BUCKNELL is an attractive south Shropshire village on the banks of the river Redlake below mostly wooded and forested hills. The Redlake is a tributary of the river Teme, and their confluence is about half-a-mile away below Coxall Knoll, which is topped by a prehistoric hillfort overlooking the Herefordshire village of Brampton Bryan.

Coxall Knoll is just one of several hills in the Marches which is claimed to be the site of the final battle, in AD50, of the British leader Caradoc in his unsuccessful attempts to repel the Roman invaders.

On this walk you’ll climb to a fine viewpoint on the slopes of Stow Hill, from which you can see two more hills distinguished by the same claim – the famous Caer Caradoc above Church Stretton and its obscure namesake, the Caer Caradoc which rises steeply above tiny Chapel Lawn further up the Redlake valley. Each of these is also topped by a hillfort (caer) and there are various other prehistoric sites nearby, such as Castle Ditches in Darky Dale and Warfield Bank near Hoptonheath.

Stow Hill is reached by an easy climb through the Forestry Commission’s Bucknell Wood, which is a mixture of broadleaf woodland and coniferous plantation. Most walkers, cyclists and horse riders who visit the wood keep to the main forest roads and bridleways. If you explore some of the quieter paths, two of which are included in this walk, you have a good chance of seeing some of the deer which inhabit Bucknell Wood.

The return leg of the walk takes you across Bucknell Hill, where more woods and plantations form part of the Forestry Commission’s Hopton Woods. The commission has developed the trail network in Hopton Woods to attract mountain bikers so do bear this in mind and stay alert for fast-moving cyclists.

However, most cyclists prefer the steeper, more demanding trails over Hopton Hill, further north, and Bucknell Hill remains much more walker-friendly.

Bucknell itself straggles along several lanes and can seem slightly confusing at first, but with a little exploration everything falls into place. There are several lovely old houses scattered among more modern ones, and the motte of a Norman castle stands on a riverside site at the Olde Farm. St Mary’s Church, though rebuilt in 1870, retains some Norman features and stands on a raised circular mound, something which usually indicates a pre-Christian sacred site.

FACTFILE

Start: Bucknell, on the B4367 near the Shropshire/Herefordshire border, across the river Teme from the A4113 at Brampton Bryan; start wherever convenient but the directions given here are from a riverside picnic place by the Sitwell Arms; grid ref SO357738.

Length:6¾ miles/10.8km.

Maps: OS Explorer 201, OS Landranger 137.

Terrain: Hilly, with woodland, plantation and pasture.

Footpaths: Excellent.

Stiles: Three.

Parking: Bucknell.

Public transport: Go by bus to Ludlow, via Kidderminster (303/292), then take Arriva 740 from Ludlow at 12.45 and return to Ludlow at 17.07 on Arriva 738, to connect with the 17.45 292 from Ludlow to Kidderminster, where you will arrive after the departure of the last bus to Worcester, thanks to county council cuts, but the next train to Worcester is fairly conveniently timed; alternatively, you could, in theory, do the entire journey by train, but services to Bucknell are so sparse and connections from Worcester so poor that you’d have to depart Worcester at 06.03; for more information, visit worcestershire.gov.uk/ bustimetables or call 01905 765765, and arrivabus.co.uk or arrivatrainswales.co.uk.

Refreshments: Bucknell – two pubs and two shops.

 

DIRECTIONS

1 Take a riverside path and follow it past the churchyard to meet a lane. Cross to a path almost opposite and walk through fields to rejoin the lane. Turn left, then keep straight on along a no through road. After 400m, fork left on a footpath which leads to a complex junction. Take the second track on the right which climbs a few metres to another track/lane.

Turn left, and then fork right after 30m, climbing through Bucknell Wood. Go straight on at a crosspath. Emerging on a forest road, turn right. Ignore a bridleway on the left and follow the forest road to the left at the next junction.

2 Fork left at a Y-junction signed “walking with Offa”. The forest road swings right, still climbing.

Stay on it, if you wish, but for a chance of seeing deer, it’s better to take the next left, an unsigned grassy path leading through conifers. Follow it to the edge of the plantation then turn right to rejoin the forest road. Go through a gate into pasture and follow a track to a junction.

3 Turn right, descending to the Redlake valley. Ignore a branching path and keep to a welldefined track, passing Vron and Lower Lye Farm, then crossing the river Redlake to meet a lane. Turn right pass Roseheart Kingdom then take the next left. Follow a field edge uphill then go through a gate to a house. Turn right to continue in the same direction as before, soon joining a green lane, then passing Honeyhole Farm.

Ignore paths branching left and keep to the edge of Hopton Woods until you can enter the woods at a Forestry Commission sign.

4 Go straight on, as indicated by a red arrow, then turn right at a second red arrow. Keep straight on at all subsequent junctions, climbing over Bucknell Hill.

Leaving the woods, keep straight on when you see a sign for Mynd Scrubs on your left. Ignore tracks to left and right after 600m but at the next junction, take a bridleway on the right and descend through fields to Bucknell. Meeting a lane, you can turn either left or right to return to the picnic place as the lane is circular.