Bishops Castle

Three Tuns Brewery has been producing beer here since 1642, making it one of Britain's oldest working breweries - and that's the sort of place this is. Ancient, proper, and gloriously unhurried. The narrow streets wind up from the medieval market square past half-timbered buildings that lean at alarming angles, including The House on Crutches Museum with its distinctive timber supports.

Bishop's Castle sits bang in the middle of the Shropshire Hills, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty that rolls away in every direction. The town itself perches on a hill, with the remains of Bishop's Castle - more earthworks than ruins now - still visible from the centre. From here you can see across to the Welsh borders and the dramatic peaks that define this landscape: Heath Mynd, Stepple Knoll, and Cefn Gunthly all within walking distance.

Bury Ditches, an Iron Age hillfort, sits just outside town and offers cracking views back across the valley. The walk up takes about forty minutes through proper countryside - sheep, stone walls, and not much else. Acton Bank provides another excellent vantage point without quite the same trek.

Getting here requires a bit of planning. The nearest railway station is actually in Craven Arms, about eight miles away. From Shrewsbury it's a pleasant drive through rolling hills that takes just under an hour.

Staying at one of the nearby parks makes perfect sense for exploring both the town and the wider Shropshire Hills. You're close enough to nip into town for a pint at Three Tuns (they do brewery tours too), but far enough out to wake up to proper countryside views. The area's brilliant for walking, cycling, and generally escaping the modern world for a few days.