The Shropshire Hills is an AONB in the centre of England. It’s the perfect place to visit for some hikes in nature, with beautiful views and great wildlife. Here’s my 3 best walks in the Shropshire Hills.
How to get to and around the Shropshire Hills
The Shropshire Hills AONB is mostly in the county of Shroprshire in England. It’s not too far from the big city of Birmingham, but also very close to the Welsh border. To enjoy the best walks in the Shropshire Hills, you’ll definitely need to have your own car.
Public transport to and around the Shropshire Hills is very limited, especially for the more remote walks and villages. So having your own car will give you the freedom to explore all the hidden corners at your own pace.
I’d recommend staying in a self-catering cottage or lodge in a scenic spot in the Shropshire Hills. Or the scenic small town of Ludlow has some really beautiful historic hotels and pubs if you’d prefer.
What should I take on holiday to the Shropshire Hills
Like anywhere in the UK, the weather in the Shropshire Hills can be changeable all year round. The warmer months between April and October are likely to bring better weather, with longer days and more chance of sunshine. However, be prepared for rain at any point. If you’re out hiking in the hills, you should definitely be prepared for a chance of weather. Consider taking:
- Waterproof coat, waterproof hiking boots and waterproof trousers
- Map and compass – don’t just rely on your phone, as phone signal can be patchy in the hills
- A backpack with a picnic lunch and a bottle of water
- Sun cream, sun hat and sun glasses
- A camera to take photos of the lovely views as you enjoy the best walks in the Shropshire Hills.
Walk 1: Corve Dale and Wenlock Edge
This walk follows walk number 17 in this book. It’s a 7 mile walk, but can easily fill a whole day if you’d like it to. Take a picnic and take your time to fully enjoy the wonderful views on this walk.
I visited the Shropshire Hills in late April, just as the fields were filling with yellow flowers. This oil seed rape is an iconic sight in the British countryside is spring. It’s a great time to visit the Shropshire Hills.
Enjoy the views as you start this walk from Aston Munslow towards the village of Munslow. The views are just wonderful.
At the village of Munslow, you then turn up the footpath and start climbing uphill. This part of the walk was fairly challenging. The path was narrow, fairly steep and very slippery. It was definitely a challenge to climb, and added a lot of time to the walk. But it was worth it, as it wasn’t too long before the path got easier. The path continues through some trees, which offer a welcome break from the sun on a hot day.
Then it’s my favourite part of the walk. After walking past Wetmore Farm, you get the most beautiful views across the Shropshire Hills. You can see across to the Long Mynd and down the valley. I just loved the views here.
The path from this point onwards is fairly easy so you can make faster progress. It’s also a great place to spot some wildlife. I was lucky to see two deer next to one or the stunning yellow fields.
I also saw a hare on the path just ahead, who posed perfectly for a photo before running off.
The walk passes through the pretty village of Diddlebury. There’s a nice church here across the stream. You can go inside the church as well, which dates back to Norman times.
The end of the walk crosses through some sheep fields. And another advantage to visiting the Shropshrie Hills in the spring is that you get to see lambs in the fields. I just love seeing lambs running through the fields and calling to their mums.
The end of the walk also has more great views across the yellow oil seed rape fields. It’s a beautiful ending to the day.
Walk 2: Carding Mill Valley and the Long Mynd
This walk takes in some of the best views in the whole of the Shropshire Hills. It involves a bit of an uphill climb, but the paths are good and the views are definitely worth it.
Start at the Carding Mill Valley National Trust car park, just outside the small town of Church Stretton. It’s a big car park, but can get very busy on sunny weekends and Bank Holidays. So it’s best to get here early, before 10am, to guarantee getting a space.
Follow the well marked path out of the car park, climbing gently uphill alongside the small river. At first, I followed the pink path markers, which is the path that leads up to the long mynd.
The views from this part of the walk are beautiful in both directions. It’s lovely looking downhill into the valley.
The views uphill are great too. It’s a great place to take loads of photos. Especially as photo stops give you a chance to catch your breath as you walk uphill!
As you get near the top, the path becomes a bit steeper but you’re rewarded with even more beautiful views towards the valleys behind.
At the top of the hill, continue following the pink marked path as it bears to the left. The path becomes a lot flatter here, and you can see the views open out on both sides of you as you walk along the ridge here.
I also enjoyed seeing this cute little pond along the top, which was a great spot for some photos.
The top of the hill has a viewpoint at Pole Bank. It’s just a great spot to take more photos.
At this point, you have a choice of different routes. You can continue to follow the National Trust pink route, which takes you on a circular route back to the car park. However, I decided to turn back at this point so I could take a detour a bit further down.
About halfway back down, look our for the National Trust green path on your right, called the Waterfall walk. This gives a great alternative route back past some great waterfalls.
There are some small waterfalls in the stream at first, which are very pretty. The path follows this section of the river downhill, so you’re next to the river for lovely views.
Lightspout Waterfall is the biggest and most impressive on this Waterfall walk. It’s worth walking across the small stream for the best views of it.
The path on the Waterfall walk isn’t always the easiest. Although it’s downhill, it can be challenging. There are often rocks to climb over, where you might need to use your hands to balance as you climb over the rocks. The route isn’t too difficult – there were a lot of children on this walk who were managing ok. But it can take a bit more time and care.
The green marked path eventually meets back with the pink marked path, just 15 minutes from the car park. You can then continue down to the car park.
There is another option of another quick diversion on this walk if you want. Just before you get down to the car park, there’s a path to the right which takes you to a small reservoir. It’s only a 10 minute walk, so doesn’t take long. The reservoir isn’t hugely impressive, but it’s a short diversion on the final section of the walk if you want.
Back at the car park, there’s a cafe and toilets, so you can get some refreshments after the long walk. And you can enjoy the final views up the river and up the valley before heading home.
Walk 3: Stokesay Castle and views of the Shropshire Hills
This 5 mile walk starts and ends at Stokesay Castle, in the south of the Shropshire Hills. Although the walk is only 5 miles, there are several fairly steep uphill climbs and muddy paths, so make sure you allow plenty of time for this walk – it’s not a super quick one. This walk follows walk number 6 in this walk book.
Before you start the walk, it’s worth having a look around Stokesay Castle. Check out the opening times here. It dates back to the 13th century.
Begin the walk by crossing the railway line, and then begin the climb uphill. It’s steep in places, but you can enjoy lovely views behind you as you climb.
Near the top of this first climb, you’ll be greeted by some lovely sheep in the adjacent field. It’s great to do this walk in springtime when you can see some lambs.
The walk continues through a farm at Gorst Barn. Here, there are some lovely views across yellow fields full of oil seed rape. The flowers are out from late April through May, so it’s a great time to do this walk.
From here, the walk becomes a bit flatter and easier. The path heads into some trees, with some beautiful bluebells in the spring. You can also get some great views through the trees to the countryside and hills beyond.
The walk ends with a downhill section, with more views across the open countryside and back down to Stokesay Castle.
