Drama at Clive and Grinshill

The north Shropshire plain is broken at intervals by battered ridges of red sandstone rising dramatically above the sea of green lapping at their feet. Highest and finest of them all is Grinshill Hill, a craggy lump of rock held in the grip of gnarled Scots pines and graceful silver birches existing on the thinnest of soils. It's an exciting, almost Tolkienesque sort of place, with spectacular abandoned quarries and deeply sunken hollow ways.

On its slopes stand Clive and Grinshill, both built of Grinshill stone, which has been quarried since Roman times. The stone was used for some of the grandest Victorian building projects, including several railway stations, of which Shrewsbury is a superb example. It is still quarried today, but the modern workings don't impinge on this walk.

Clive is a particularly attractive village, with pretty cottages clustered below All Saints' Church. This is a Victorian rebuild, but is more than redeemed by the power of its setting in a steeply sloping churchyard, overflowing with daffodils in March and offering fine views. The tall spire is a landmark for miles around.

I must admit to a personal interest in Clive. In the Second World War my father was sent from bomb-blasted Manchester to the safety of his Uncle Jack's farm at Wollerton, near Market Drayton. Nearly 50 years later, researching the family tree, he discovered that Jack Wycherley was a descendant of William Wycherley, the Restoration dramatist and satirist who entertained the court of Charles II with his plays. His most famous work is The Country Wife (1675). Wycherley was born at Clive Hall (it's on the main street) in 1640. By all accounts, he was a dissolute rogue who chased young girls and shared one of Charles II's mistresses, Barbara Villiers, the Duchess of Cleveland. Naturally we're all quite proud of him! He also married the Countess of Drogheda for her money and must have been gratified when she died a year later, leaving everything to him. But it didn't do him much good because the will was contested and the ensuing lawsuit bankrupted him. He was thrown into a debtors' prison which he endured for seven years until rescued by James II, who paid off his debts and gave him a pension. Wycherley married a young girl in 1716 when he was 75, but died 11 days later. His bones lie somewhere in the churchyard at Clive.

While you're there

Visit Moreton Corbet Castle (English Heritage). The keep of a Norman castle (c1200) stands beside the ruins of a magnificent house built around 1579 for Sir Andrew Corbet. Cromwell's troops besieged and slighted the two in 1644. They spared the church, which stands close by, completing a splendid group.

What to look for

A variety of birds inhabits Corbet Wood, including the tiny goldcrest, Britain's smallest species (except for the firecrest, the same size but extremely rare). The goldcrest is plump and short-tailed, olive-green above and buff below, with a distinctive black and yellow crown. Listen for a shrill, insistent zee-zee-zee call.

Where to eat and drink

The Railway Inn by Yorton Station is a very traditional, friendly pub but you can't take your dog inside. The Elephant and Castle at Grinshill was well regarded, but had closed at the time of writing. There's a good shop in Clive and, if you're travelling by train, you'll find buffet facilities on the Cardiff-Manchester services, but not on local ones.