Clustered around a road junction, by the confluence of the rivers Onny and Teme, Bromfield is an attractive village with houses of stone, brick and timber. It stands on the edge of Oakly Park, a farming estate surrounding a Temeside Georgian mansion which is the home of the Earl of Plymouth, who owns most of the village.

Bromfield's church is dedicated to St Mary and stands on a wooded promontory between the Onny and Teme. Part of it once formed the chapel of a Benedictine priory established in 1135 and dissolved by Henry VIII in 1540. All that remains of the priory, other than the church itself, is a stone and timber gatehouse built in the 14th century. After the Dissolution, part of St Mary's was made into a house, occupied by a Charles Foxe, and it was only in 1658 that the church was fully restored to its proper function. If you walk around the outside of it you can still see the ruined remains of Foxe's house, close to an avenue of 40 yew trees running down towards the river from the eastern side of the church.

Snowdrops and wild daffodils fill the churchyard from January to March, followed by cuckoo flowers in March and April. The wild daffodil is a smaller and arguably much lovelier flower than most of the cultivated varieties but it is now rare outside of its main strongholds in north Gloucestershire and north Yorkshire. However, Bromfield is not its only Shropshire location and on this walk you'll also see it growing beneath the walls of Ludlow Castle. The castle itself is a dominant feature of the walk. As you head back towards Ludlow, along a woodland-edge path above the river Teme, the castle suddenly looms into view. For a minute or two, until you get closer and other buildings intrude into the scene, you could almost be back in the Middle Ages. This dramatic sight is testimony to the commanding position chosen for the castle by its Norman builder Roger de Lacy in c1085. It stands on a bluff high above the confluence of the rivers Teme and Corve and it's worth paying the entrance fee just to enjoy the views of the same hills that de Lacy's soldiers, patrolling the battlements, must have scanned for signs of approaching raiders.

The Normans weren't the first to invade this part of the Marches, of course. The Romans were there long before them, and built a camp at Bromfield. You'll pass its site as you walk from the level crossing towards Bromfield (see point two). There is no sign of it today as the site is being quarried for gravel extraction. Nearby, and far older than any Roman remains, are several Bronze Age tumuli (burial chambers) on what is now a golf course and race course.

DIRECTIONS1 Take a footpath just to the right of the castle entrance and descend past the castle walls to a junction by a beech tree. Turn sharp right on another path which descends to meet a lane called Linney. Follow this to the left, past a house called Rhosymedre, then stay on the lane until it bends right by a newly built timber-framed house. Leave the lane, going straight on to join a footpath waymarked with the buzzard motif of the Shropshire Way. Walk through fields, crossing two footbridges and proceeding to Coronation Avenue (B4361). Turn left, then left again on Burway Lane, which soon becomes a grassy bridleway. Follow it to Bromfield Road (A49).

2 Cross the A49 and walk along the road opposite for 120m before leaving the Shropshire Way and turning left on a bridleway which runs past a house (15 Oldfield), with Ludlow race course on your right. After passing the house, the bridleway continues between the railway and the race course to reach a level crossing. Go left here to meet the A49 at Bromfield. Walk towards a bus stop to find a subway which passes under the road.

3 Take a quiet road at the other side (ie don't go along the Leintwardine road). Pass the church and priory gatehouse, staying on the road as it becomes a bridleway running through Oakly Park. Go to the right at a fork by a lodge cottage and then ignore all branching paths until you've passed through a gate not far beyond another lodge.

4 Take a footpath on the left, marked by a yellow arrow. Walk into a field then go diagonally across it, heading towards the tower of Ludlow church to find access to another field. Continue in the same direction to a stile in the far corner. After this point the path is fully waymarked and easily followed along the edge of woodland before it eventually bears right to meet a lane near the Cliffe Hotel. Turn left to Ludlow.

FACT FILEStart: Castle Square, Ludlow, grid ref SO509746.

Length: 5 miles/8.8km.

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

Terrain: Farmland and parkland, mainly flat.

Footpaths: Mostly excellent.

Stiles: Seven, all on final path of walk (see point four). They can be avoided by using the lane instead - just keep going past Priors Halton.

Parking: Ludlow (park and ride).

Public transport: Faster by train, changing at Hereford; slower but much cheaper by bus, changing at Kidderminster (295 or 303 on weekdays/300 on Sundays, then 292 daily); www.nationalrail.co.uk or Rail Enquiries 08457 484950 or www.worcestershire.gov.uk/bustimetables or Worcestershire Hub 01905 765765.

Refreshments: Good choice in Ludlow. Bromfield has the Clive Hotel, a post office shop, a coffee shop and Ludlow Food Centre (focusing on locally produced food, and useful for buying the makings of a picnic).

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.