Easy Walks In And Around Bishop's Castle
Bishop's Castle is an excellent centre for walking, with beautiful, rolling hills in all directions.
It is also an interesting and welcoming town.
There are six five pubs, a famous brewery,
and a good choice of accommodation.
Below I describe some of the walks I have enjoyed. They vary from a few miles to many miles. Some are on sleepy, narrow lanes and some completely 'off road'. Choose what suits you and suits the weather.
Do these walks 'as is', or else 'mix and match': do just part of a walk; splice together parts of several walks; do a walk 'backwards' if you wish.
Happy walking.
(In late 2022 my wife and I left BC! We still love the town and the surrounding area, but family circumstances prevailed. We followed our kids to Yorkshire!
This means that these pages are no longer updated. The walks should still be OK, but I cannot guarantee that some of the less-travelled corners will not be overgrown.)
(I have recently added a 'current location indicator' to my OS map pages. Regerettably, it is only as accurate as the geo-location service of the phone it's running on. And on my iPhone it is not always as accurate as I would like. So use with caution.)
A meander around some of the less well known spots of the town, then up hill on Welsh Street for half an hour, then back down Kerry Lane. An easy walk. You will not get lost and you will not get muddy.
My wife and I do the 'main' section of this walk most days.
A variation on the walk above. It omits the initial tour of the town, but adds a delightful extension to the top of the walk. The views over Wales are excellent.
This circular walk swings in a loop around the western side of BC. It is almost entirely 'off road'. The good news is that this means the views are delightful. The bad news is that, if it has been wet, it can be muddy in places. So take appropriate foot gear.
(My daughter reckons this is the prettiest of the walks listed here.)
Lovely countryside on this walk. Leave the town past the church
and the high school, cross the A488 then out along Frenchman's Mile.
Then up Stank Lane to get great views over the Kemp Valley.
Through the hamlet of Totterton, then more cracking views,
this time of the hills to the north of the town, as you make your way back.
An easy route to follow, no stiles and no mud.
Oakeley Mynd is the hill to the east of Bishop's Castle, on the far side of the A488. The one with the telecommunications mast on top.
Like the 'Totterton Totter' this circular walk goes to the hamlet of Totterton and back, but unlike the previous walk this one is mostly off road: you come back over Oakeley Mynd and down through the wood on the front of the hill.
There are excellent views on top but a couple of places may be muddy after rain.
Bury Ditches is an Iron Age fort on top of a hill a couple of miles south of Bishop's Castle.
This walk leaves town along the Shrophire Way, then crosses fields to the hamlet of Acton. Beyond Acton we climb up a wooded valley onto the forested hill that holds the fort.
We return down a quiet lane to Brockton, then across fields to Colebatch, before returning to 'BC' on the Shropshire Way again.
Potentially muddy in places.
This one is a bit of a cheat: Caer Caradoc is 14 miles away from Bishop's Castle! But it is such an excellent hill I have included it anyway.
It is a pretty big hill, but this route shows the easiest way to the top.
This walk goes from BC to the beautiful town of Clun via one of the local highlights: the Bury Ditches Iron Age hill fort. Some of the best views around are from the fort.
It starts on the Shropshire Way then cuts across fields. A quiet lane takes you up to the fort. You then walk through forest then down the lane into Clun.
If you are keen and fit, you could walk back again. If not you will need to leave a car at the other end, else arrange return transport in advance. There are no buses and virtually no taxis.
This one is a bit different in that I am assuming that you will drive to the hill, walk up and down it, then drive back into town. Feel free to walk all the way if you choose.
Roundton hill is the 'lumpy' looking one overlooking Churchstoke. I am sure you will have seen it on your travels.
Like Bury Ditches, Roundton has Iron Age earthworks on top, but the main reason to go is the view out over Montgomery and into Wales - it is lovely.
This walk takes in the four named hills north of Churchstoke: Todleth; Lan Fawr; Corndon and Roundton.
I assume that you will drive to and from the start.
Do not be intimidated. There is only one steep bit (up Roundton), and that is short.
For most people this will be an all-day walk. We leave Bishop's Castle and walk quiet lanes to Plowden. A five minute section on an A-road then takes us to the southern tip of the mynd. (I have chosen this route as it is the gentlest way up the mynd I know - a long, moderate slope instead of a shorter steeper one.) We then walk most of the length of the mynd, past the gliding club, to Pole Bank - the highest point. From there it is downhill through absolutely beautiful countryside to the Bridges pub.
Note that you must pre-arrange your transport home. Leave a car there in advance or pre-arrange a lift.
Heath Mynd is the 'Marilyn' which dominates the area a couple of miles north of Bishop's Castle. It is known locally as Bent Hill or Whinberry Hill. As you would expect, the views from the top are wonderful.
This walk leaves Bishop's Castle on the Shropshire Way to Lydham, then goes over the site of the former More Castle, then cross-country to the hill itself. It takes the easier, northern route to the top.
It then comes back to town by the most direct route available.
Potentially muddy in places.