The Ercall & The Wrekin 06-12-2015
This map was created using GPS Visualizer's do-it-yourself geographic utilities.
Please wait while the map data loads...
Route: Bucktree Farm, The Ercall, Wrekin Cottage, Hell Gate, Heaven Gate, The Wrekin, Needle's Eye, Heaven Gate, Wrekin Cottage
Date: 06/12/2015
Parking: Car park at the foot of The Wrekin
Region: Shropshire Hills AONB
Route length: 4.4 miles (7 km)
Summits: The Ercall (140m), The Wrekin (407m)
Other Points of Interest: Ercall Quarry, Wrekin Hillfort
On Wenlock Edge the wood's in trouble;
His forest fleece the Wrekin heaves;
The gale, it plies the saplings double,
And thick on Severn snow the leaves
A fairly apt stanza from A.E. Housman's A Shropshire Lad summed up the weather for the day as we made our way to The Wrekin—Shropshire's iconic hill. The wind had defined our weekend in the Shropshire hills, but it had finally died down by the time we drove the twenty miles to the base of the peak.
Rising to a height of 407 metres above the Shropshire Plain, The Wrekin is a prominent landmark that signals the entrance to the county for westbound travellers. While volcanic in origin, the hill was never actually a volcano itself. Though the local geology is famously complex, The Wrekin shares its ancient heritage with the Stretton Hills and the notable Church Stretton Fault.
There is a large car park situated in the dip between The Wrekin and its smaller neighbor, Little Hill (often referred to alongside The Ercall). Although it didn't strictly lend itself to a circular route, we decided to summit The Ercall first. Finding the starting point, however, proved to be a bit of a challenge—it isn't exactly obvious.
 |
| The woods surrounding The Wrekin |
 |
| The Ercall sits across from us |
Through more luck than judgment, we found a wide track with a welcoming sign confirming we were on the right route. This path led us to the base of a large, disused quarry that has since taken on an educational purpose. The workings expose 540-million-year-old ripple beds and ancient Precambrian lava flows, all clearly highlighted by helpful information boards. These geological features, along with the surrounding woodland, form The Ercall SSSI, which is managed by the Shropshire Wildlife Trust.
 |
| Following the track through the woods |
 |
| One of the quarries on The Ercall |
 |
| The ancient ripple beds |
We drifted off-route and found a way up along the edges of the quarry—part walk and part scramble—which certainly came as a surprise. In fact, we reached the tree-covered summit in next to no time and set about returning to the starting point to begin our ascent of The Wrekin. We followed one of the waymarked paths back down through the woods, concluding that our route up, though steeper, was far more interesting and much quicker.
 |
| A close up of the ripple beds |
 |
| Looking down into the quarry |
 |
| The top of The Ercall |
 |
| Looking across to The Wrekin from The Ercall |
 |
| The route back down through the woods |
The start of the climb up The Wrekin is much more obvious; a rutted road heads into the trees, where a good number of people were out and about. It is a steady ascent with no real difficulties, though there is little of interest unless you are a fan of woodland. Eventually, the path emerges near the top and the views begin to open up. Despite the weather, the panorama expanded across a huge swathe of the Shropshire Plain, where dark clouds added a sense of drama to the scene. It has often been suggested that the Wrekin served as inspiration for J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth, and on a day like today, it was easy to see why
 |
| A wide track leads all the way to the top |
 |
| Woods on The Wrekin |
 |
| Looking up into the trees |
 |
| The path eventually emerges from the woods |
 |
| View across the Shropshire Plain |
The summit of The Wrekin is far more interesting than anything found on the ascent. An expansive hillfort encircles over eight hectares of the hilltop, and the ancient entrance, known as Heaven’s Gate, remains clearly visible. The Cornovii—the Celtic tribe who lived here—would have viewed The Wrekin as the natural choice for their tribal capital, providing a strategic high point safely removed from the River Severn and its surrounding marshes and dense woodland.
 |
| Ancient ramparts at Heaven's Gate |
 |
| Clouds gather in the distance |
A trig pillar and a toposcope sit at the very summit, though a large radio mast dominates the scene. This mast, used for broadcasting, features a pulsating red light at the top that was refurbished in 2000 as part of a project to celebrate the new millennium. Locally, it is affectionately known as "The Wrekin Beacon".
 |
| Needle's Eye |
 |
| Distant Stretton Hills |
 |
| The Wrekin's radio mast |
 |
| The toposcope |
 |
| A trig pillar marks the summit |
The formation of The Wrekin is the stuff of legend. As the story goes, a giant named Gwendol Wrekin ap Shenkin ap Mynyddmawr held a grudge against the town of Shrewsbury and decided to flood it, killing all its inhabitants. He gathered a massive spadeful of earth and set off, but near Wellington, he encountered a cobbler returning from Shrewsbury market with a sack of shoes for repair. When the giant asked for directions and revealed his plan to dump the earth into the River Severn, the quick-thinking shoemaker replied, "It's a very long way; look at all these shoes I've worn out just walking back!" Discouraged, the giant abandoned his task and dumped the earth right there, creating The Wrekin. He then scraped the mud off his boots, which formed the neighbouring Ercall Hill.
 |
| Flooding in the Severn Valley |
 |
| Clouds approach |
 |
| Panorama of the Severn Valley |
The sun made a couple of attempts to break through while we were loitering on the summit, but it wasn't long before the dark clouds I mentioned earlier had swept across the Shropshire Plain. They closed in—initially below us—before bringing a spell of heavy rain. Suddenly, lugging all the usual walking gear up the hill didn't seem like such a bad idea after all.
 |
| Clouds sweep in |
 |
| The River Severn |
 |
| A contrast from earlier |
Faced with the turning weather, we decided against continuing down the other side and instead retraced our steps back to the car. We took a minor shortcut through the woods—a route that is obvious on the descent but less so on the way up—and it wasn't long before we were back at the car park, airing wet waterproofs over the car seats. We finished shortly after lunch, which gave us ample time to pick up a Christmas tree on the way home; 'tis the season, after all.
 |
| Mist shrouds the woods |
The Wrekin is a thoroughly enjoyable hill, despite its wooded slopes. The open views from the summit are superb, belying its relatively modest stature. I am a huge fan of the Shropshire Hills, and this one is certainly no exception.
No comments :
Post a Comment