Location
The Much Wenlock Railway Walk can be found a short walk to the North of the town centre, alongside the Gaskell Recreation Ground. There is no formal car park only limited on street parking along station road.
The last train pulled out of Wenlock station in 1962. Today the remains of the track stretches for half a mile offering pleasant walks along the Farley Valley. The embankments have become wooded and rich in wildflowers, birds and small mammals. In the spring the ground is covered in a riot of colour with white Ramsons and yellow Celandine predominant. The first section, found adjacent to the old station house, looks down on the town of Much Wenlock and its historic Priory.
The railway was closed for traffic in 1862; however, a special train was used to bring passengers to the 12th annual Much Wenlock Olympic Games. The main person responsible for the railway was Dr William Penny Brookes who was also responsible for Wenlock Olympian Society and staging the first Wenlock Olympian games in 1850. It is widely recognised that Dr Brookes of Much Wenlock provided the inspiration for Baron Pierre de Coubertin to found the Modern Olympiad. Staged in the picturesque Shropshire town they embodied the best of the ancient Greek traditions along with Brookes’ ethos that exercise and cultural activities improved the well being of the townsfolk.The Games are still held in the Linden Field that runs along side the Much Wenlock Railway Walk.
There are links on this page to the Shropshire Walking website, where you can download walks leaflets and find out more about Shropshire's Long Distance Promoted routes.