travelin_trish

My husband, 19 yo daughter and I are coming over from the States for two weeks in June. During the second week we're renting a house in my ancestral home of Medlicott, on the western slope of Long Mynd (across from Church Stretton). We'll have just come from another week of touring south-west England. I've been to Medlicott, Church Stretton and Shrewsbury before and are looking to delve deeper into the Shropshire experience.

We already have plans to visit Shrewsbury and Pennant Melangell in Wales as day trips, and will certainly spend time hiking the hills, but other than that, what are the must-sees or do in the area? We'll have a car and would prefer not to drive more than an hour or so for our touring. We love history and the out-doors, unique places, not necessarily the biggest tourist sites--we'll have seen a lot of houses/churches already during our first week. Any recs for pony-trekking in the area? Organized hikes we could join? Restaurants in historic or beautiful settings?

Thanks for your help!

flanneruk

Shropshire is almost entirely a hidden gem.

The three least hidden are:
- The Wrekin
- The Ironbridge complex (essentially the birthplace of modern technology)
- Boscobel House (where Charles II hid up an oak tree. The current oak, a daughter of the original, is in a terrible mess. See it before it dies - which is likely to be very, very, soon)

"Organised hikes" sound appalling. Get a map and just walk. Basic routes at www.shropshiretourism.co.uk/walking/ and an interactive map at www.shropshirewalking.co.uk

www.shropshiretourism.co.uk is useful overall, if you can put up with the gushing gibberish it's written in.

Well worth reading AE Housman's poem cycle 'A Shropshire Lad'. Even more worthwhile playing the Vaughan Williams musical settings of them, which evoke the landscape stunningly, on a CD as you're driving round. Especially if you google it and trace the fatuously pompous reaction of Housman (whose evaluation of his genius was remarkably uncritical) to the damn cheek of a blighter for doing it - and Vaughan Williams' putdown of Housman's occasionally appalling English style.

flanneruk

Sorry: restaurants.

Ludlow. www.ludlow.org.uk/eat.html

julia_t

The western part of Shropshire has some truly glorious scenery with amazing views, especially along the Welsh border.

Ludlow is well worth a visit with its mix of medieval and Georgian architecture, and don't forget the castle, and there is also Stokesay Castle (a fortified manor house) close by.

Take a drive along the lovely Clun valley, to Clun with it's ruined castle right on the borders. With a good OS map you will see many other sites of ancient fortifications and monuments.

Bishop's Castle (no castle there now) is a nice enough little town, and there are lots of pretty villages all over that part of Shropshire.

There are loads of walks around Church Stretton, many of which you can download details off the internet. Take a hike up Caer Caradoc (google it, it is said to be the fortress of King Caractacus). You can also walk part of Offa's Dike. There are also the Stiperstones, Wenlock Priory, Wroxeter, Bridgnorth, and anywhere along the River Severn. The ancient hill fort above Oswestry is a stunning place to visit too.

I lived near Ludlow for 3 years, and prior to that had a job which took me all over Shropshire to many villages. It is a beautiful county, and I hope you have a wonderful time there.

travelin_trish

Thanks, flanneruk for the many suggestions esp the Houseman/Williams one! I've looked at all of the websites you've recommended before posting here; I'm looking for some help in making sense of the myriad options. Are there any restaurants you'd recommend in the area--that are in unique settings? (we're more setting oriented rather than food, esp the DD, though we do want a good meal). The "organized hikes" bit is for DD who is more likely to join our walking if others are organizing it--DH and I would just as soon wander down a path with a map and will likely do a fair bit of that.

julia_t. Thanks for the suggestions! I would love a job that takes me driving around countryside this beautiful--how lucky. Any back roads that are particularly lovely? I recall driving on one magical dirt road from Wales (Welshpool??) to Radlinghope--through lush pine forest on what seemed to be a private estate-- but now I'm quite finding it on map. Any ideas? I'd love to do that drive again.

The Ludlow Shakespeare festival begins on our last day in the area, after our cottage rental is over. We only have just that one night--a Saturday, though we're tempted to stay for the performance as we all enjoy the Bard's plays esp outdoor venues. Any ideas for where we might find booking for just one night on a Saturday in late June not too far from Ludlow?

Thanks again for your thoughts!

rogerdodger

I spent two nights in Wellington and found it to be a non-touristy town. My purpose was to visit the RAF museum in Cosford.

julia_t

I didn't mention the Ludlow Festival as I though you would probably miss it, so it's great that you can catch at least the first night.

I'm really not sure where to suggest you stay - the Tourist Information website in Ludlow will have a list of B&Bs and guesthouses in the town and surrounding area.

http://www.ludlow.org.uk/

To the north of Ludlow is Craven Arms, to the south is Tenbury Wells, a pretty little market town known as "The Town in the Orchard". It's the old-fashioned kind of place where you can go shopping with a basket on your arm and stop in small locally owned shops to buy all your provisions. Also every December it is the site of the national Mistletoe and Holly auctions. My children all started school here.

http://www.tenburywells.info/

Further south is the market town of Leominster. Along the way are villages, many of which will have B&Bs, Villages like Leysters and Kimbolton.

I don't know if this link will work, but it may come up as a map of Ludlow with all the B&Bs in the area...

http://www.bedandbreakfastmap.co.uk/...re/caynham.php

julia_t

Re those back roads - aren't some of them fabulous? I recall driving along one gated road high above Bishop's Castle, on a clear but grey March day. Above me was sky, below me was a deep wooded valley and above the valley but still below me, I looked down upon a red kite, its wingspan massive, gliding on whatever air currents it had found. Absolutely unforgettable, yet I know I will be unlikely to ever find that particular road again.

Other secret roads are in the border forests around Presteigne, and obviously there have to be more all around border country, you may find them with a detailed map, you may come across them by chance, and when - and if - you find them they are sure to be a memorable and magical experience.

A friend who lived until 2 years ago at Kimbolton in Herefordshire recommended this B&B...

http://www.englishretreats.com/westm...ache_house.htm

It is probably 20-30 mins drive south of Ludlow.

Here's another one she said was good...

http://www.thehillsfarm.co.uk/

travelin_trish

Thanks, juia_t--excellent suggestions; we're excited about the Ludlow festival. Tenbury Wells looks like a great option for an overnight with Leominster as a back-up. Thanks too for the reminder that "magical moments" often just happen if we're open traveling off the beaten path.

rogerdodger--thanks for the Wellington suggestion. I'll add that to the mix!