Bridgnorth (From Worcester News)

Bridgnorth

11:21am Monday 22nd August 2011 in Local walks

BRIDGNORTH divides naturally into two parts: High Town, which clings to a sandstone cliff, and Low Town, which occupies the riverside below.

A road links the two, with further pedestrian access provided by seven ancient stairways and a cartway cut into the sandstone. A cliff railway, opened in 1892, provides an alternative route.

The town is packed with interest and is set in lovely countryside, some of which is explored on this walk. The outward route is along the Severn Way as far as Apley Forge. Before you reach the forge you’ll pass some rock houses carved out of a sandstone bluff – look for them as you approach Chestnut Coppice (see map).

Apley Forge once rang with the sounds of industry but it’s a tranquil place today. A graceful suspension bridge, not open to the public, spans the river, and was built c1905 to link the Severn Valley Railway’s Linley Station with Apley Hall on the east bank.

The hall is a huge, castellated, Gothic mansion built in 1811 and surrounded by extensive parkland.

There is a fine view of it from the Severn Way. Linley Station is now a private house because this stretch of the railway, unlike the Bridgnorth-Kidderminster section, was not rescued after Beeching’s notorious cuts in the 1960s.

However, as the Mercian Way, it now forms part of the national cycle network and provides a pleasant, leafy alternative to the Severn Way between Bridgnorth and Ironbridge. A short stretch of it is included in this walk.

On the way back to Bridgnorth the walk takes in the tiny village of Astley Abbotts, where an unremarkable-looking church turns out to be a Saxon foundation containing several features of interest. A leaflet available inside details a short walk which complements the one described here.

FACT FILE:

Start: High Town, Bridgnorth; grid ref SO716930.

Length: Nine miles/14.5km.

Maps: OS Explorer 218, OS Landranger 138.

Terrain: Riverside meadows, woodland, arable, pasture; mostly flat.

Footpaths: Excellent, with two exceptions. The Severn Way is rather poorly maintained, with considerable overgrowth in places, and eroded and slippery at one point. The path from St Mary’s Cottage to Cantern Brook is also in need of improvement.

Stiles: 13.

Parking: Bridgnorth.

Public transport: Bus (294/295/300/303) or train to Kidderminster, then Whittle’s 125 or Arriva 297 (both Mon-Sat only) or Severn Valley Railway (daily in summer) to Bridgnorth; worcestershire.gov.uk/bustimetables or 01905 765765.

Refreshments: Bridgnorth.

DIRECTIONS:

1 Make your way down to the Severn, choosing from several attractive paths. Cartway, at the junction of High Street and Listley Street, is one such option. Walk upstream for four miles on the Severn Way, which runs along the west bank of the river.

2 Turn left soon after passing under Apley Bridge. Join a track, follow it to the former Linley Station and turn left on the Mercian Way. Follow it for nearly three-quarters of a mile, ignoring the first branching path but taking the next one, at a stile on the right.

Start by walking uphill through a field enclosed between two woods but very soon bear right to a stile which gives access to the wood on the right. Walk through the wood then along the left-hand edge of a field. Pass several houses before joining a track by a barn.

3 The track turns left and you can follow it to the lane if you wish. For a slightly better route, however, go straight on across a field instead, by the right-hand edge. Cross a track then follow a lightly trodden path across a second field to a stile and path junction near the far left corner.

Turn left, then soon left again.

Proceed to the lane and turn right.

4 Take a footpath on the right, which is also an access track to a house. Follow it along two sides of a field, ignoring a path branching right as you approach the house. Pass to the left of the house and go along the next field edge to rejoin the track. Follow it to a lane and turn left. Walk to a T-junction and turn right through Astley Abbotts. Pass through the churchyard then turn left on a track and follow it back to the lane. Turn right and walk to the main road at Cross Lane Head.

5 Cross to a bridleway opposite and follow it to a pair of stone gateposts at the entrance to a house. Leave the bridleway and take a footpath (not waymarked) which leads across the cornfield on the left. No path has been made but tractor tyre-tracks lead to a footbridge at the far side.

Take a narrow path across the next cornfield, cross two stiles at the far side and turn right through a meadow beside Cantern Brook. The path soon enters woodland and care is required for the first few metres as there’s a deep pit in the path which you won’t see unless you’re looking at the ground. Once past this hazard it’s a delightful walk through woodland.

6 The path eventually crosses the brook at a footbridge and climbs uphill to run past a housing estate.

Keep to the left edge of grassland until you can return to the wood.

Walk along the top edge of it until steps allow you to rejoin the brook.

Continue in much the same direction across a grassy hillside after the path leaves the wood. Join the main road and turn right, then soon left on Stanley Lane. When you see Bramble Ridge cross the lane to a path which climbs a holly-covered bank then threads a way between gardens. After passing through a green gate you come to a junction.

Turn right and follow a lane to St Leonard’s Church and High Street.