The Lawley and Caer Caradoc

Fri 5th Feb 2010: Longnor - Church Stretton
Distance: 7m, Climb: 1930 ft

The weather recently has been dominated by grey days with much rain and even some snow - not exactly conducive to getting out and about for fair weather walkers such as myself. However today promises to be a break in the gloomy sequence, so I elect to have an afternoon stroll. Church Stretton is dominated by the Long Mynd, but visitors cannot help but notice the inviting look of the hills to the east. Consulting the OS Explorer Map 217, I design a simple route taking in The Lawley and Caer Caradoc. Helmeth Hill is also marked as inside access land and its inclusion in the walk would seem natural. However it is shown as wooded and there is no path marked leading over the top, so it seemed best to leave this for another day, particularly as with conditions underfoot throughout the walk as yet unknown I did not know how much time to allow for diversions or picking my way carefully through muddy fields.

Having no wheels my start and endpoints are determined by public transport. My weapon of choice to reach my start today was the 435 bus service from Shrewsbury to Ludlow, basically a trip down the A49 with diversions. Longnor is not on any of these diversions, so I left the bus a few minutes after passing through Dorrington at a stop just before the turn off for Longnor (this turning and Longnor are just off the top of the map).

The edges of the minor road leading east to Longnor are covered with a millimetre of wet mud washed from the verges, maybe of concern to those who like to walk in strappy sandals but irrelevant to those of us more sensibly shod. Turning right the road passes through the village and in due course reaches a crossroads with a straight road, this junction being on my map at 497999. Onwards to the foot of The Lawley, noting the well signposted track to Bentley Ford Farm which extends to Lodge Hill and Causeway Wood, which may be worth exploring at a later date. Ignoring the bridleway down the west side of the hill, I stayed on the road a short distance further to reach the path leading up it. The minor road had provided me with a good mile and a half, maybe more, of near level walking (in truth a very gentle climb) as a warm-up before hitting the hills.

The Lawley is a single NE-SW ridge rising from and falling to the level of the surrounding country. Extensive views of farmland open up immediately to the north and west, backed by what I assume are Pontesford Hill and the Stiperstones. To the east the view is restricted by the proximity of Hoar Edge, whilst the upper slopes of The Lawley obviously dominate the forward view. Underfoot is good springy turf, worn through to earth or stone in some of the steeper places - coming here today has been a good decision. Climbing further Wenlock Edge comes into view beyond Hoar Edge, with the Clee twins - Brown Clee Hill and Titterstone Clee Hill in the distance east of south. The final approch to the top is short and quite steep, so it is natural to pause by the wind vane there to take in the views, with the beginning of the Long Mynd to the right and Caer Caradoc in front. Nice spot for a bite to eat, but I'm not picnicking today. The wind vane is appropriate, as there is plenty of wind to indicate the direction of.

The descent to Comley Farm is straightforward, with the wind dying sharply once below the level of the ground to the southeast, and in apparently no time I've reached the road through the pass between the two hills of my walk. Small decision time. I can reach the foot of the Caradocs by lane, or by a footpath across fields with just a short section of road afterwards. Looking into the first field I decide the going won't be too heavy, so elect to take the off-road route. For the first two fields underfoot it is a little soft, becoming squidgy in places in the lower lying third field, but it is only around the gate exiting back onto the road that there is anything that any but the most squeamish would call mud.

Finding the path onto the Caradocs is easy. The initial climb to Little Caradoc looks steeper than any part of the path on The Lawley, a suspicion rapidly confirmed by my calf muscles. Engage low gear. Passing over the top of Little Caradoc a short descent leads to a fence breached by both a gate and a (broken) stile. The gate takes you out of the access land, though there are paths marked on the map there. The stile leads to the approach to the top of Caer Caradoc, wellpopulated with sheep. Over the stile, and start climbing. Put one foot in front of the other, and don't look up to see how far it is to go, else you will never get there. Nearing the top I see a man ahead, standing on the path as it passes through a gap in some rocks. He is the first person I've sen since leaving the bus. I hope he is not going to prove that armed with a sword he can hold off all-comers. But no, he stands aside and I pass without hindrance.

The top of The Lawley may be a nice spot, but the peak of Caer Caradoc is a destination in it's own right. Man has been at work here remodelling the landscape to provide extra defences to go with the crown of thorns formed by numerous rocky outcrops that ring the fairly extensive area. A veritable playground for exploration, climbing games and hide and seek. Large enough too for numerous picnics with each party not encroaching on any other. But for me clambering and exploration is left for another day. Onwards, and downwards.

Maintaining height for as long as possible leads me WSW towards Three Fingers Rock, not seen from a great distance on this approach, though easily identifiable. The path turns left in front of this and descends gently towards a near horizon. Reaching this one can now see a sharper descent, which those with the confidence of youth will hurtle down, clueless as to why I and others choose to take longer. Before reaching the track at the bottom a right turn leads to a simple footbridge across a stream that would need to be forded if the track were reached earlier. Emerging from the shadow cast by the woods on Helmeth Hill the path forks. Taking the left fork and following a line of wooden posts the track ahead dives into an unwelcoming gully. However a circular waymark insists that the path goes to the right of the hedge forming one side of the gully, and I am happy to take this hint to stay in the field following its edge around to reach a gate and a tarmac surface beyond. Looking through the hedge down into the gully it is not at all apparent whether it contains a stream that also does service as a track, or a track hijacked by a stream. Emerging onto the tarmac the end of the gully is signed "Unsuitable for motor vehicles". I suspect it is not only Ferrari owners who would be loath to ignore the notice in this case.

To prove that I had reached the outskirts of civilisation I now started meeting people, and I was soon across the main road and railway to reach the central bus-stop about 3½ hours after disembarking near Longnor. A satisfying afternoon adventure worthy of repeat. Yes, I could have completed it more quickly with fewer stops for admiring views and consulting the map - the latter mainly for confidence rather than necessity as the route is clear throughout - but equally I might choose to take longer with refreshment stops and exploration time on the top of Caer Caradoc.
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