Sutton Hill

“Start From The Hub on The Hill Community Centre. The ‘Village Green’ mural on its wall is a convenient landmark. There’s a large Sutton Hill Local Centre free car park to the front and side of the mural, which can be accessed from either Southfield or Stonedale. The postcode is TF7 4HG. The frequent No 1 and 2 buses, to and from Telford Town Centre stop here too. Walk across the car park to the Premier Convenience Store and Post Office. Turn right down the hill into Southfield with the Post Office and shop on your right hand side. There’s a tarmac pavement to the right of the road, ignore side paths into the estate. Just before the T-junction with Sutton Way, turn left to cross the Southfield road and walk along the tarmac path along the side road used for deliveries and parking to the left of Sutton Way, don’t deviate into the housing estate. After about 200 metres, at the top house on the corner, the path around the side of the houses curves right to go down through an underpass beneath Sutton Way. It emerges onto a patch of greenery known as ‘The Village Green’, there’s a hard to spot information board in the hedge opposite about the green and local wildlife. The footpath leads to a small metal access point at the bottom left corner. Follow the path downhill, the edge of the estate is to your left and Blists Hill overflow car park is to the right. After about 200 metres you come to the Blists Hill Museum access road. Turn right to cross the road and follow the footpath indicated by a wooden fingerpost. There’s a bench and information board just below this point if you need a breather. The path now enters woodland, The water on your left is not a stream but the remains of what used to be the Shropshire Canal. The steep hill behind it not natural either, it was once the pit mound, made of waste and slag from the old Shawfield Colliery. The area has been allowed to rewild and there are woodland plants and bird song in Springtime. After about 300m the path forks, bear left and in about 200m you will come to Legges Way. Cross the road and take the track directly opposite, you soon pass the impressive iron gates of Madeley Community Orchard Bartlett Gardens where the track bends right into Mill Lane. You have a choice of routes here. You can take an unwaymarked short cut through the Madeley Community Gardens and into St Michael’s Churchyard with its scenic viewpoints and interesting memorials to past pit disasters. On entering the gardens bear left and follow the path around the edge of the gardens and then uphill to a gate in the wall and into the churchyard. Bear right to exit past the church via the main entry /exit path into Chruch St where you then follow the directions and waymarked route described below from St Michael’s Church to the Kings Barn. ”