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Let's Rock: a saunter through the
Shropshire Stiperstones Woodhey Hall is nothing if not blessed with an abundance
of beautiful countryside that takes in the sweeping To the east there is the Peak District with its striking
hills and valleys. To the west there
is Perhaps, Woodhey is blessed to be at the epicentre of at
least three major rural idylls, while at the same time being more than a
slice of pastoral heaven its very self. Sometimes, it makes for more of an exciting day to extend
your travel trajectory, and take advantage of the many exciting opportunities
for walking and exploring a little further away than
But the soft, undulating plains start to rise in to some
far more interesting peaks and valleys once you pass the market town of The birthplace of Charles Darwin and also one Percy
Thrower, he of the The Shropshire Hills include several celebrated
ranges. Among them are the Long Myndd,
see next walk, Wenlock Edge and the Stiperstones.
Now part of a national nature reserve, the Stiperstones is famed for its rocky
outcrops of quartzite that were reportedly formed over 480 million years ago. At the time, ' Over the centuries, in these shallow, sub-tropical waters,
the skeletons of corals, sea lilies and sponges, formed limestones and the
mineral rich rock formations that make up the Stiperstones today. In recent times, these have been
successively mined, first by the Romans, and then the others that followed. However, the Stiperstone range is quite unique to
And now for the 'science bit': The jagged outcrops and
tumbling screes all arose when the last ice sheets lay just below the 536
metre summit. Subject to constant thawing and freezing, the rock just began
to break down into the jumbled mass that walkers and visitors can see today,
over a stretch of about 3 miles. The best known of the outcrops is perhaps the Devil's
Chair, looking very much like a uber-zealous piece of gothic artwork, where
his royal lowness is said to hold court with all his infernal minions. But
thankfully when this walk was taken it wasn't the witching hour, and Satan
seemed to have gone on progress to his more usual modern haunts - To get to this outstanding natural marvel takes around half
an hour of walking from The Stiperstones car park, in the heart of the
Shropshire Hills. Cross sectioned by
many way-marked walking routes and bridleways, it's a natural draw for
walkers, cyclists and horse-riders.
Every field practically has a footpath running across it. So more than
one short walk could certainly be easily fitted in to a day out. The key phrase to remember is onward and upward, and that
mantra will get you to the peak of the Stiperstones in no time at all. At the car parks' northerly perimeter, is a signpost,
pointing leftwards to the Flenny Bank Walk or rightwards to the Mucklewick
Walk. And the first part of the
tongue-twisting Mucklewick route should be taken.
This will follow a fairly narrow, bracken and shrub-lined
route up a steadily steepening hillside. A small, crystal clear brook should be passed on your left
and on this particular day, a small oak tree, filled with a least two dozen
empty birds nests was found a little further on. Sturdy walking boots or trainers would suit this route as
it can get quite muddy when it has been wet.
But after a few twists and turns of the rock-strewn pathway, a fairly
steep, muddy stairway needs to be climbed and then a wooden gate needs to be
passed. Sheep can usually be found grazing in abundance on the
vast expanse of field that should unfold before, which is itself bordered by
a medium-sized copse of deciduous trees. There is visibly worn route across the pastures and sheep
will often inquisitively stop and stare in between mouthfuls of chatter and
munching. A few groups of walkers will generally be found along this
route, but it is never what you would call particularly crowded.
If you turn around, you can begin to seem some magnificent
views of all of Here you join the On the next stretch of the walk, the landscape changes
quite dramatically; and what you first begin to notice is the abundance of
heather-strewn moorland, that is interspersed with whinberry, cowberry and
gorse.
On this day, park wardens were burning some of the
undergrowth, which is apparently actively encouraged to ensure that vigorous
new growth occurs later in the year. As the pathway meanders gently up the hillside, the stones
start to become more jagged and almost like a paved pathway in appearance.
The screes start to stack up as you near the summit, until
the ridgeway is overflowing with an avalanche of rock. In every direction there is rocky outcrops
that rise up in to the five main formations.
Walkers need to carefully pick there way among the scree
and pathways that are just brimming with scatters of varying fragments of
rock and stone. The first outcrop has a very angular and jagged appearance
and looks like it could just crumble, if it was given a giant push. However, the trail leads ever onwards to more interesting
formations that defy gravity, and have rocks stacked precariously on top of
each other that perhaps could seem like a tormenting demon, a ghoul or a
fairy, depending on your mood or perhaps your imagination. Many day-trippers pose thoughtfully for photographs atop
many of the major formations. Some
just seem to be keen to drink in the views that seem to be found right across
the There is certainly plenty of natural seating for a picnic
or 'pit-stop' at this altitude. However, the return journey allows people to take in some
of the stunning vistas of the county's plains and hills and leads them back
to the Stiperstones car park in just under an hour. Then it could perhaps be away home, try another walk,
afternoon tea in Directions: To get to
the Stiperstones from Woodhey Hall, you should take the A49 southwards to |
