Walking Weekend
This peaceful town deep in the Shropshire Hills is known for inspiring literary greats, embracing gloriously eccentric traditions, and welcoming walkers with open arms.
‘CLUNTON AND CLUNBURY, Clungunford and Clun, Are the quietest places, Under the sun’ …So said the poet AE Housman in his collection of works, AShropshire Lad published in 1896. If Housman were to visit today he’d find his words still perfectly encapsulate this corner of the Shropshire Hills National Landscape.
It’s a true literary landscape. As well as AE Housman, Bruce Chatwin wrote the opening chapters of On The Black Hill while staying in the area, EM Forster used Clun as his inspiration for Oniton in Howards End and Sir Walter Scott found inspiration in Clun Castle which he used in The Betrothed.
With nothing more than a B-road traversing its entire length, the rest of the world, quite literally, passes by. Our first walk explores the western fringes of the county, heading deep into the rolling Welsh Borders, traversing alongside Offa’s 8th-century dyke, of which substantial remains can be seen.
The second route heads east, climbing high to the Iron Age encampment at Bury Ditches with its far-reaching views, before passing private grounds once owned by playwright John Osborne and now run by a creative writing charity. Perhaps walking around Clun might inspire your literary genius.
The word is…
The YHA has a wonderfully restored water mill in Clun, where you can camp, stay in a private room, or book
