RoutesHiking trails & RoutesUnited KingdomEnglandWest Midlands RegionQuatt Malvern
Severn Valley Country Park – Highley and Alveley Footbridge loop from Quatt
RoutesHiking trails & RoutesUnited KingdomEnglandWest Midlands RegionQuatt Malvern
Severn Valley Country Park – Highley and Alveley Footbridge loop from Quatt
Moderate
3.7
(3)
17
hikers
Severn Valley Country Park – Highley and Alveley Footbridge loop from Quatt
02:19
8.55km
120m
Hiking
Moderate hike. Good fitness required. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels. The starting point of the route is right next to a parking lot.
Last updated: April 18, 2026
Waypoints
A
Start point
Parking
Get Directions
1
17 m
Hampton Loade Jetty (Severn Canoe Trail)
Highlight • Rest Area
Hampton Loade Ferry was a pedestrian cable ferry linking the villages of Hampton Loade and Hampton across the River Severn in the English county of Shropshire and providing a link to Hampton Loade village from Hampton Loade station on the heritage Severn Valley Railway, in Hampton village.
The crossing had been in use for around 400 years, and may have provided a route across the Severn during the Middle Ages.
During flooding on Sunday 13 December 1964 at 3.25 PM the ferry sank drowning the operator and caused inconvenience for the hamlet residents who had to take detours. The service was restored the following year.
In 2004 a new ferry was built by the nearby Ironbridge Gorge Museum to the design of the previous boat, which had seen 38 years' service. The new craft was of wooden construction, measures 20 feet by 9 feet, and carried up to 12 passengers.
Hampton Loade Ferry information for passengers
The ferry was affected by the floods of 2007, which damaged the river banks and access roads and also affected the Severn Valley Railway, with a consequent loss of tourist revenue to the ferry. As a result, the ferry did not operate during the remainder of 2007 or during 2008, and the owner put it up for sale. Local people created the Hampton Loade Community Trust, a charitable trust, to reopen the ferry. This was achieved in April 2009.
The Hampton Loade Ferry was a reaction ferry, propelled by the river current. An overhead cable is suspended across the river, and the ferry was tethered by a second cable, to a pulley block that ran on the suspended cable. To operate the ferry it was angled into the current, causing the current to move it across the river.
The ferry permanently closed in 2016. The ferry now lies in a state of disrepair half submerged in the river Severn.
The crossing had been in use for around 400 years, and may have provided a route across the Severn during the Middle Ages.
During flooding on Sunday 13 December 1964 at 3.25 PM the ferry sank drowning the operator and caused inconvenience for the hamlet residents who had to take detours. The service was restored the following year.
In 2004 a new ferry was built by the nearby Ironbridge Gorge Museum to the design of the previous boat, which had seen 38 years' service. The new craft was of wooden construction, measures 20 feet by 9 feet, and carried up to 12 passengers.
Hampton Loade Ferry information for passengers
The ferry was affected by the floods of 2007, which damaged the river banks and access roads and also affected the Severn Valley Railway, with a consequent loss of tourist revenue to the ferry. As a result, the ferry did not operate during the remainder of 2007 or during 2008, and the owner put it up for sale. Local people created the Hampton Loade Community Trust, a charitable trust, to reopen the ferry. This was achieved in April 2009.
The Hampton Loade Ferry was a reaction ferry, propelled by the river current. An overhead cable is suspended across the river, and the ferry was tethered by a second cable, to a pulley block that ran on the suspended cable. To operate the ferry it was angled into the current, causing the current to move it across the river.
The ferry permanently closed in 2016. The ferry now lies in a state of disrepair half submerged in the river Severn.
Tip by
2
1.28 km
Butter Cross, Alveley
Highlight • Monument
Butter Cross 350m north west of Yewtree Cottage.
Old Wayside Cross south of Hampton Loade, Alveley Parish
The Butter Cross, old head, shaft & base by the UC road, in parish of Alveley (Bridgnorth District), Hampton Loade - lane North West of Alveley.
