Lovely Shropshire (Picture: Getty)

The county of Shropshire – nestled between Herefordshire and Cheshire with Wales just on the left – has great food and drink, friendly locals, and all manner of things to see and do.

Best of all, its off the beaten track location makes it comparatively free of camera-snapping tourists.

If you pay a visit, here’s where to go…

1. Ludlow


Described as ‘the most vibrant small town in England’, Ludlow has a reputation as a tour-de-force of local produce and independent traders and it’s hard to ignore the relaxed, slower pace of life that permeates from its Georgian buildings and market streets.



Highlights include the castle, the gastronomic paradise that is the Ludlow Food Centre and the borderline iconic De Grey’s Tea Room – which still has its bakery and deli, even if it is now owned by a chain.

2. Cleobury Mortimer

Parked in the county’s corner, the pretty hilltop town of Cleobury Mortimer is one of the first spots you’ll come to if you enter Shropshire from the southeast. The crooked spire sitting on top of St. Mary’s church will raise an eyebrow, and the nearby Clee Hills offer spectacular views. Just watch out for the sheep.

3. The Long Mynd

A seven mile stretch in the west of the county that has breathtaking scenery, if you can manage the 500m climb up Pole Bank. Also a very popular hang gliding spot, for obvious reasons.

4. Hawkstone Park

Tunnels and caves mesh with rocky crags and stunning forestry in this 100 acre landscape park – the filming location for the 1988 BBC adaptation of The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe. And if you’re bored of walking, you could always play a spot of golf.

5. Bishop’s Castle

Close to the Welsh border, the bustling market town of Bishop’s Castle boasts some great bookshops and six pubs running the length of its hilly high street – two with their own microbreweries.

The annual Real Ale festival every July is always worth a visit, provided you can avoid the bussed-in prepubescent teens demanding mass-produced cheap lager.

6. Shrewsbury

Birthplace of Charles Darwin, Sandy Lyle and T’Pau, Shrewsbury is full of ornate buildings, antiquated pubs and beautiful parks, with a spectacular Roman ruin in the village of Wroxeter just up the road. (There’s also been fierce debate as to the pronunciation of the town’s name: Shroosbury if you actually live there, Shrowsbury if you work for the BBC.)

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7. The Wrekin

Standing at an impressive 400 metres, this enormous hill looms ominously between Telford and its neighbouring districts, and is very popular with walkers. Local legend says it was built by a giant emptying out all the earth from his spade, while the mud scraped from his boots became the nearby Ercall Hill.

8. Ironbridge

The small town of Ironbridge is a tourist hotspot and it shows, but the bridge itself is impressive – as is the wealth of museums in the surrounding area that chart the development of the Industrial Revolution, from its birth right up to the present day in the hi-tech Enginuity. (Also, the pork pies in Eley’s Bakery are to die for.)



9. Blists Hill

An essential part of the Ironbridge experience, this working Victorian town has a blacksmith, a woodturner, a bakery and a 19th century schoolroom where you can be shouted at by a primly dressed actor. Also the location for Doctor Who story Mark of the Rani. Sadly, the scenery was the best thing about it…

10. Boscobel House

(Picture: James Baldock)

Shropshire has plenty of great English Heritage spots, but Boscobel gets a special mention for being the place where Charles II hid up a tree while escaping from the Roundheads. The tree is still there, although the surrounding forest is long gone. He’d be a bit exposed today.

11. The British Ironwork Centre

More metal! But the British Ironwork Centre – near the market town of Oswestry – gets a special mention for its fantastic sculpture park, featuring all manner of incredible metal creations. The mushrooms are particularly charming.

12. Telford Town Park

(Picture: James Baldock)

A vast park and nature reserve, now looking quite splendid thanks to the National Lottery. The 450-acre site has trim trails and play areas and even its own theme park, the fairytale-based Wonderland.

Plus, it’s in a great part of the country with Wales just a stone’s throw away. You can be at the coast in two hours – and you don’t even have to pay a toll…

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