11:10.

We’re currently putting the finishing touches to our packing before heading off to Church Stretton in Shropshire which will be our new home for the next four nights. It’s an area I know well and one that we’ve explored before – but a town the two of us haven’t actually stayed in previously. Shropshire is a underrated and undiscovered county by many, which makes it more enjoyable as it’s not rammed with tourists, yet it has some fantastic walking, picturesque towns and historic sites.

I’ll blog (on and off) through the day so feel free to pop back to see how the day unfolds. Here’s a view of Church Stretton taken from the Long Mynd during our previous visit in 2021.

16:30.

Arrived!

It took just over two and a half hours to drive here via the M62, M6, and M54, then across country following the A49 for most of the way. The motorways (especially the M62) were mad. Traffic was heavy, and the standards of driving appalling. Undertaking was endemic and indicating an optional extra. At one point, some daft woman driving a mini threw a length of toilet roll out of her window, which stuck to the front of our car! Thankfully, the A49 was a lot calmer.

Right now we’re settling into our accommodation, which is gorgeous.

20:20.

We’ve returned to Bigland Towers in exile after spending the afternoon exploring Church Stretton town centre – which wasn’t hard as most of it had already shut for the day at 5pm! That didn’t stop us window shopping or admiring the architectural variety of the town, with buildings from the Tudor, Victorian and Edwardian era much in evidence. There’s some real gems too. On a more modern note, the town boasts a large and well provisioned Co-op where we managed to pick up the supplies we needed, after which we popped into the oldest pub in town, the Kings Arms – which dates back to 1593. This gem of a pub serves beers from Joule’s, a brewery based in Market Drayton and one I’d not encountered before.

Whilst quaffing an IPA (or in Dawn’s case an alcohol free lager) the pair of us planned the next few days adventures and explorations around the area which will be a mix of exploring market towns and countryside – with plenty of walking thrown in.

Here’s a few pictures from our stroll.

Tomorrow we’ll wake up to this view from out living room window which looks out across town to the Long Mynd.

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