Festival to celebrate way-marking along 200-mile path Shropshire Way

The Shropshire Way has now been remarked with new signs allowing walkers and ramblers to cover the 200-mile stretch with ease.

To mark this, the Shropshire Way Association has organised a festival to celebrate the completion of the new way marking of the entire 200 miles long distance route around Shropshire.

The project started in 2016, from a strong desire to reinstate the original Shropshire Way long distance path, which had been created in 1980 by the Ramblers.

Over the following 20 years, circular routes were added to the original path using the original black and white buzzard way mark, which meant that the long distance path became increasingly difficult to follow.

Partnership

Amanda Hartley-Newton from the association said: "We devised an orange way mark with the distinctive buzzard symbol to define the new main route, in conjunction with Shropshire Council and partner walking groups. It has been, and continues to be, an amazing project led and delivered by volunteers.

"This project has been going since 2016 and it has been a triumph of partnership working between various walking groups, especially the Ramblers, and Shropshire Council’s Outdoor Recreation team."

The Shropshire Way Festival of Walks takes place on the week of September 21-29 and to celebrate the completion of the new way-marking of the main route a series of guided walks will be guided by various Shropshire walking groups.

The walks range from easy to strenuous and cover distances between two and 22 miles. All are welcome.

On September 28, there will be a celebration walk in Shrewsbury between 10am-12pm. and this will be followed by a cream tea at The Trinity Centre, Meole Brace between 3pm-5pm. Guests will include Kate Ashbrook, chair and vice-president of the Ramblers and John Gillham, author of the Shropshire Way Guidebook. To book a place email marionlaw@tiscali.co.uk