The National Trust visitor centre is half a mile from the town, in Carding Mill Valley. Supporting local producers help to look after this landscape and makes it even easier to search for local produce – so there is no excuse!Ĭhurch Stretton has great shops, individual, customer friendly, and providing a range of products for locals and visitors alike.įor further visitor information on Church Stretton – National Trust in Church Stretton Regular farmers markets are held locally or you can buy direct from farm shops.
Sample the local produce and you’ll see why. Keep your eyes peeled and you will probably see red kite as well. The hilltops are also home to upland birds such as curlew, red grouse and merlin, and you will never be far away from a buzzard circling overhead. Along with the heather a variety of other plants flourish here including bilberry (known locally as whinberry). Come late summer the Long Mynd is a sea of purple and not to be missed. What better way to enjoy the beauty of the area than to go for a walk. You’ll also find good country pubs serving great food and ale in the surrounding picturesque villages. Church Stretton itself is a bustling market town which holds regular markets and includes many independent shops to browse, town trails to follow and tea shops to enjoy. Centuries of small scale farming has shaped the countryside and its communities. Sixteen Bronze Age burial mounds can be found on the Long Mynd and the Portway, a 5,000 year old ridgeway was once used by Neolithic traders. Another fine example is across the valley – Bodbury Ring on the summit of Bodbury Hill. Climb Caer Caradoc and walk the ramparts of this impressive Iron Age hillfort. The countryside around Church Stretton is steeped in history and folklore. But you don’t have to be an expert, just stand on any of the hilltops that surround Church Stretton and admire the view – the rocky Stiperstones, the plateau of the Long Mynd, the craggy volcanic Stretton Hills and Wrekin and the long wooded scarp of Wenlock Edge all have their own distinctive beauty. The Shropshire Hills are believed to have the greatest variety of rock types of any comparable sized area in the U.K. It’s not just the stunning scenery which will captivate you, but the people and places, its history and heritage, the walking and wildlife, food and festivals. Wherever i can i’ll also tell you where they were seen so you can get out, take a stroll and see what nature is on your doorstep.Church Stretton – at the heart of the Shropshire Hillsĭesignated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the Shropshire Hills are recognised as one of Britain’s finest landscapes. All the pictures below have been taken by me, either in Twitchen, Clunbury or on walks over Clunbury Hill. In this article I will show you some of the birds which are in our area and encourage you to go out and see how many of them you can spot. Being a keen nature and wildlife photographer and fan of all things nature gives us too, I can quite often be seen hiking around the local area with my camera (not in the camouflage suit I hasten to add) looking for more of the large variety of bird species we have here right on our doorstep. I recently joined The Parish Post team when i heard they needed someone to help with the local website, having worked in Digital Design and specialist technical web roles for the past 13 years this was the perfect opportunity for me to get involved. Researchers say people living in areas with more birds have lower levels of depression, anxiety and stress than those that do not. Research has shown that bird watching is good for your mental health and reduces stress.
During these uncertain times and forced periods of isolation, nature can be a great way to escape and relax.