The route is named after the
Mortimer family of ruling
Marcher Lords, often titled
Earl of March, whose rise through successive generations from
Norman times through the
medieval period helped to shape the history and geography of this area of the
Welsh Marches. The route runs between
Ludlow Castle, the former headquarters of the
Council of the Marches and a seat of Mortimer power, and
Kington, Herefordshire, in the quiet west of the county near the Welsh border. The route crosses the
River Teme and enters
Mortimer Forest, an area of forested ridges. It passes
Croft Castle and the Iron Age hill fort
Croft Ambrey (not far from
Wigmore and the initial seat of Mortimer power), and then passes through quiet
Aymestrey. Near Aymestrey it passes through Puckhouse Wood, reputedly haunted by
pucks or wood sprites. According to lore, a traveller lost in the wood at night paid a stipend for a bell to be tolled to rescue travellers from the Puck's clutches. The path crosses the
River Lugg and the
River Arrow and ends in Kington. details these. ==References==