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Walk Details
The challenging outline of Caer Caradoc is dominant to the north east of Church Stretton, particularly when approached from the north. Apart from its geographical significance, this fine hill is noted for its iron age fort and is believed to be the place Caractacus made his last stand against the invading Romans.
This walk is quite demanding with a steep ascent.
Starting in the car park, with your back towards the Co-op, we’re going along Easthope Road (with toilets on the left) to the main street – Sandford Avenue.
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Here we turn right to pass the Fire Station and Police Station, turning left along Essex Road.
We’re keeping on this road until we get to a path (just past house number 58) on the right. As we walk you’ll see a little stream on the left. We keep going, crossing the railway between the stiles and continuing on along the edge of a field to then cross the main A49 road (be careful!) between the kissing gates.
We’re taking the footpath signposted to Caradoc and Cardington going slightly left and rising to a kissing gate. Turn left onto a waymarked track, going over a stile on the right which emerges onto a residential road. Go ahead onto a grassy track through another kissing gate and bear right on a waymarked path over a stile where we take a left to go along the lane.
Just before a cattle grid and just after a house on the right, we turn right over a waymarked stile/gate. Our path is now along the edge of a field with a deep streambed on the right, passing well above New House Farm. Go through a gate with ‘Welcome to Caer Caradoc’ board to enter woodland with a stream on the left. We ignore the path on the left and cross the stream and stay with the broad track rising steadily, with the hill straight ahead of us.
After just over half a kilometre, as the track bends to the right, we go through a waymarked kissing gate on the left to commence the steep ascent on a clear path. There are several rocky outcrops and the outer defensive ring of the hill fort before the summit is reached. The views, in all directions, are tremendous so take your time to enjoy them as you go. Ahead is the long high ridge ‘The Lawley’, to the west the deeply sculpted face of the Long Mynd is superb.
When you’re ready, we start the steep descent to the north east.by crossing a rampart of the hill fort, soon finding a clear path to head for The Lawley ridge, still steeply downhill. Pass boggy ground close (watch your step) to the fence on the right, go over a waymarked stile. Pass to the right of the top of Little Caradoc Hill, keeping right at an apparent fork, descending over grass to a stile. Leave the Access Land on a well defined track through bracken, to a stile and an unsurfaced lane, with a half-timbered house opposite.
Here we turn left, joining a surfaced road in a few metres. Going left, uphill, passing Comley Quarry, with an information board that you may want to pause to read. When the road descends, turn left along a broad track, initially uphill. Go through a waymarked gate, with another information board and continue across the hillside. Go through another gate, the farm below, Lower Botvyle, has several pools.
About 50m before a farm gate fork left along a rising footpath. We go straight ahead at a junction at the top of the rise. At a fork keep left going slightly uphill. Continue on this path for 1.75km, ignoring a track on the left and gate on the right. It descends gently with a fence on the right and go through a kissing gate on your right. Here we join the path we started on – this time turning right and retracting our steps back to Church Stretton.
Nearest Train (or tube) Station(s):
Church Stretton, Shrewsbury
