Church Stretton exploring the Shropshire Hills
Church Stretton, located in the West Midlands, is the perfect place from which to explore the Shropshire Hills an area of beautiful countryside and roaming hills. These “Blue Remembered Hills” were mentioned in the poetry of A.E.Housman .
In 2008, Church Stretton became the first town in the West Midlands to be granted 'Walkers are Welcome status, with a large selection of walking paths for people of all abilities. The area is also crisscrossed with 20 miles of tracks ideal for cycling and horse-riding.
Church Stretton is located in a woodland valley, with a variety of independent shops, traditional tea rooms, pubs and restaurants, plus a unique antiques /collectables store.
There is a wide selection of B&Bs, guest houses, farms and self-catering cottages, with direct transport and rail connections to Ludlow and Shrewsbury.
East of the town there is Caer Caradoc, with its Iron Age slope post, offering great views of Wenlock Edge and the Clee and Welsh hills, the Wrekin hills were formed hundreds of millions of years ago.
Towards the west of Church Stretton lies the Long Mynd with the rocky outcrops of the Stiperstones to the west. Fantastic views are available from the top of the Long Mynd, you can see as far as the Brecon Beacons (over 80 miles) and the Malverns (43 miles away) on a clear day. It has some of the best thermals in Europe so is popular for airborne activities such as gliding, paragliding etc. In late summer these hilltops are a sea of purple heather and not to be missed. A variety of other plants flourish here including bilberry (known locally as whinberry)
Four miles south of Church Stretton is Acton Scott Historic Working Farm, a moment in time an. A great visit for all the family, there are a wide selection of animals that can see at the farm all year round, these include pigs, cows, sheep, horses, ducks, geese, this farm is very much a hands-on environment offering visitors the opportunity to make bread, butter and other traditional methods, keeping alive the 19th century farming practices. Acton Scott was also featured on BBC2's 'Victorian Farm and 'Victorian Farm Christmas'.