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A Shropshire Lad
In valleys of springs of rivers,
By Ony and Teme and Clun,
The country for easy livers,
The quietest under the sun...
A.E.Housman
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In 1996, 100 years after those lines were published, Housman was finally
awarded a place in Poet’s Corner at Westminster Abbey, while the
south Shropshire Hills - now officially designated an Area of Outstanding
Natural Beauty - remain as inspiring now as they were to Housman.
The tour starts with 2 nights in Church Stretton, a favourite
centre for walkers and hikers in the heart of the Shropshire Hills.
The first full hiking day can be spent climbing to the Romano-British
hill fort of Caer Caradoc and exploring the steep-sided valleys cut
into the heather moorland of the Long Mynd. You then head westwards
over the Long Mynd plateau into the remote headwaters of the East Ony
river, and follow the celebrated 18th century 'beech avenue' over Linley
Hill. The splintered rocky pinnacles of the Stiperstones were the setting
for Mary Webb's novel The Golden Arrow. Further west again, the 4000-year
old stone circle of Mitchell's Fold looks out across the hills of Wales.
Continuing westwards from Stiperstones you quit 'those blue remembered hills' (A Shropshire Lad, XL) of Shropshire to spend a night just across the Welsh border at the beautiful little mediaeval and Georgian town of Montgomery. Make a point of walking up the footpath to the castle (badly damaged in the civil war, but still an evocative ruin with a panoramic outlook) and, if you like the atmosphere of a real old-fashioned hardware store, don’t miss Bonner’s.
The 6 night tour ends in Montgomery, but those who have booked the 2-night Ludlow extension are transferred in the late morning through the almost indescribably beautiful countryside of south Shropshire direct to your lodgings in the ancient border town. Ludlow’s massive mediaeval castle (the setting of Milton’s Comus) overlooks a loop of the River Teme. You have time for a leisurely lunch before exploring the historic streets and lanes or strolling along the riverbank. With 2 nights here you have time on the second day for an excursion by local bus to Stokesay Castle, claimed to be the finest mediaeval manor house in England, or for longer walks in the countryside round Ludlow. The town has in recent years become something of a centre for gourmets and several restaurants have recently aspired to Michelin stars.
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Some comments from previous customers on this tour.
'My husband and I absolutely LOVED our hiking trip you designed.' L.
Folino.
'The beauty and variety of the countryside...the very attractive villages
and small towns...excellent maps and overall documentation...reliability
and helpfulness of the Discerning Traveller staff.' J. and R. Stroeker.
'We had a wonderful time walking in Shropshire. Even though the weather
was not too co-operative, the area was so beautiful that it really didn't
matter...the bed and breakfasts were excellent.' M. Gordon.
'[We particularly liked] the attractive scenery - well chosen routes
- descriptions outstanding and clear. [The best accommodation ... Stiperstones:
very tastefully furnished house, extremely good cooked evening meal, pleasant
hosts. Thank you very much for a beautiful holiday.' W.J.Terpstra
and G.J.Terpstra-Voors.
Shropshire Hills - tour details 2014
A Discerning Traveller self-led walking tour
Duration and tour code. 6 nights (S6) or 8 nights (S8).
Dates: May to mid-October.
Grade: Moderate, one or two strenuous days.
Rail stations. Start of S6 and S8 tours Church Stretton; end of
S6 tour Shrewsbury or Welshpool (in either case bus - or on Sundays taxi
- from Montgomery); end of S8 tour Ludlow.
Overnight stops. S6: nights 1 & 2 Church Stretton, 3 Wentnor/Norbury,
4 & 5 Stiperstones, 6 Montgomery; S8: nights 1 to 6 as S6, then nights
7 & 8 Ludlow.
Accommodation. Good quality B&Bs, village inns on some nights.
Some en-suite/private facilities available, but not every night.
Meals included. Breakfast each morning. Other meals are obtainable
locally without pre-booking.
Extra nights can be included at time of booking. Montgomery
is a popular choice for an extra night.
Factsheets. These are more detailed information sheets, one for
each tour, which can be obtained from The Discerning Traveller before
booking. The Factsheet code for our Ludlow and the Shropshire Hills tour
is FSS. Enquiry form
Reading. A.E.Housman's slim book of poems A Shropshire Lad is both
readable and evocative. Mary Webb's earthy novels provide an authentic
picture of the Shropshire Hills, notably The Golden Arrow and Gone to
Earth, which are set in the hills between Church Stretton and Montgomery.
Shropshire Hills - tour price 2014
- S6 (6 nights) £495. SRS*: £90. STS**: £110.
- S8 (8 nights) £645. SRS*: £130. STS**: £155.
- Supplement for en-suite/private facilities every night. ES/private bathroom cannot be guaranteed on all nights of this tour (although available most nights).
- Extra night at Ludlow £65 per person per night (always with ES/private bathroom).
- Extra nights elsewhere on this tour: £45 per person per night.
- SRS* = single room supplement (applicable when 3 or 5 persons book
together).
- STS** = single traveller supplement (applicable when booking is
for one person only).
- Prices quoted are per person on basis of two people in double
or twin-bedded rooms. Included in the price are bed and breakfast each
night, with baggage transfers, maps and route directions. ‘ES’ (en suite)
facilities means that there is a private bathroom with shower or tub
and toilet within the main door of your room. ‘Private facilities’ means
that the private bathroom may be outside the main door of your room.
When the booking is made for a party of 3 or 5 customers, a single room
supplement is payable. When the booking is made for a single traveller,
a single traveller supplement is payable. Maximum one single room per
booking.
Top of page
To see what the New York Times wrote about our Shropshire Hills
tour click here
Click here to go to The Discerning Traveller
Home Page.
About self-led hiking and walking tours
Our postal address is The
Discerning Traveller, 38 Canal Street, OXFORD OX2 6BQ,
United Kingdom.
Telephone and fax 0(044) 1865 515618. E-mail:info@discerningtraveller.co.uk
www.discerningtraveller.co.uk
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