The Silkin Way is a 14 mile long (mostly) traffic-free route in Shropshire, linking Bratton with Coalport, via Telford. There are several on-road segments, along quiet roads, and in Telford also some shared pavements.
If you’re going to do only half of this route, I’d suggest the southern half, as the northern half has a fair bit of proximity to fast, busy roads (but doesn’t go directly on those roads).
Photos are by Amanda Phillipson.
Surface on the Silkin Way
Most of the route is tarred, up to Blists Hill Victorian Town, after which it is self-compacting gravel until Coalport. The gravel segments are good though.
Bikes
Pretty much any type of bicycle can use this route.
Toilets
There are toilets at The Pheasant Inn (off-trail near the start), at the Blue Pig, various places in Telford, at The Forrester’s Arms, and at the Woodbridge Inn (across the river, at the end of the route).
Points of Interest
The route passes right by Blists Hill Victorian Town, and the famous Iron Bridge is nearby, too..
Routes in Shropshire
Barriers
There are no barriers or gates on this route.
Forecast for the Silkin Way
What the Silkin Way looks like
Getting to the Silkin Way
You can get to this route by train, with the Wellington station, on the Wolverhamptoon to Shrewsbury line, being the nearest station to the start. The Okeangates station in Telford is nearer the trail, though, but gives access to the route around the midway mark.
Before taking your bike on the train, be sure to read my Bikes On Trains guide first.
More Routes
To find more routes, click this link.
Interactive map for the Silkin Way
You can download the GPX file from the map below, simply by clicking the GPX button. Hovering over the elevation profile will show the elevation for that point along the route, in both metres and feet. It will also show the gradient.
And finally…
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