Breadwalk to Bone Bed

1 Turn right through Castle Square, then follow Dinham down to the River Teme. Look out for Dinham House, an imposing brick mansion with a long list of illustrious past residents, including Lucien Bonaparte, banished to England by his brother Napoleon for making an 'unsuitable' marriage. Further down Dinham is the 12th-century Chapel of St Thomas of Canterbury, one of Ludlow's two oldest buildings (the other is the castle).

2 Cross Dinham Bridge to Whitcliffe. Follow the lane round to the right. At a junction go straight on along a no through road signposted to Priors Halton. When you reach Priors Halton farm, take the footpath on the left. Ignore another path branching right after 230yds (210m) and proceed along a track towards Mortimer Forest. When the track gives out just keep straight on across the field. Meeting a road, turn right for 650yds (594m), then left on a bridleway at a signpost.

3 Go straight up sheep pasture, then through a gate into Lower Whitcliffe (Mortimer Forest). Keep climbing, soon crossing a forest track, after which the gradient eases as you continue up to a road. Turn right for 100yds (91m), then cross to a bridleway. Go forward along a track, then turn left past a barn, following blue arrows. Once you leave the farm behind, the bridleway continues as a sunken track along the county border.

4 It soon plunges back into the forest, where you keep straight on, ignoring branching paths, including the colour-coded forest trails. The path is high-banked and stone-paved in places, and obviously an ancient highway, so unlike the bland, modern forest paths. When you come to a junction with a forest road, take the middle path of three directly ahead. Mossy, ferny and often very wet in winter, it continues towards Ludlow, eventually running along the edge of the forest and descending to meet a track. Turn right to a road and turn left, then shortly right on a half-hidden footpath descending through the trees. You're on the Mortimer Trail now, which links Ludlow with Kington. Join a road and go straight on at a junction on the higher of two roads, still on the Mortimer Trail, then take a path on to Whitcliffe Common.

5 Fork left to a viewpoint with a good view of the castle. Descend towards Dinham Bridge, but only cross the Teme here if you want a short cut. Otherwise, turn right beside the Teme, along a path known as the Breadwalk. Eventually you'll be forced to climb uphill, but continue in the same direction to Ludford Corner, where you'll see an ordinary-looking cliff marked by a plaque. This small chunk of Ludlow rock is an internationally significant Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), which geologists refer to as Ludlow Bone Bed.
Across the main road a lane leads into the lovely little hamlet of Ludford, which is well worth a visit before you walk past the Charlton Arms Hotel and over Ludford Bridge. Go up Lower Broad Street and Broad Street to King Street, then turn left to Castle Street.