The Wrekin and the Ercall from Forest Glen

From the Forest Glen car park the walk first climbs the Ercall, a wooded hill whose old quarry shows some of the oldest rocks in England, and comes back down. It follows paths round the north side of the Wrekin through the woods to Little Hill at its south-western end, then climbs past the rock outcrops known as the Needles to the summit, an Iron Age hill fort at 407 m with a view over much of the Midlands. The way down follows the main track through Heaven Gate and Hell Gate, the fort's old gateways, back to Forest Glen.

It is 8.2 km with 421 m of ascent; allow about 3½ hours. The grade is Moderate. The climbs are steep, on rocky woodland paths.

The paths are rooty and slippery after rain. The main track to the summit is busy at weekends. Cars approach the Wrekin on a one-way system from Wellington or the M54; there is no way through by Ercall Lane.

The car park at Forest Glen is at the foot of the hill. The nearest station is Wellington, about 2.7 km away.

Route drawn by Global Adventurer along OpenStreetMap paths (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), with figures worked out from it. Check the forecast and the ground on the day: paths change.