Mountain Edge Resort

Travel back in time to see Shire horses plough the fields and blacksmiths at work in the forge at Acton Scott Heritage Farm (five minutes’ drive), and say ‘hi’ to the woolly mammoth skeleton in Shropshire Hills Discovery Centre, springboard to walks through hilly countryside. Close by is the photogenic half-timbered Stokesay Castle (both 10 minutes), open for tours of vast Elizabethan-era chambers with intricately vaulted wooden ceilings. Gorgeous Shrewsbury (35 minutes) has a spectacular blend of medieval, Tudor and Victorian architecture as well as a cathedral and an abbey to inspect. There are more timber-framed houses to be seen in lovely Ludlow (20 minutes) along with the Norman castle; the long-distance Mortimer Trail to the Welsh border at Kington starts/finishes at the castle walls. Closer to home base, walkers and cyclists can follow off-road trails over the heather-clad hills and dales of Carding Mill Valley and the Long Mynd (10 minutes’ drive) in the Shropshire Hills National Landscape. For something a bit novel, go pony trekking (40 minutes), or see the countryside from above on gliding or paragliding adventures (both around 50 minutes away).