Ludlow, Shropshire

Not only is it beautifully situated, but it has nearly 500 listed buildings, a huge number for such a small town. They range from cottages and almshouses to a church of cathedral-like proportions and a magnificent Norman castle from which the Marches of England and Wales were governed for several centuries.

Across the River Teme from Ludlow is Whitcliffe, the surviving remnant of a mediaeval common over which the townsfolk have held common rights since at least 1240. They no longer exercise their rights to grazing or quarrying but perhaps a few still gather firewood, while plenty of them certainly visit regularly to walk their dogs and admire the view of their beautiful town, set against the backdrop of the Clee Hills. Whitcliffe belongs to Plymouth Estates but a group called the Friends of Whitcliffe Common helps to look after it, maintaining it for both wildlife and people.

It's a mixture of cliffs, grassland and trees, the latter being mostly native species such as hawthorn, ash, silver birch and hazel. The larger trees that grace Whitcliffe's slopes are mainly oak, sweet chestnut, beech and hornbeam - this last one is an uncommon species this far north.

Hornbeam mast, the fruit it produces, is a favourite food of the hawfinch, the largest British finch. It's a shy, wary bird which is little known but flocks of hawfinches visit Whitcliffe nearly every winter.

The paths which cross the common include the Packhorse Path, so-called because it is believed that ponies laden with ore from the Clee Hills came this way to the ironworks at Burrington. The Breadwalk, which runs beside the Teme from Dinham Bridge to Ludford Bridge, was made in 1850 at a time of agricultural depression by otherwise unemployed labourers said to have been paid only in bread.

The Teme Bank Trail is an interesting geological trail linking 10 sites on Whitcliffe. If you want to explore it remember to ask for a trail leaflet at the tourist information centre in Castle Square before you head down Dinham. The rocks of Whitcliffe were laid down about 425 million years ago in a warm tropical sea which lay just south of the equator. As the continents drifted together the rocks moved north and were then raised well above sea level to form the landscape which we see today. Beyond Whitcliffe the Forestry Commission's Mortimer Forest offers many miles of footpaths, just a few of which are sampled in this fine walk.

FACTFILE Start: Castle Square, Ludlow; grid ref SO509746.

Length: 5 miles/8.8km.

Maps: OS Explorer 203, OS Landranger 137 or 138.

Terrain: Woodland, plantation, farmland. Mostly flat, with one ascent and one descent, neither of which is steep.

Footpaths: Mostly well-maintained but the Mary Knoll bridleway has recently become deeply rutted, wet and muddy due to vehicles using it to dump waste at the edge of the forest. There are some stony paths within the forest which can be slippery after rain.

Stiles: Five (two of which may be avoided).

Parking: Ludlow park-and-ride.

Public transport: Bus (293/294/300/303) or train to Kidderminster then 292 to Ludlow, daily; or Great Western/Central/Arriva Trains, via Hereford; www.worcestershire.gov.uk/bustimetables or Traveline 0870 608 2608.

Refreshments: Ludlow.

DIRECTIONS

1 From Castle Square go left on to Dinham and descend to cross the River Teme to Whitcliffe Common. Turn right along the road then go straight on at a junction, along a no through road' to Priors Halton. After passing the Cliffe Hotel you can choose whether to stay on the lane or take a path which runs parallel with it on the left for a while before rejoining the lane. Just after it rejoins the lane you'll pass an enormous oak tree and it's worth stopping here to look back at a superb view of Ludlow, dominated by church and castle.

2 Turn left on a footpath just before Priors Halton, then shortly right on a branching path. Walk along a field edge, then left in the corner until you can cross a footbridge to another field. Turn left, then right in the corner. Turn left when you come to a gate and keep to the right-hand field edge, then through another gate to meet a track. Turn left and walk to a lane.

3 Turn right, then soon left on a bridleway. Walk uphill into Mortimer Forest, crossing two forestry roads to meet a public road. Turn right, then soon left on another bridleway. Shortly go left again, passing to the right of a green-painted, corrugated-iron barn and continuing along a rutted track.

4 Having passed a waste dump, keep left to walk along the edge of woodland. Turn right at a junction, then left at a T-junction. Turn right at the next junction, then left at another T-junction where a waymark indicates the Whitcliffe Loop'. Go straight on at all junctions until you come to the edge of the forest. Turn left, with fields on your right. Keep straight on at a cross-path, soon passing to the right of a phone mast, then through a deer gate. Go downhill, close to the edge of the forest.

5 Turn right at a road and walk to a viewpoint on Whitcliffe Common. Go diagonally right across grassland to join a path which leads into the trees. Walk to a junction and either take the higher path here (to Ludford Bridge) or turn left downhill on the Packhorse Path to Dinham Bridge. Follow the Breadwalk to Ludford Bridge and walk up Broad Street into Ludlow.

PLEASE NOTE This walk has been carefully checked and the directions are believed to be accurate at the time of publication. No responsibility is accepted by either the author or publisher for errors or omissions, or for any loss, accident or injury, however caused. For more walks, log on to www.worcesternews.co.uk