LUDLOW AND THE SHROPSHIRE HILLS
A self-led walking tour in England and Wales

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Explore the tranquil borderland of England and Wales.
Walk light with no bags to carry!

Purple heather near Stiperstones, Shropshire Hills

Signpost on the Shropshire Way
Shropshire Hills tour, day 3
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Tour details Tour prices

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

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 first night is spent at the ancient border town of Ludlow, with its massive mediaeval castle overlooking a loop of the River Teme. There is time to explore the historic streets and lanes and for walks along the riverbank before travelling north into the hills. You can stop off to visit Stokesay Castle, claimed to be the finest mediaeval manor house in England. The tour continues 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.

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.


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.

Ludlow and the Shropshire Hills - tour details 2010
A Discerning Traveller self-led walking tour
Duration and tour code. 6 nights (S6).
Dates: May to mid-October.
Grade: Moderate, one or two strenuous days.
Train stations: Start of tour Ludlow; end of tour Welshpool or Shrewsbury (bus - or on Sundays taxi - from Montgomery).
Overnight stops: nights 1 Ludlow, 2 and 3 Church Stretton, 4 Wentnor/Norbury; 5 Stiperstones; 6 Montgomery.
Accommodation. Good quality B&B's, usually a village inn on one night. 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. Ludlow is a good place to unwind after a long journey. A good spot for more hill walking is Stiperstones. Montgomery is also 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 2010

  • S6 (6 nights) £495. SRS*: £105. STS**: £130.
  • 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 (S6 only): £65 per person per night (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.

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