and Long Mynd Shuttle Bus service (weekends and Bank Holidays) so you can catch the bus back to your starting point on days when the service is operating. The visitor centre is also a Shuttle Bus stop, so it is possible to park at the main Bog car park and extend your route by walking from there to The Knolls. The route, specially updated here for The Bog Visitor Centre by Natural England, offers spectacular scenery and is an experience not to be missed. Use OS Explorer Map 216 (Welshpool & Montgomery).
1. From The Knolls car park, go through the small wicket gate in the middle of the car park boundary fence and walk the wide, grassy path up the hill.
2. Near the top, pass a small pile of rocks on your right. Leave Cranberry Rock (also known as Lion Rock because of its shape) on your left and walk to the ridge. Here, leave a bigger pile of stones on your left and continue along the ridge.
PLEASE TAKE CARE: The path is very stony and uneven for the next 2km! But stop from time to time to admire the rocky landscape and to spot the triangulation pillar atop Manstone Rock which marks the highest point of the Stiperstones, 536m above sea level. Beyond it, to the left of the path, there is a large circular mound of stones thought to be a burial cairn dating back to the Bronze Age 3,000 years ago.
3. Walk on, passing between two big tors. The one on your left is the start of the Devil's Chair. Keep following the track.
4. At a crossroads, keep straight on. (Turning left takes you down from the ridge to Stiperstones Shuttle Bus stops at Tankerville and The Bog Visitor Centre. Turning right takes you off the ridge on a path back to the car park via the former Gatten Plantation.)
5. At the next crossroads, after passing Scattered Rocks, keep straight on again. (Turning left takes you down through Perkins Beach to Stiperstones village and the Stiperstones Inn. Turning right takes you back to the car park via the former Gatten Plantation.
6. The track starts veering round to the right. Keep following it until you see a gate ahead. Ignore this one and instead, keep left and walk towards the next gate further down. Proceed to the bottom of the green lane where there is another gate. From here, head diagonally across the field heading for the gap in the belt of conifers. Please leave this gate, and others on your route, open or shut, according to how you find them.
7. Walk through another gate and through a small belt of conifer trees. Ahead, you can see the twin humps of Pontesford Hill (on the left) and Earl's Hill (on the right) - together known as the camel!
8. Follow the rutted track down through a metal gate. Continue down the track until it forks. Take the right fork. (Left takes you down to the Shuttle Bus stop at Snailbeach.)
9. Keep the valley on your left and at Upper Vessons Farm pass the first farm buildings, veer left and join the asphalt road.
10. Cross the cattle grid and keep on the asphalt road, ignoring paths into Eastridge Wood.
11. At the T-junction, turn left towards Habberley. At the next junction, turn right (St. Mary's Church on left) to the Mytton Arms pub. Habberley is the pick-up point for the Shuttle Bus to take you back to your car.
Click here to see more stunning images in Dave Croker's portfolio