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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.
After an optional night at the historic border town of Ludlow, 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 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.
On the last day's walk 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.
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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 2008
A Discerning Traveller self-led walking tour
Duration and tour code. 5 nights (S5) or 7 nights (S7).
Dates: May to mid-October.
Grade: Moderate, one or two strenuous days.
Train stations: Start of tour Church Stretton (5 nights) or Ludlow
( 6 nights); end of tour Welshpool or Shrewsbury (bus – or on Sundays
taxi - from Montgomery).
Overnight stops: S5 (5 night tour): nights 1 and 2 Church
Stretton, 3 Wentnor/Norbury, 4 Stiperstones, 5 Montgomery. S6 (6-night
tour): nights 1 Ludlow, 2 and 3 Church Stretton, 4 Wentnor/Norbury;
5 Stiperstones; 6 Montgomery.
Accommodation. Good quality B&B's,
usually at least one village inn. 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 choices for an extra night. Charge is cost plus commission.
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 Shropshire Hills and Offa’s
Dyke 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 2008
- S5 (5 nights) £360. Single room supplement: £60. Single
traveller supplement: £80.
- S6 (6 nights) £420. Single room supplement: £80. Single
traveller supplement: £100.
- Supplement for en-suite/private facilities throughout. ES/private
bathroom cannot be guaranteed on all nights of this tour (although available
most nights).
- Extra night at Ludlow (S6 only): £50 per person per night.
- Extra nights elsewhere on this tour: £40 per person per night.
- 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
We also offer a tour from south to north along Offa’s
Dyke Path.
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, 24 Cardigan Street, OXFORD
OX2 6BP, United Kingdom.
Telephone and fax 0(044) 1865 515618. E-mail:info@discerningtraveller.co.uk
www.discerningtraveller.co.uk
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