Local Area Information
We live in a beautiful part of Shropshire, close to a wide variety of attractions and activities. There's great walking right from our door with several footpaths off the very quiet lane where we live. It’s about a 30-minute walk to Catherton Common (owned by the Shropshire Wildlife Trust) a wild and beautiful place, crossed with footpaths and home to a litany of rare plants including bog asphodel, bog pimpernel, marsh lousewort and sundews.
Brown Clee, the highest point in Shropshire, can be seen from the window of the holiday cottage and is a short drive away - or a full day hike! Titterstone Clee Hill can be visited on foot from the cottage (about an eight-mile round trip) or just a short drive for the not so energetic if you just want to head up there for the spectacular views from the top. Tip - buy fish & chips in the village of Clee Hill as you pass through, then drive to the top and enjoy an al fresco meal while admiring the view. Elsewhere in the AONB are other famous walks including along Wenlock Edge, around Church Stretton, the Wrekin and of course the Stiperstones.
While the hills grab the headlines, Shropshire offers a varied and special landscape, rich in geology and wildlife, industrial heritage, rolling countryside, forests and river valleys. The Wyre Forest is close by with 6,500 acres to explore on foot or by bike (including the Go Ape Tree Top Adventure with zip-wires and Tarzan swings) while the River Severn links a number of beautiful market towns via the Severn Valley Steam Railway. Also near-by you'll find pony trekking, canoe hire or if you want to spend a little time in the fairground, visit the town of Stourport and check out The Treasure Island Amusement Park, home to fairground attractions classics like the Waltzer and dodgems to the extreme rides like the Freak Out!
LOCAL TOWNS
Tucked between The Clee Hills and the near-by Wyre Forest is the charming town of Cleobury Mortimer, with Georgian and Tudor architecture, many individual shops, tea rooms and traditional pubs, and the renowned Church with a crooked spire and walls leaning at an alarming angle. The High Street was described by Sir John Betjeman as “A long airy curving street of brick Georgian houses and shops interspersed with genuine half-timber, the Rea brook making a splash at the bottom of the hill.”
The medieval town Ludlow is about 8 miles away in the centre of the border Marches, with the cliff top town centre above the river and overlooked by the castle. The town is famous for stunning architecture, the bustling market, food heritage and the numerous events hosted there throughout the year. The town is sheltered by The Mortimer Forest, owned by the Forestry Commission who encourage tourists with picnic tables, car parks, cycle routes and have a range walking tracks for different fitness abilities.
The village of Ironbridge in a gorge on the River Severn (well under an hour away) is at the heart of the UNESCO World Heritage Site celebrating the birth of the industrial revolution. The heart of the site is the world-famous bridge (the first major bridge in the world to be made of cast iron) and no less than ten museums celebrating the heritage of the area. The picturesque tourist towns of Stourport and Bewdley (don't forget to check out Bewdley's micro-brewery) well known for their attractive riversides, bridges and festivals are nearby, as is Bridgenorth, two towns in one connected by the steepest inland funicular railway in Britain.
A little further afield you’ll find Shrewsbury, Hereford and Worcester, and we’re not far from the Welsh Borders and the spectacular Elan Valley and its seven massive dams. Birmingham is an hour or so away and for anyone who’s not visited there for some time, it’s undergone a huge programme of transformation with the redevelopment of the Bullring Shopping Centre and regeneration of old industrial areas. Kidderminster is closer, with the standard mix of high street shops, retail parks and supermarkets. Just before Kidderminster is the West Midlands Safari & Leisure Park, home to various exotic species and an adventure park with various fairground rides. Cleobury Golf Club welcomes visitors all year round with fees starting at £15 and a network of footpaths into the surrounding forest and countryside.
LINKS THAT MAY BE USEFUL
Reasons to visit Shropshire - http://metro.co.uk/2015/08/20/12-reasons-you-should-visit-shropshire-now-5349857/?ito=cbshare
Shropshire Tourism - https://www.shropshiretourism.co.uk/
Ludlow Tourism - http://www.ludlow.org.uk/
Bewdley Tourism - http://www.bewdleytowncouncil.org/community/bewdley-town-council-12549/about-us
Ironbridge - http://www.ironbridge.org.uk/
Wyre Forest - https://www.forestry.gov.uk/wyreforest
The Fighting Cocks Inn at Stottesden (dog friendly and 3 miles away) - https://www.fightingcocks.co.uk/
The Boyne Arms (dog friendly and 4 miles away) - http://www.boynearms.co.uk/
The Three Horseshoes (NOT dog friendly, 3 miles away) - http://www.theshoeswheathill.co.uk/