Fords Farm Glamping

There’s lots of history connected with this quiet corner of Shropshire. The medieval towns of Shrewsbury (25 minutes’ drive) and Chester (50 minutes) both make interesting day trips for their striking half-timbered architecture. Combine history with a stroll as you circumnavigate the massive Iron Age hill fort at Old Oswestry (10 minutes), or scramble up to the 18th-century wear memorial at Admiral Rodney’s Pillar (40 minutes) for views across Shropshire into Wales. You can also amble to Thomas Telford’s Horseshoe Falls by Llangollen’s Pontcysyllte Aqueduct (half an hour) or stretch your legs on a hike to the spectacular three-step Pistyll Rhaeadr Waterfall (40 minutes). There are gentle waterside strolls to be had at The Mere at Ellesmere (15 minutes), and if the kids need to burn off some energy, treat them to a day on the water slides at Alderford Lake (half an hour). Chances are most ages will be intrigued by the super-sized gorillas, dragons and spiders at the outdoor sculpture park in the British Ironwork Centre (five minutes). If you’re happy to travel further afield, you can go deep underground at the National Slate Museum in Eryri (formerly Snowdonia) National Park (an hour).