The Shropshire Union Canal
Our view
From The Junction Inn, follow the road towards Gnosall over the canal and bear right, past the canal boat chandlers (and boat hire). On your right you pass one of the Norbury Boulders, originally transported by glacier from Scotland some 20,000 years ago, then the final 2 miles (3km) from nearby Gorse Farm rather more recently by low-loader. It’s part of a linked walk past five boulders, the Norbury Millennium Boulder Trail. This one is the biggest, and shows dark ‘xenoliths’, fragments of the magma chamber wall incorporated into the granite as it solidified 400 million years ago. Continue to the point where the road heads sharp right under the canal, and go straight on up the wide gravel track.
When this track veers right into Shelmore Wood, keep going straight on along the edge of the wood, shortly coming to a gap in a high, tree-dotted hedge. Go through this gap onto an earth path with a line of conifers on the left masking a plantation of young oak trees, and the much older Shelmore Wood on your right. In spring and early summer, listen out for woodpeckers.
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Been on this walk?
Send us photos or a comment about this route. Or recommend a route of your own.
Walking in Safety
Read our tips to look after yourself and the environment when following this walk.
Get an AA guide
Explore our range of ‘50 Walks in’ guides - they’re the ideal companion for a ramble.
Nearby places to stay
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