22/02/20 - Heart of Wales Line - Stage 2 - Knighton to Hopton Heath

Distance - 10 Miles
Geocaches - 1
Pub - Sun Inn, Leintwardine, Three Tuns
Previous Stages - Stage 1

Hopton Heath Railway Station is a lonely place to start a walk.   An electronic notice board that gives only a phone number to ring for train information.   A single track line, no other passengers.

Always Early

An encouraging toot is heard two minutes after its scheduled 9:38am arrival and as this is a request stop only, I have sufficient warning to get into position.  I have been practicing how to stop a moving train by watching the Railway Children and fashioning flags out of old Fullers London Pride T-Shirts.

13 minutes later, I am alighting at Knighton - still in England, even if the town the station serves is in Wales.  I am ready to re-conquer Panpunton Hill on Offa's Dyke Path in wind conditions that seemed perfectly wild enough to me to be a named Storm.   Maybe we have been spoiled this Winter.

It's worth the puffing and panting.  Having walked this twice now, its fast becoming one of my favourite UK Views.   One day, I will do it in decent conditions.

Flooded Teme Valley below - from last weeks Storm Dennis

Capturing the Wind by Go Pro

Head east for Five Turnings and then 2.5 miles of fine high level walking, thankfully free of mud and standing water to Bucknell Wood.   Here a decision needs to be made - by traveling to Knighton, I have missed out Bucknell Station.  I had planned on incorporating the official walk into today but its a four mile extension that can be missed out by 500ft of downhill walking past the farm named Vron.

Never before have a I missed out on a pub but today's 2032 ft of ascent has been strenuous enough.   I will return to the Sitwell Arms on another day.

Better than hoped for conditions

Vron Farms Bull

Hit the River Redlake valley floor for another climb through the fir trees of Hopton Titterhill.  No other ramblers, but the occasional mountain biker sharing the paths.

3.5 hours after setting off, I am back in Hopton Castle for the long walk back to the Station.

Wild Shropshire

For a closer look at the Castle found at Stage 1

There's no chance of post walk refreshment at Hopton but I am not far from Leintwardine, where there's a truly remarkable example of the a Parlour Pub.   I'd checked out Google Maps, which seemed to show it was up for sale.   I needed a repeat visit to confirm it has been left as I remember it.  See my previous blog for the text, but I will leave you with today's photos.

Sign a touch battered, but as I remember it

Room to the left

Room to the right.  A a very good three Tuns.  Nan told me to use the coaster.