Grade II listed. List Entry Number: 1053230
Historically butter crosses were places where country people would come to sell their produce. Local legend says that this butter cross is where food was left for the village of Alveley when it was placed under quarantine during the Black Death in 1349.
Old Wayside Cross south of Hampton Loade, Alveley Parish
The Butter Cross, old head, shaft & base by the UC road, in parish of Alveley (Bridgnorth District), Hampton Loade - lane North West of Alveley.
Grade II listed. List Entry Number: 1053230
Historically butter crosses were places where country people would come to sell their produce. Local legend says that this butter cross is where food was left for the village of Alveley when it was placed under quarantine during the Black Death in 1349.
Tip by
3
3.59 km
St Mary's Church, Alveley
Highlight • Religious Site
The chapel retains in use the mediaeval stone altar slab with the five incised crosses which had been used as a tombstone from 1710 until 1878.
Preserved in a glass fronted case is the most precious treasure of the church, an embroidered altar frontal of c1470; it is 8ft. 4 ins. Long and 2ft. 8Ins. Wide and was discovered in an old chest c1865. It is divided into alternate vertical stripe of cerise and cream silk; in the centre is a seated figure of Abraham holding three small figures in his lap symbolising the souls of the departed, while around are three angels bearing scrolls with “Da gloriam Deo” and on either side are fleurs-de-lys and other flowers.
In the east clerestory window on the south are remains of fifteenth century painted glass depicting the Annunciation, St. Anthony and a Bishop. In the west window of the tower are three roundels of old painted glass, probably of foreign provenance, depicting the Chalice and Host, the Crucifixion and another scene; they are said to have come from Coton Chapel. The east window and those of the chapel contain painted glass by C E Kempe, the designer of the chapel reredos.
The most interesting memorial is a figure brass to John Grove (1616) of Pool Hall, a London merchant and Freeman of the Grocers Company, who was a native of Alveley and founded a school here, also giving an endowment to provide £10 yearly to be divided among five old men.
Note in the churchyard the base and part of the shaft of the mediaeval preaching cross.
Bells. The tower contains a peal of six bells which were cast and hung by Rudhalls, the Gloucester Bellfounders, in 1779; They were restored and rehung by Taylors of Loughborough in 1958.
Plate. The plate includes a handsome Elixabethan cup with cover paten dated 1572 and bearing the intitials R D for Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, at that time owner of the Church Lordship and Patron of the living, doubtless the gift of his Royal Mistress, Queen Elizabeth I.
Preserved in a glass fronted case is the most precious treasure of the church, an embroidered altar frontal of c1470; it is 8ft. 4 ins. Long and 2ft. 8Ins. Wide and was discovered in an old chest c1865. It is divided into alternate vertical stripe of cerise and cream silk; in the centre is a seated figure of Abraham holding three small figures in his lap symbolising the souls of the departed, while around are three angels bearing scrolls with “Da gloriam Deo” and on either side are fleurs-de-lys and other flowers.
In the east clerestory window on the south are remains of fifteenth century painted glass depicting the Annunciation, St. Anthony and a Bishop. In the west window of the tower are three roundels of old painted glass, probably of foreign provenance, depicting the Chalice and Host, the Crucifixion and another scene; they are said to have come from Coton Chapel. The east window and those of the chapel contain painted glass by C E Kempe, the designer of the chapel reredos.
The most interesting memorial is a figure brass to John Grove (1616) of Pool Hall, a London merchant and Freeman of the Grocers Company, who was a native of Alveley and founded a school here, also giving an endowment to provide £10 yearly to be divided among five old men.
Note in the churchyard the base and part of the shaft of the mediaeval preaching cross.
Bells. The tower contains a peal of six bells which were cast and hung by Rudhalls, the Gloucester Bellfounders, in 1779; They were restored and rehung by Taylors of Loughborough in 1958.
