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Shropshire
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  • Andrew's Travels

Shropshire

Visits to the beautiful and overlooked county of Shropshire Read more
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  • Trip start
    February 20, 2026
    Andrew's TravelsShropshireTraveler
    Wroxeter Roman City; view of the Basilica wall remains
    Wroxeter Roman City; view of the Basilica wall remainsWroxeter Roman City; recreation of a Roman townhouseWroxeter Roman City; inside the townhouseMuch Wenlock; the town squareMuch Wenlock; the GuildhallMuch Wenlock; a tribute to Dr William Penny Brookes1Much Wenlock; Wenlock PrioryWenlock PrioryWenlock PrioryWenlock Priory; topiary in the cloister gardenWenlock PrioryWenlock PrioryChurch Stretton; Longmynd HouseLongmynd House; view from our floor

    En route to Church Stretton

    February 20 in England ⋅ 🌧 9 °C

    We're off to Church Stretton in Shropshire for a long weekend, staying for 3 nights at Longmynd House, owned and run by HF Holidays; this is our first HF experience, and may not be our last....

    En route, we stop off first at the remains of Wroxeter Roman City, near the small village of Wroxeter. Originally known as Viniconium, this city was once the fourth largest in Roman Britain, located along the Roman Road of Watling Street, and flourished until the 7th century; it is now managed by English Heritage. We visit the museum and then the gigantic public bathhouse complex where people came to wash, exercise, and socialise in the vast open hall (basilica) before entering the baths. Part of the Basilica wall remains and is the largest piece of freestanding Roman wall in the UK. We also visit a recreation of a Roman townhouse.

    Our next stop is the market town of Much Wenlock, which is known for :
    1. Dr William Penny Brookes established the Wenlock Olympic Games in 1850 and provided the inspiration for the modern Olympic Games,
    2. the ruins of Wenlock Priory, which has its origins in the founding in 680 of an Anglo-Saxon Monastery for both men and women; it is noted for its Chapter House remains and topiary in the cloister gardens.
    We see the above and the head off towards Church Stretton and Longmynd House, our home for the next three nights.    Read more

  • Andrew's TravelsShropshireTraveler
    Wood carvings on the Allen Coppice Trail
    Ascending Hazler Hill; old farm buildingsView back from Hazler Hill ascentView of the Gaer Stone en route past Gaerstone FarmView over to Caer Caradoc HillView over to Caer Caradoc HillCaer Caradoc HillView across to Willsone Hill, next to Hope Bowdler HillView from Cwms Lane across to Wilsone Hill and Hope Bowdler HillAscending Ragleth Hill; view back to part of the Long MyndTop of Ragleth Hill; view down to Church StrettonWalking back from Little Stretton; view of part of the Long Myndking back from Little Stretton; view of part of the Long Mynd1The walk; about 10.5 miles

    Church Stretton; a figure of 8 walk

    February 21 in England ⋅ 🌧 13 °C

    After an excellent breakfast and the hope of reasonable weather today, we start off early on the HF self-guided walk "Below Hope Bowdler Hill and Caer Caradoc". From Longmynd House, we follow the Allen Coppice Trail to Church Stretton before crossing the A49 to pick up field and woodland paths on the lower slopes of Hazler Hill. We follow a farm track below the Gaer Stone and Hope Bowdler Hill before crossing open countryside to the ancient Cwms Lane, which lies in the steep-sided valley between Caer Caradoc and Hope Bowdler Hill. We return to Church Stretton along Cwms Lane (now a track), woodland, and field paths.

    From Church Stretton, we switch to a walk that takes us over Ragleth Hill and ascends steeply through woodland and fields to, and across, the top of Ragleth Hill, following part of the Shropshire Way. It is then a very steep descent to the village of Little Stretton, crossing back over the A49. We walk through the village and aling fields and through woodlands along the eastern slopes of the Long Mynd before arriving back at Longmynd House.

    It's been an excellent - but tiring - 10.5-mile walk.    Read more

  • Andrew's TravelsShropshireTraveler
    The disused Town Brook Reservoir
    Ascent towards the Long MyndAscent towards the Long MyndView of the Long MyndPony on the Long MyndView of the Long MyndPole Bank: trig point, the highest point of the Long Mynd at 516m (1693ft)Pole Bank; Toposcope showing direction of local towns etcView of the Long Mynd from Pole BankEn route to Lightspout WaterfallLightspout Waterfall; the only significant Waterfall on the Long MyndLightspout WaterfallLightspout HollowLightspout HollowCarding Mill Valley visitor centre (National Trust)The walk; about 6.8 milesChurch Stretton; the Tudor HouseChurch Stretton; the Church of St LawrenceChurch Stretton; the Church of St Lawrence

    Church Stretton; Long Mynd Circular

    February 22 in England ⋅ ☁️ 9 °C

    Our walk today is based on the HF Holidays self guided walk "Long Mynd and Carding Mill Valley" but modified to include a diversion via the Lightspout Waterfall.

