Long Mynd & Adstone Hill
1 SO393964 Your weekend begins at Bridges, with glorious rolling hills in every direction – the Long Mynd rises to the east and the rugged Stiperstones run along the western horizon. From the hostel, turn right on the lane and cross a stile on the left after 400m. Keep ahead through the trees and fork left over a stile after 450m. Continue to the next stile, where the path enters a conifer plantation, and go over another stile to cross a farm track at the bottom of a small side valley.
2 SO401969 Cross the next stile and follow the path past a garden next to the brook. The hamlet of Ratlinghope (pronounced Ratchup) is just the other side of the stream. Follow the Shropshire Way signs to join a grass path/track, with gates and stiles, which gradually climbs into the peaceful Darnford Valley. You’re now surrounded by a bowl of hills – keep to the left of the barns and ford at Lower Darnford and, as a track swings north, fork right to climb a short grass ridge to a gate. Continue up the valley (named Golden Valley on the OS map) and go through a steel kissing gate at the top, where the path meets the line of the ancient Port Way track.
This runs along the crest of the Long Mynd.
3 SO420985 Turn right on the track and walk past the trig point on Betchcott Hill, after which the track becomes grass. Continue for 2km to a couple of dips, by small plantations, at the heads of Hawkham Hollow and High Park Hollow. Walk up to the open road – you’re now on the broad ridge of the Long Mynd – and turn right for 200m.
4 SO433964 Fork left on an obvious track through the heather and follow this for 1.7km to the next road. Go straight over and continue on a track for 550m to reach the high point at Pole Bank, with trig point and a viewpoint indicator which points back to the Midlands and out into Wales.
5 SO415944 Leave the top by continuing south to reach the road after 450m. Turn right, past the tree-lined enclosure of Pole Cottage and immediately fork right on a good track which descends over the western slopes of the Long Mynd. At a prominent bend, after 750m, go right through a gate and follow a grass path/track downhill through pasture to the lane at Stanbach Cottage.
6 SO402936 Go straight across, over a stile. Follow the field path with hedge on the right, over more stiles and a small footbridge to a narrow lane. Turn right here, cross a small ford and walk for 1km, around three right-angle bends and past the farm at Adstone, to the junction of lane and tracks at the south end of Adstone Hill.
7 SO388940 Go through the gate on the right and follow the good track along the crest of the hill. This is another whaleback ridge (though it’s more like a dolphin when compared to the Long Mynd) and it provides fine views into the hills beyond Bridges. There’s a short unexpected tunnel of hawthorn trees, after which three stiles take the path north to descend to gates by a lane. Go through the right-hand gate, turn left and return to Bridges – and the pub – after 450m.