Plate. The plate includes a handsome Elixabethan cup with cover paten dated 1572 and bearing the intitials R D for Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, at that time owner of the Church Lordship and Patron of the living, doubtless the gift of his Royal Mistress, Queen Elizabeth I.
Tip by
4
4.77 km
Wooden Sculpture Trail, Severn Valley Country Park
Highlight • Trail
A range of four-foot high posts carved with natural history subjects. They include a wast, a woodpecker and an acorn.
Tip by
5
4.92 km
Severn Valley Country Park
Highlight • Trail
Once a vast coal mining site, this vibrant area is now a thriving country park. Spanning 126 acres (51 ha), the park hugs the banks of the River Severn and comprises woodlands, meadows and the gorgeous Highley heritage train station.
The park is on both sides of the river, covering the land between Highley and Alveley. With trails suitable for walking, cycling and horse riding, there's plenty to do here. An accessible trail means you can navigate this pretty area easily with pushchairs and wheelchairs too.
A cafe and facilities are also on site plus plenty of parking space.
The park is on both sides of the river, covering the land between Highley and Alveley. With trails suitable for walking, cycling and horse riding, there's plenty to do here. An accessible trail means you can navigate this pretty area easily with pushchairs and wheelchairs too.
A cafe and facilities are also on site plus plenty of parking space.
Tip by
6
5.51 km
Route 45 Mercian Way Signpost
Highlight • Monument
7
5.53 km
Alveley Colliery Bridge (Miners' Bridge)
Highlight • Monument
The old Alveley Colliery bridge was given a temporary reprieve back in September, when engineers decided that it was too risky to work on its replacement over the winter. Thus it seems likely that it will survive until this August. There is perhaps some irony in the fact that back in 1936/7 it was built in under a year and work continued all winter with no serious mishaps. The key to this was the way in which it was built, as a “balanced cantilever”. Essentially, this means that it was designed as a see-saw. The bridge has three arches; a large one in the middle over the river and two smaller ones either side to connect with the access roads. These are the “land arches”. The bridge was designed so that all the weight rests on the two piers that are either side of the river. The land arches run from these to walls that support the access roads and hold back the approach embankments; the abutment walls. However, these were designed so that they did not carry any of the weight of the bridge, they simply supported the approach roads. The key part of the structure was the two parallel reinforced concrete beams that ran continuously over the piers from Highley to Alveley and which supported the deck (the surface of the bridge over which people walked). As long as the reinforcing held, the bridge was safe.
The bridge led an uneventful life until the 1960’s. However, the Severn Valley is a notoriously difficult area for buildings. The ground is unstable, frequently slipping towards the river. This had started to take its toll on the bridge; the pressure of the ground was forcing the piers into the river. In addition, the abutment walls had cracks and the deck of the bridge was worn and needed replacing. Thus in 1967 the Coal Board decided it needed major repairs.
The main work was to stabilise the base of the piers. Coffer dams were constructed and the ground was built up to help the piers resist the thrust from the side of the banks. This part of the work passed without incident. The abutment walls were demolished and work started on rebuilding them. Again, this went smoothly, although the bridge apparently flexed visibly when heavy machinery was working on it whilst the abutment walls were missing. The deck was removed with pneumatic picks. Unfortunately, over the Highley land arch, the picks went in too deep and exposed a joint between the reinforcing rods in the beams that supported the deck. The joints failed spectacularly, the concrete cracked and the beams fell several feet at their landward ends until they came to rest on the partially rebuilt abutment wall. It is believed this incident caused a certain amount of panic at Coal Board Area HQ. Ladders were rigged up to allow men to pass over the dropped beams; without this, an entire shift would have been trapped on the Alveley side of the river. The beams were lifted back into more or less their correct place by jacks and the abutment was hastily rebuilt to support them. There was still a difference of a few inches between the top of the beam and the level of the approach road from Highley but this was made up by increasing the deck thickness with concrete from 6" to around 9". The repaired crack was carefully monitored but there is no suggestion that it has moved.