    Long Mynd (Long Mountain) is 7 miles long and 3 miles wide and was formed about 700 million years ago. There are now numerous valleys lying at the heart of the Shropshire Hills AONB.

    From the Longmynd House, we walk via Rectory Wood and along the Townbrook Valley; Town Brook was the source of Church Stretton's first water supply - the reservoir, built in 1865, is now disused. There is then a gentle ascent up the Long Mynd; we eventually reach Pole Bank, its highest point at 1693ft (516m). From here, we double back along the Shropshire Way via the Long Mynd plateau and turn off at the Shooting Box (a former grouse shooting hut) down a path towards the Lightspout Waterfall; this is the only significant Waterfall on the Long Mynd and part of the Carding Mill Valley area. We then walk down via Lightspout Hollow to Mott's Road, the main path in the Carding Mill Valley; this area was originally the centre for the Church Stretton textile and wool industry in the 18th century (carding, in textile production, is a process of separating individual fibres, using a series of dividing and redividing steps). We them walk back along the other side of Rectory Wood to Longmynd House; it's been a good walk of about 6.8 miles.

    Later, we had a walk around Church Stretton; it was nicknamed as Little Switzerland in the Victorian and Edwardian periods for its landscape.    Read more

  • Andrew's TravelsShropshireTraveler
    The Featherss Hotel, a historic inn
    Ye Olde Bull Ring TavernThe Buttercross, a market hallBroad StreetBroad Gate, the sole remaining 13th century medieval gate of the original sevenView from Ludlow BridgeDinham Bridge with Ludlow Castle behind it; the end of The Breadwalk along the riverLudlow Castle from Dinham BridgeCannon outside the entrance to Ludlow CastleView from the Outer BaileyOutside the Norman Keep / Great TowerAt the top of the Norman Keep / Great TowerView of the Solar Chapel, Great Hall, and the Round Chapel of St Mary MagdaleneView of St Peter’s Chapel and Mortimer"s TowerView of St Lawrence's Church Tower and Castle SquareView of the River TerneIn the Tudor Lodgings next to the Great Chamber BlockSt Lawrence's ChurchStained glass window and the fontChancel; Ornate carvings / Misericords on the choir seatsStained glass windowsAscending the Church TowerAt the top of the TowerView of Ludlow Castle from the Church TowerViews of the Feathers Hotel and Almshouses

    Ludlow

    February 23 in England ⋅ 🌬 11 °C

    We leave our HF accommodation at Longmynd House (the food and general feel have been excellent), but we will return to Church Stretton later as we have booked a night at an apartment here.

    We drive to Ludlow, a market town in South Shropshire. It was originally a medieval walled town founded in the 11th century after the Norman Conquest. As well as a castle and a magnificent church here, there are almost 500 listed buildings, with some of them being "landmarks." We walk around the town, seeing some of them (see captions on photos for details), and then walk along The Breadwalk path next to the River Terne. We explore Ludlow Castle, one of the finest medieval castles in England (see captions on photos for details). After that, we visit St Lawrence's Church, described as the "Cathedral of the Marches", and noted for its stained glass windows; it was also built originally in the 11th century by the Normans atop a hill mound around which the medieval town developed (see captions on photos for details).

    We then drive back to Church Stretton; it has been an excellent visit to a beautiful town.    Read more

  • Andrew's TravelsShropshireTraveler
    The Regency Mansion
    East Wing / West WingDrawing RoomBoudoirMarble TableStairwellDining RoomKitchenKitchenRotundaStables CourtyardThe Stables: There's an amazing second-hand book shop hereOutside the Stables courtyardSnowdrop walkSnowdrop walkRiver TernSuspension BridgeBerwick Memorial, dedicated to Thomas, the 8th Baron BerwickView of the Hall and East WingInformation boards on the WWII walkDeer resting in the parkland

    Attingham Park

    February 24 in England ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C

    We leave our accommodation in Church Stretton and drive up towards Shrewsbury, turning off to visit the National Trust owned Attingham Park, comprising grand Georgian Mansion, historic stables, and extensive grounds (640 acres).

    A large house called Tern Hall (named after the River Tern passing close by) occupied the site originally; a larger and grander mansion was built around it in 1785 for Noel Hill, the 1st Baron Berwick, who renamed it Attingham Hall. His son Thomas, the 2nd Lord Berwick, went into financial ruin, but his brother William, the 3rd Baron Berwick, did a better job and filled it with his collection of Italian Art and Furniture. During WWI, Thomas, the 8th Baron Berwick, leased it to a Dutch-American family who used the hall as a hospital, and in WWII, the grounds were used for the Women's Auxiliary Air Force. Attingham Park was gifted to the National Trust in 1947 by Thomas as a bequest in his will.

    We visit the mansion, followed by the stables courtyard and the walled garden, and then explore the grounds using a combination of the 4 walks described on the leaflet (Mile walk, Woodland walk, Deer Park walk, and WWII walk) to see the whole of the accessible parkland area (see captions on photos for details).

    It's been a lovely visit in good weather. After that, it's back home!    Read more

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