Shropshire Tourism Workshops
As people book summer trips, the County is gearing up for an active year. Tourism industry professionals will benefit from participating in workshops organized to advance tourism industry professionals.
Shropshire’s hilly landscape boasts many walks and bracing hills, plus historic market towns such as Ludlow. Additionally, there are castles scattered throughout this county as well as National Trust sites like Hawkstone Park and Follies that you can explore.
History buffs’ paradise
Shropshire on England’s border with Wales teems with history. From medieval battles against Welsh troops to its role as birthplace of the Industrial Revolution at Ironbridge Gorge (home to ten excellent museums dedicated to this chapter of British history), it boasts an abundant past.
Shrewsbury and Ludlow boast fascinating histories, receiving frequent accolades for their architecture, food culture and charming street scenes. Additionally, there are a wealth of historic attractions nearby, from stunning fantasy landscape parks to fortified manor houses that were once home to hermits.
Buildwas Abbey stands as an outstanding example of the early architecture of the Cistercian order, featuring its 12th-century church and vaulted chapter house – both worth visiting – as well as its impressive crypt chapel which recently underwent extensive restoration efforts. Also nearby are Powis Castle, Chirk Castle and Attingham Hall which make perfect day trips.
Military aviation fans should visit RAF Cosford, where every summer six hours of spectacular flying displays take place. Plus there’s the Vintage Village to peruse and an exhibit exploring local military history!
Visitors can explore the Wrekin, an elegant hill that marks the border between Shropshire and Wales. Only a limited number of people are permitted to climb to its summit on clear days – it boasts views across 17 counties!
Shropshire is home to four National Trust properties that make for an enjoyable day trip, such as Powis Castle, Chirk Castle and Erddig – each one worthy of exploring for itself! Additionally, English Heritage owns and manages Stokesay Fortified Manor House which was once home to a hermit; now owned by English Heritage with beautifully restored tower and gallery features and scenic grounds perfect for picnicking or exploring at its leisure; additionally there’s the famed National Trust garden at Bodnant in Shropshire which makes for a day trip!
The Long Mynd
The Long Mynd, covering seven miles by three, is an eighteen mile heathland ridge situated within the Shropshire Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and popular with hikers and horse riders alike. With spectacular views and varied habitats that attract animals like the rare peregrine falcon, its breathtaking vistas attract visitors who come for its spectacular ridgescape hikes and horse riding rides – as well as numerous ancient sites like Bodbury Ring on its southern slope overlooking Cardingmill Valley. It also contains several villages like Pulverbatch Woolstaston Smethcott and Asterton which offer similar experiences amidst beautiful countryside amidst stunning villages like Church Stretton towns of Church Stretton Little Streton All Saints while other villages lie nearby including Pulverbatch Woolstaston Smethcott Asterton as well as these villages within close proximity; asterton also lies within close range; these areas contain various ancient sites or hill forts such as Bodbury Ring on its southern slope above Cardingmill Valley which make this area alluringly popular among hikers as horse riders alike!
Geologists and birdwatchers flock to Shropshire’s Mynd for its rugged outcrops, wooded valleys, dark skies and abundant wildlife. Hot-air balloon flights are popular there; hang-gliders and para-gliders also regularly soar overhead. Sandstone cliffs dating back to Precambrian periods remind visitors that Shropshire was at one time at the edge of a continent.
As the Mynd has been grazed for centuries by sheep, it provides a home to an abundance of wildlife such as brown trout, otters, tree pipits and grasshopper warblers as well as heathland and bracken plants.
Long Mynd is an ideal spot for family trips. The Mynd Way features various paths with stunning vistas across the area and several family-friendly picnic spots – including one near Lightspout Waterfall with its own small waterfall!
For those seeking an adventurous walk, the Long Mynd Circular begins in Cardingmill Valley and follows the Long Mynd Way up to Pole Bank via Carding Mill Valley and Townbrook Hollow. Along the trail are numerous waterfalls and impressive geology features that provide plenty of stunning photo ops along its course. On return journey via Townbrook Hollow back to Carding Mill.
Visit Long Mynd at night for an unforgettable experience. Its incredible dark sky makes it ideal for stargazing, with four sites certified as Milky Way Class where it may even be possible to see it without using binoculars if conditions allow. Optimal viewing occurs from August to early September when its purple heather flowers bloom.
Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings
Flaxmill Maltings was built during a time of industrial upheaval when factories were changing towns and countryside across Britain. One of the largest and most technically advanced of a new generation of factories, it remains as a unique testament to industrial change from that era – an exceptional example of heritage-led regeneration, it provides insight into how preserving our past can lead to brighter prospects for tomorrow.
The site’s most striking characteristic was that it was the world’s first cast iron-framed building, featuring rows of cast-iron columns to support floor plates and wrought-iron tie rods that prevented separation – an unprecedented advancement at that time. Designed by structural engineer Charles Bage and known today as “The Grandfather of Skyscrapers,” its significance stands out even despite only five storeys tall.
Inside, visitors can tour original machinery and explore floors once occupied by workers. A circular metal grate marks the location of a chimney built in 1841; closer inspection reveals six rectangles marked by textured bricks delineating former boilers that supplied copious amounts of steam powering machines, filling dye house vats, heating up dye house vats and drying yarn and thread in the stove house.
As industrialization began to decline, the Flaxmill was transformed into a maltings (where cereal grains are heated and turned into malt) during the late 19th century. Windows were bricked up or reduced in size to control light and humidity levels and a kiln was built for heating germinated barley into malt.
Although flax milling production had declined significantly by 1987, the Maltings continued to operate due to competition from modern malt production methods. After becoming derelict for some time after 1987’s closure, English Heritage purchased it and undertook an extensive refurbishment that has transformed Flaxmill Maltings into an invaluable business hub, museum, and visitor centre; an enduring reminder that investing in heritage can create prosperous futures.
Church Stretton
Church Stretton is located near Long Mynd and nestles into the rolling hills of Shropshire Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, making it the ideal location for weekend getaways. There’s plenty of accommodation from charming B&Bs to luxury hotels with spa services available here; visitors can also explore historic buildings found throughout its center before taking an easy ramble around one of two Local Nature Reserves located nearby.
Village life includes numerous fantastic eating and drinking pubs, offering delicious cuisine to satisfy every palate. A short drive out into the countryside provides many attractions; such as Caer Caradoc’s Iron Age hillfort or Bodbury Ring’s breathtaking vistas or Long Mynd Portway’s 16 Bronze Age burial mounds.
As with other rural destinations, Shropshire tourism relies heavily on a handful of businesses providing diverse offerings for tourists, making the industry vulnerable to fluctuations in the wider economy which may have an enormously detrimental effect.
Tourism is an integral component of local economies, so it is crucial that we support those businesses which help propel it. WR Partners recently signed an agreement with Visit Shropshire in order to demonstrate its dedication and support of Shropshire’s visitor economy. This partnership agreement will promote economic development within Shropshire while supporting businesses who contribute towards its continued success.
Shropshire is an increasingly popular tourist destination from abroad and its profile continues to increase, with figures for 2022 showing almost 1.5 million people spent one or more nights in Shropshire according to Visit Shropshire – marking a dramatic upswing over previous years and cementing Shropshire’s status as a rural traveller destination.
Shropshire remains less well-known domestically than other rural destinations and most potential visitors only have a limited understanding of why Shropshire might appeal to them and what is offered here. To address this challenge effectively, a coordinated and focused approach under ‘One Shropshire’ must be established and taken.
