THE 30-MILE Mortimer Trail, which runs along the high ridges between Kington and Ludlow, has been brought back to life by the Mortimer Trail reinvigoration team.

The group, comprised of various Herefordshire and Shropshire walking enthusiasts, first met in 2021 as they felt that the trail had become neglected in recent years. Two years on and the team say that the trail is buzzing again.

Among their successes is the publication of a brand-new Countryfile-featured guidebook to update and replace the out-of-print 2002 edition.

Recent visitors to Ludlow Castle will have noticed near the entrance a stunning new panel all about the trail, with a similar one soon going up at the Trail’s Kington end. Online, there's an active Mortimer Trail Facebook page where walkers can post photos, feedback and information about the Trail, and a Trail website hosted on the Visit Herefordshire website.

There is also now a 12-strong group of volunteer trailblazers who look after the Trail section by section, clearing overgrowth, refreshing the way-marking and reporting any major issues.

Trailblazer Charles Edwards, who edited the new Guidebook, said: “More people from near and far are noticing the improvements to the condition and way-marking of the Trail and are walking or running it.

“It’s both a great project for local people looking for a different walk challenge, and an attraction bringing people in to discover the area’s beauty, inns, shops and other attractions.”

Trailblazer Gwyneth Bowyer, who manages the Facebook page and the volunteer trailblazer team, said: “Countryfile’s discovery of this hidden gem of a trail confirms what we already knew, that the woods, hillforts and river valleys of South Shropshire and North Herefordshire offer some of the finest walking in Britain outside the National Parks.

“Maintenance is like painting the Forth Bridge: just as you clear a fallen tree here, downpours elsewhere flatten the bracken across the path, or a stile starts wobbling, or a mudslip swamps the path, or a way-mark disc goes missing - but sorting them gets us out enjoying the Trail in all seasons.”