Church Stretton

Some market towns feel squeezed between motorway junctions and retail parks. Church Stretton feels like it's been carved from the hillside itself. The main street slopes gently downward, lined with proper Victorian terraces and independent shops that actually serve the community rather than tourists.

Walk five minutes in any direction and you're climbing. Seriously climbing. The Long Mynd rises dramatically to the west, while the Stretton Hills roll eastward in a series of rounded summits. Ragleth Hill offers the quickest ascent if you fancy earning your pint, though the views from Bodbury Hill are arguably better on a clear day. Round Hill and Burway Hill provide gentler alternatives for families.

Church Stretton Golf Club sprawls across the lower slopes, a proper championship course that's been testing players since 1898. The clubhouse overlooks the valley with those sweeping Shropshire views that make you forget about Monday morning meetings.

The town itself operates at a pleasingly unhurried pace. Midweek, the high street feels almost sleepy, which suits the place perfectly. The Pump House stands as a reminder of the town's Victorian heyday as a health resort, when people came for the mountain air rather than the hiking boots.

Getting here couldn't be easier - the train from Birmingham takes just over an hour, and the station sits right in the town centre. Shrewsbury lies 12 miles north if you need proper shopping or nightlife.

Staying at one of the nearby parks makes perfect sense for serious walkers. You're literally on the doorstep of some of England's most underrated hill country, with Haddon Hill and the Stiperstones within easy striking distance. After a day on the ridges, you'll appreciate having somewhere quiet to recover.