Stiperstones Sunday Coach walk on 17 May 2026

P LEASE NOTE THAT THE DURATION OF THIS EVENT SHOWN ABOVE IS ONLY APPROXIMATE AND CANNOT BE GUARANTEED; IT WILL DEPEND ON FACTORS SUCH AS THE WEATHER AND THE WALKING PACE OF THE GROUP.

Our Sunday rambles usually have three levels of walk, strenuous (A), moderate (B) or leisurely (C), led by Birmingham Ramblers group leaders. Join us and enjoy a great day of social walking with our friendly members.

Please note: Our walks are often on rough tracks and rights of way through fields, woodland and hills. Walkers should preferably wear walking boots and other clothing suitable for the weather. Unless otherwise described, please bring a packed lunch and refreshments for the day.

This Sunday walk has 3 levels of walk:

• A Walk: 11.6 miles, 1950 ft total ascent
• B Walk: Distance 9 miles. Ascent 1600 ft.
• C Walk: 8 miles, overall downhill, only short ascents, 800 ft overall climb.

Walk leaders:

• A Walk: Peter Searle
• B Walk: Nigel Bradley
• C Walk: Eva Hyde

Walk details:

• A Walk: The “A” walk begins in Minsterley, crossing a housing estate then a meadow, soon entering woodland and passing the earthworks of an iron age hill fort on Callow Hill. The route continues around Poles Coppice nature reserve, turning south across fields with views east to Earl’s Hill. The path climbs steadily through Maddox’s Coppice, eventually opening out with views west, over the old lead mines of Snailbeach. After a short section of downhill track, the steady climb resumes, now across open heathland in the Stiperstones National Nature Reserve, eventually to reach the main ridge with its distinctive jagged outcrops of quartzite and extensive views. At 536m above sea level, this is only 4m lower than Brown Clee Hill, the highest in Shropshire. NOTE, much of the path along the top of the Stiperstones ridge is made up of angular blocks of quartzite which does not make for easy walking; robust footwear with good ankle support is recommended. From Cranberry Rock at the south end of the ridge we will take a minor path SW, then turn northwards along Black Ditch then along a path which descends, steeply at times, eventually reaching Stiperstones village (and pub). From here we take a woodland path which contours around Oak Hill to Crowsnest, then along the lane to Snailbeach, where we pass remains of the old lead mines and Snailbeach Coppice, before descending a track and lane to the waiting coach at Ploxgreen.
• B Walk: The ramble starts and finishes at Plox Green on the A488. We walk to Snailbeach and view the remains of a lead mining settlement, before ascending on a moderate gradient to Lordshill Farm. This is the start of open country, and the path follows the top of an escarpment with fine views down into a valley to the west. We then join the main ridge track, with views on both sides. This section is relatively easy walking, although care should still be taken to avoid a twisted ankle. We pass within spitting distance of The Devil's Chair, a prominent rocky tor, hoping the owner is not in occupation, and descend westward to a small, covered reservoir. It is likely that we'll eat picnic lunches near here, before returning along the foot of the hill to Stiperstones village. We can enjoy a drink at the pub in the early afternoon, and then continue walking at a low level back to Snailbeach and the waiting coach at Plox Green.
• C Walk: Starting at Holly Bank on the A488 (height 1017 ft), we walk a short way up a lane before turning onto a track through woodland. Our route turns right onto a grassy path across two gentle hills with views ahead to the ridge of the Stiperstones. On reaching Tankerville we turn left a short distance along a lane, then join a footpath that skirts the Stiperstones National Nature Reserve, around Green Hill to the Stiperstones Inn (3.25 miles). From here, we climb steeply for a short distance then contour around Oak Hill to Crowsnest. We cross the valley on a tree-lined track, turning north beside Hogstow Hall, to cross the A488 (5.2 miles). A short climb through a wood and fields follows, crossing a minor road, through further fields, circling back towards the A488 near Ploxgreen Bridge (7.3 miles). All along there are view of the Stiperstones and other hills. From Ploxgreen a track leads to Minsterley, past Minsterley Hall (a Grade II* listed house built in 1581) and the Holy Trinity church (also Grade II* listed, built in 1689) to finish at the Crown and Sceptre pub (height 338 ft).

There are a limited number of total places for the walks, which is set by the capacity of the coach. Whilst we hope that everyone will be able to be accommodated on their walk of choice, the allocation of places for each walk will have to be done on the day. No-one will be expected to walk at a higher grade than they prefer - thus, for example, if you prefer the B walk you will not be asked to join the A walk but may be asked to join the C walk. The booking form allows you to specify your preferred walk.

Joining instructions

It will only be possible to join the walk by coach, which will be picking up at 09.00 at the layby at the side of St. Chad’s Cathedral, Queensway, Birmingham B4 6EU. Note that this is not the Cathedral car park in Shadwell Street, which has postcode B4 6EY.

The coach fare will be £15 with 3 options for payment:

• Cash on the day in an envelope with your name and the date of the walk. We are unable to give change for cash payments
• Cheque on the day, made payable to COBRA, in an envelope with your name and the date of the walk.
• Bank transfer in advance of the walk

For payment by bank transfer the walk coordinator will contact you about a week in advance of the walk with bank details. For payments on the day, please put the exact fare in an envelope with your name and date of the walk on it, which will be collected on the coach - unfortunately we are unable to give change for the coach fare.

Note that you cannot pay the coach fare through our Eventbrite account. Your booking for the walk will still show £0.00 but you do have to pay the £15 coach fare on or before the day of the walk

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If you have a confirmed ticket:

Shortly after bookings have closed the walk coordinator will contact you by email to confirm that you will still be joining us on this walk; this is needed since there are limited seats on the coach and we like to release any unused places to others who may be on a waiting list. The coordinator will also give you our bank details if you have chosen to pay the coach fare by bank transfer. Please check your email, including Spam and/or Junk folders, shortly after bookings have closed for this walk and reply to let us know whether or not you will be still joining the walk.

If you have a waiting list ticket:

The walk coordinator will contact you by email shortly before the walk date to let you know if we are able to offer you a place. Please check your email, including Spam and/or Junk folders, shortly before the walk date and, if we are able to offer you a place, reply to let us know whether or not you will be joining the walk.

If you find that you are unable to join us after booking a ticket it would be helpful if you let us know by sending an email to [email protected] - this will be passed on to the walk leader and will prevent any delay to the start of the walk should the leader be waiting for you. Please note that some walks have a waiting list so tickets are NOT TRANSFERABLE; if you are unable to join us then please cancel your place to free it up for someone who may be on the waiting list rather than sending someone else in your place.

Bookings for this walk will close at 06.00 on Monday 11 May. If you would like to join this walk after the bookings have closed please email [email protected] to enquire about any late availability for the walk.

General Information

This is one of several walks and activities offered by the Birmingham Ramblers. If you have found this page through a web search or other means and would like to find out more about the group then please visit the Birmingham Ramblers web site; new members are always welcome.

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