Tucked away on the Anglo-Welsh border, Shropshire has been surprising visitors for years. If you love unspoilt countryside, visiting historic towns and experiencing a sense of the past then a holiday cottage Shropshire break could be just for you.
In Shropshire you can appreciate the sentiments of A E Houseman’s personal and very nostalgic poem A Shropshire Lad. You may be surprised to learn it is excellent walking country, and includes the prominent and well-known landmark of the Wrekin, the summit ridge and valleys of the Long Mynd, the more menacing jagged outcrops of the nearby Stiperstones, or the more gentle wooded limestone escarpment of Wenlock Edge.
There is a wealth of towns to visit in Shropshire. The county town Shrewsbury, almost an island on the River Severn, is one of England's finest medieval market towns. Winding streets rise from the riverside and are lined with distinctive black and white half-timbered houses.
Further downstream is Bridgnorth, perched dramatically on a cliff overlooking the river with its famous funicular railway that links the high and low towns. Much Wenlock is a quintessentially English town at the northern end of Wenlock Edge. Just down the road is Church Stretton with its celebrated Stretton Antiques Market. Because of its character and location at the foot of the Long Mynd, it is sometimes referred to as Little Switzerland.
In the south of the county is Shropshire's gastronomic capital Ludlow with its spectacular castle and lovely Georgian half-timbered buildings. There is almost always something going on: one of the regular festivals takes place in the Norman castle; a speciality market in the town square or, in the season, National Hunt racing, not to mention all the good eating available, including Michelin-starred restaurants and the famous Food Festival in September.
Oswestry is a vibrant border market town sat between the patchwork plains of Shropshire and the hill country of the Welsh borders, a good base for exploring both sides of the border.
When it comes to staying in holiday cottages Shropshire also offers a fascinating insight into our industrial heritage. No visit would be complete without a trip to Ironbridge Gorge in the beautiful Severn valley. It was one of the most important centres of the Industrial Revolution. The Iron Bridge itself is perhaps the icon of the World Heritage site however there are many other sites to see. A great way to fully appreciate the Gorge is to buy a pass to all ten museums and walk between them. Reminders of the past are everywhere. Sleeping furnaces and abandoned railway tracks are now mellowed by nature. In the valley amongst the bird song, you can hear the constant gushing of water, not from a natural brook or waterfall but from the complex series of man-made watercourses that turned the enormous waterwheels and powered the foundries. All-in-all, a great day out.
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