Market Drayton, Shropshire Union Canal, Tyrley Locks, The Four Alls and River Tern

The walk starts at the edge of the town and explores the countryside to the south. You begin by making your way to the Shropshire Union Canal, which you join near an aqueduct, Berresford Bridge. At this point, the waterway forms the county boundary with Staffordshire.

The canal is on the top of a high embankment, reached by a flight of steps to the side of the aqueduct. As you walk along the towpath, the embankment gradually gives way to open farmland.

This peaceful stretch of water leads to a very attractive sandstone cutting in which are found the Tyrley Locks. A canopy of trees casts deep shadows, creating a cool, moist environment in which ferns, mosses, and liverworts thrive. The insects that enjoy such conditions are hunted by bats in the evenings.

At the fifth lock, you go under the bridge to Tyrley Wharf. This was the point where the local Peatswood Estate loaded farm produce and unloaded coal. It was also used by the well-known chocolate manufacturers Cadbury, who collected the milk for their Knighton factory here. The buildings are dated 1837, and the lock cottage shows a strong Thomas Telford influence.

A quiet country road leads to The Four Alls public house, which dates back as far as the 16th century, though it has been extensively modernised since. Its unusual name is derived from four traditional figures: a King who rules all, a General who fights for all, a Bishop who prays for all, and a Citizen who pays for all!

On the way back to Market Drayton, the route passes Salisbury Hill away to the left. The Earl of Salisbury's Yorkist army camped here on their way to the Battle of Blore Heath in the Wars of the Roses. Although heavily outnumbered by Lord Audley's 10,000 Lancastrian men, the men of the White Rose were victorious.

The lane emerges at Walkmill Bridge, an old packhorse bridge over the fledgling River Tern, on the outskirts of the town. It is a short walk from here back to the starting point of the walk.

Acknowledgment: Text derived from the Out and Out Series; Discovering the Countryside on Foot. Pictures courtesy of Wikipedia.