[1] From the lay-by walk back towards Church Stretton and turn right onto the farm track leading past Gaerstones Farm. Continue on the track until it reaches a gate to an area of open grassland. Here the track swings to the right but you should carry straight on to reach a visible gate before the trees in the fence line to your left. Beyond the gate follow a track descending through woodland a track into the valley between Helmeth Hill and Caer Caradoc. Go though a gate at the bottom of the descent and turn left along the track though the valley. Look for a small path on your right taking you to a wooden footbridge over the stream.
Alternative route starting from Sandford Avenue in Church Stretton. Cross the A49 by the pedestrian crossing and continue straight ahead into the eastern section of Sandford Avenue. Take the first turning on the right (Watling Street North). Look out for traffic as there are no pavements on this section. Where the road turns right (and changes name to Helmeth Road) carry straight on into a narrow lane signposted Caer Caradoc. At a cattle grid turn right and follow a footpath round the field boundary. You can look down on an old hollow-way on the other side of the hedge. At the far corner of the field turn right onto a farm track and go through a gate. Look for a path on your left taking you to the footbridge at [2].
[2] Once over the bridge turn right and then take a minor path to the left climbing up the slope. As you gain height you have a clear view of the path up the ridge. Follow this ridge path - it is the first demanding climb of the walk.
Caer Caradoc and the Lawley are access land, so walkers are free to go where they choose. Most take the paths along the ridges, avoiding the steep sides of the hills. Once past the first rocky outcrops the gradient eases and you can look back to Ragleth Hill and the Long Mynd, with Church Stretton sheltered between them.
At Three Fingers Rock the direction of the ridge changes to north-east, but the steady ascent continues until you reach the main summit of Caer Caradoc, which is enclosed by the ramparts of a hill fort.
(A) The hill gains its name from this fort, Caer Caradoc being Welsh for Caradoc's fort. Caradoc, known to the Romans (and to Rolf Harris) as Caractacus, attained heroic status as a leader of resistance to Roman occupation and two hill forts in Shropshire bear his name.
This is the highest point on the walk, so a good place to see what you can recognise of the distant hills. To the north and east the Wrekin, Wenlock Edge, the Clee Hills and the Clent Hills should all be visible. To the south there are the Malverns (viewed end on), Hay Bluff and Radnor Forest.
Continue down the ridge on the northern side of the hill and cross a stile in the corner of a fence line. The climb to Little Caradoc is comparatively gentle after which the descent resumes. As you reach a fence line with trees turn left and then turn right onto a track.
[3] You shortly reach a narrow country lane. Turn right and follow the lane through the hamlet of Comley. At a road junction turn left following a sign for Leebotwood.
(B) On the lane you pass Comley Quarry, now in the care of the Shropshire Wildlife Trust. This site is rather overgrown, but it is very significant for geologists. It is one of the locations where Victorian geologists worked out the sequence of layers in rocks from 550 million years ago and has given its name to the Comley Series of rock types. Britain's oldest trilobite fossils were discovered here in the 1880s.
To take the alternative route between [3] and [4] with less road walking. Turn left instead of right when you reach the narrow lane and walk downhill for 200 metres. Take a footpath signposted the Lawley which starts at a small gate on the right. Follow the path across three fields to emerge at [4].
[4] 200 metres past the junction turn left onto a farm track signposted the Lawley. Follow the track round to the right an over a cattle grid. Take a path on the right that climbs gently to a gate. The track climbing up the Lawley should now be clear ahead of you.
After a long, steady ascent you reach the summit of the Lawley, marked by a weather vane in the form of a crow.
(C) The crow is a badge of the Corbet family, local landowners. Their name originally meant 'little crow'.
The long descent that follows is one of the most attractive parts of the walk, with steep slopes on both sides. At the bottom of the slope follow a path ahead though trees to emerge onto a minor road.
[5] Turn right onto the road and follow it down into a valley, into woodland and up a slope. At the top of the slope turn right onto a track. Walk along this track with woodland on your right. Follow the track as it turns left to cross the head of a valley before joining a road. Turn right at the road. Look out for traffic on the narrow lanes.
[6] Take the turning on the left at postbox signposted Enchmarsh. Follow the road through this small rural setllement. As you leave the buildings behind take a signed bridleway through the rightmost of the pair off gates on the right. Follow the bridleway gently downhill to reach another gate by a crossroads.
Take the road signposted Willstone and after 300 metres turn right onto a track following a footpath symbol on a fingerpost. The track leads to a gate. Go through the gate and turn left to follow a fence line along the boundary of an area of grassland. After crossing a second stile, in the top corner of the grassland, head slightly to the right of the fence to keep to the highest ground. As the ground in front slopes down make for a gate in the hedgerow ahead.
[7] Go through the gate and turn right onto a track. At a gate you re-enter the Caer Caradoc access land. 100 metres further on a public footpath crosses the track and you should take the footpath to the left. Follow a shallow valley through the field ahead and then aim for the bottom left hand corner of the field where you cross a stile into a wood.
Follow waymarks to a small footbridge, out of the wooded area and through marshy ground on the far slope. You reach a stile at the top left corner which brings you to the foot of Willstone Hill. Cross the stile, climb to the path and turn left onto a track around the base of the hill. Almost immediately, turn right onto a curving track which takes you back onto a steady ascent across the side of the hill.
[8] At the top of your climb you reach a col between Willstone and Hope Bowdler Hills.
Optionally you can turn left when you reach the ridge of Willstone Hill and visit the rocky outcrop on the summit, known as the Battle Stones. Then retrace your steps to the col.
Carry on straight onto a path leading upwards to the high point of Hope Bowdler Hill. Continue along the undulating ridge, past a series of rocky outcrops. Just past the Gaer Stone turn right in front of a fence line. Descend the steep hillside, go through a gate and follow the right hand side of a hedgerow to reach a gate onto the Gaerstones Farm track. Turn left and walk along the farm track back to the starting point.
To return to the centre of Church Stretton (if that was your starting point) cross over the B4371 and walk along Hazler Road.