Walk from Longnor to Pilsbury Castle

A nice sunny, if cold, start to the day and we drove to the village of Longnor in the neighbouring county of Staffordshire. We parked in the market square and I noticed that standing there you could see four pubs altogether – quite a few for a small village.

Cheshire Cheese Inn

The Grapes Hotel

The Crewe and Harpur Arms

The Horseshoe Inn

We walked a short distance back along the road we had driven along and then turned off along a minor road then onto a concreted lane. We were passed by a number of competitors riding mountain bikes on what seemed to be a sort of Orienteering on bike event as they were following a map and we saw some clipping in at a check point next to a small bridge.

 High Wheeldon

This led us across some fields and then back onto another minor road next to a farmhouse. We followed the minor road gradually uphill for a short distance skirting around the foot of a large hill called High Wheeldon. We soon reached a limestone crag named Alderly Cliff which is a crag often used by climbers and also the site of a recent Orpheus Caving Club dig called Alderley Cliff Cave.

 Alderley Cliff

Alderley Cliff Cave

At a Public Footpath sign we left the road via a stile and followed a small, dry valley which wended its way around the opposite side of the hill, then by walking up a short steep section, we arrived at the trig point on the summit. Here there were views in all directions of the surrounding hills including Chrome Hills and Parkhouse Hill. Down below we could also see part of Alderley Cliff.

 Summit of High Wheeldon

We wandered down the Southern edge of High Wheeldon for a short distance and found the small Fox Hole Cave which has archaeological significance and hence has a gate to protect the cave. We sat in the hollow by the entrance which offered shelter from the cold breeze and had a bit of a hot drink from our flasks.
Afterwards, we walked towards the opposite end of the hill and dropped down through fields and stiles eventually arriving at road leading into the hamlet of Crowdecote. This is the location of a pub called “The Pack Horse Inn”, next to which the Orpheus C.C. Used to have a hut many years ago.
We passed the pub and followed a track back onto pasture land and eventually reached the limestone tor known as Pilsbury Castle, a former Norman Motte and Bailey Castle. We sat in the lee of the tor and had our lunch watching a ewe and her two lambs in the nearby field. These were the first lambs I've seen this year.

 Pilsbury Castle

Ewe and her Lambs

We could hear the noise of off-road motorbikes in the distance and as we finished our lunch and headed off for the track leading uphill, we waited until several of these motorbikes passed by. Of course, they shouldn't be riding on a footpath in the first place (it is illegal, but they don't seem to be worried about signs informing them that motor vehicles are not allowed) and they certainly don't do the ground any good leaving deep, muddy ruts in the soft ground which is only surfaced with grass.

 Snowdrops

After climbing the muddy and rutted path, we were back on a minor road and we followed this for ¾ mile then turned off onto a lane. This lane led to a farm and more fields eventually leading via footpath signs back to Longnor, where we had started from.
I wore my Icepeak X-Treme trousers, Paramo Summit Hoodie and Paramo Fuera Ascent jacket. Also Contour boots and Osprey Kestrel 38 rucksack.