The excitement with the deck replacement meant that the repairs were not finished until October 1968. They meant that the bridge was no longer a balanced cantilever. By the time they were complete, the colliery was in its death-throes, closing in January 1969. Thus ended one of the less cost-effective jobs undertaken by the Coal Board in the West Midlands. It may however be suspected that the Area Engineer’s office was pleased to be rid of the bridge with its now unorthodox structure.
The bridge led an uneventful life until the 1960’s. However, the Severn Valley is a notoriously difficult area for buildings. The ground is unstable, frequently slipping towards the river. This had started to take its toll on the bridge; the pressure of the ground was forcing the piers into the river. In addition, the abutment walls had cracks and the deck of the bridge was worn and needed replacing. Thus in 1967 the Coal Board decided it needed major repairs.
The main work was to stabilise the base of the piers. Coffer dams were constructed and the ground was built up to help the piers resist the thrust from the side of the banks. This part of the work passed without incident. The abutment walls were demolished and work started on rebuilding them. Again, this went smoothly, although the bridge apparently flexed visibly when heavy machinery was working on it whilst the abutment walls were missing. The deck was removed with pneumatic picks. Unfortunately, over the Highley land arch, the picks went in too deep and exposed a joint between the reinforcing rods in the beams that supported the deck. The joints failed spectacularly, the concrete cracked and the beams fell several feet at their landward ends until they came to rest on the partially rebuilt abutment wall. It is believed this incident caused a certain amount of panic at Coal Board Area HQ. Ladders were rigged up to allow men to pass over the dropped beams; without this, an entire shift would have been trapped on the Alveley side of the river. The beams were lifted back into more or less their correct place by jacks and the abutment was hastily rebuilt to support them. There was still a difference of a few inches between the top of the beam and the level of the approach road from Highley but this was made up by increasing the deck thickness with concrete from 6" to around 9". The repaired crack was carefully monitored but there is no suggestion that it has moved.
The excitement with the deck replacement meant that the repairs were not finished until October 1968. They meant that the bridge was no longer a balanced cantilever. By the time they were complete, the colliery was in its death-throes, closing in January 1969. Thus ended one of the less cost-effective jobs undertaken by the Coal Board in the West Midlands. It may however be suspected that the Area Engineer’s office was pleased to be rid of the bridge with its now unorthodox structure.
Tip by
8
5.53 km
Highley and Alveley Footbridge
Highlight • River
The Highley and Alveley footbridge is a replacement bridge crossing over the River Severn between Highley and Alveley in Shropshire. Arup designed the bridge for Mowlem Construction Ltd with Ivor King Piling Ltd installing the piles. The bridge is a three span continuous reinforced concrete footbridge and was completed in 2006. The main central span is approximately 48m with side spans each of 19.5m, skewed at 30° and full height abutments. Piers and abutments are located on the banks of the river.
The stratigraphy generally comprised Made Ground (mainly colliery spoil) overlying alluvial sands, silts and clays overlying a thin layer of River Terrace Deposits of clayey sandy gravel. Bedrock comprised interbedded mudstones and siltstones of the Upper Coal Measures. Both piers and the Alveley bank abutment (shown above) are founded on steel piles. However, the Highley abutment is founded on landslipped material which may potentially move, so in order not to attract loads from this material, it was founded at shallow depth.
The stratigraphy generally comprised Made Ground (mainly colliery spoil) overlying alluvial sands, silts and clays overlying a thin layer of River Terrace Deposits of clayey sandy gravel. Bedrock comprised interbedded mudstones and siltstones of the Upper Coal Measures. Both piers and the Alveley bank abutment (shown above) are founded on steel piles. However, the Highley abutment is founded on landslipped material which may potentially move, so in order not to attract loads from this material, it was founded at shallow depth.
Tip by
B
8.55 km
End point
Parking
Way Types & Surfaces
Way Types
5.41 km
1.65 km
1.05 km
395 m
< 100 m
Surfaces
3.62 km
2.16 km
1.53 km
508 m
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