Main heading

17km (10.6 miles) Bickerton to Whitchurch Map

1. Cross the A534 with care and go down the lane opposite. Go straight over the crossroads, past Bickerton Church and then right up the next track onto Bickerton Hill. Follow the path up through woods, past Kitty's Stone to Maiden Castle. Turn right down the steep path and carry on down a sunken lane. Turn left and follow the path around Hether Wood. Go through the wooden kissing gate on the right and go down to Goldford Lane.

2. Cross over and go down the track opposite. Skirt Larkton Hall then follow the farm drive to Long Lane. Cross and go over the stile opposite. Keep the ponds on your left and follow the stiles and waymarks through the horse-gallops of Manor House Farm to Shay Lane. Turn right along the lane to a stile on the left. Follow the edge of the fields, then head left over stiles to the lane at Hampton Green.

3. Continue up the track opposite, bear slightly left just before the wrought gates of Middle House, through another small gate then and round the side of a barn. Head down to a footbridge in the field corner. Go along the field edge, then continue straight across the field to a tractor bridge but don't cross it, briefly turn left along the brook to a small footbridge and then after crossing turn right to follow the opposite bank of the stream to two more footbridges. Turn right along the ditch, cross two more bridges, then after crossing a stile follow the hedge. Continue up the hill with the hedge on your right. At the top go diagonally right across the field to the road at Bickley Lane.

4. Turn right, then left down the next lane. Go through the kissing gate to the left after 100m. Cross four large fields, then join the drive and go straight through Barhill Farm. Turn left over a stile and go through the fields to St Chad's Chapel. Continue over the stile to the right of the chapel and go through the fields past Pearl Farm to Willeymoor Lane.

5. Turn right at the lane for 25 metres to a small footbridge and kissing gate into the field opposite. Follow three field edges, cross a track and then three more fields to Willeymoor Lock pub. Turn right onto the Llangollen Canal towpath. Carry on for almost 5km along the towpath past Grindley Brook and Danson's Bridge to the canal junction where the Whitchurch arm leads off to the left.

6. Cross over the lift-bridge and continue beyond the end of the canal below two further bridges along the track which follows the valley bottom.

7. Cross over the road at Greenfield Rise and keep to the same small valley until you reach Jubilee Park car park at the bottom of Sherrymill Hill, with its sandstone arch and Trail information board - and the end of the Trail. For the centre of Whitchurch, walk up Sherrymill Hill along the road to a mini roundabout, bear left here towards the church. At the T-junction turn right and you are at the top of the High Street.

Whitchurch Tourist Information Office 01948 664 577 whitchurch.heritage@ukonline.co.uk