Shire Escapes

As well as walks to follow, there’s lots of physical fun on offer locally. At Oaker Wood Leisure (five minutes’ drive), you could stay busy for days quad biking, paintballing or rafting on the woodland lake. Or how about trying your hand at treetop rope courses, zipwires and clay pigeon shooting? If that all sounds too tiring for words, the heathland of Bircher Common is an easy 15 minutes’ hike. When you’re feeling like exploring further afield, have a stroll up to Croft Ambrey Hillfort (15 minutes’ drive) for views over to the Welsh Marches, or through woodland to the impressive waterfall at Water Break-Its-Neck (40 minutes). If you like having a poke around grand houses, there are some big-hitting National Trust-owned properties hereabouts. Tour sumptuous apartments, the chapel and vineyard at 11th-century Croft Castle and Parkland (five minutes), or admire the period costumes displayed in 18th-century grandeur at Berrington Hall (10 minutes), where there are also formal gardens to wander.