Church House Caravan and Camping Park

There’s been a site of worship in Melverley for a millennium and a timber-framed church next door to Church House dates was mentioned way back in the 12th century (the current structure was rebuilt in 1406 after the original wooden chapel was destroyed by Welsh chieftain and firestarter Owen Glyndwr in 1401). The church is open daily and has services on Sundays. In the surrounding area, building and history buffs have heaps of stuffs to see in Shropshire and neighbouring Powys. Church House is equidistant from the historic market towns of Oswestry, Welshpool and Shrewsbury, Shropshire’s county town with over 600 listed buildings. Looking for the nearest watering hole? A recommended spot is the Fir Tree Inn, just one mile from the campsite and serving good pub grub daily. A drive of around 22 miles will reach the Ironbridge site on the Severn, the award-winning group of museums and attractions mining Britain’s industrial heritage. There are 10 in all: small folk should particularly like Blists Hill Victorian Town, going underground at the Tar Tunnel and engineering a few experiments at Enginuity. Shropshire has over 3500 miles’ worth of paths to potter along, including the Shropshire Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty for hikes in hills, farmland, woods and valleys. Start off at the Shropshire Hills Discovery Centre for info, events, family activities and exhibitions; GPS units can be hired here to tackle the hills’ geocaching trails. Heading into Wales, the Marches Way runs from Chester to Cheddar and passes Shrewsbury. Adventure seekers can find paragliding at Rodney’s Pillar and the Long Mynd, mountain biking and cycling around Oswestry, with golf, more fishing, and canal/river boating all easily available in the area too. To keep the kids happy after you’ve made them look around a 12th-century church, Oswestry has the Park Hall Countryside Experience with pony grooming, massive indoor play area, a junior driving school and quad bikes. Finally, make room for a day at Pistyll Rhaeadr in the Berwyn Mountains, the biggest single drop waterfall in the UK at 240 feet high.