Shrewsbury

Markets held every Friday and Saturday still draw crowds to the cobbled squares, just as they have for nearly a thousand years. Shrewsbury sits snug within a great horseshoe bend of the River Severn, its medieval streets threading between timber-framed houses that lean conspiratorially together. The town centre feels properly lived-in rather than preserved for tourists.

Wander the narrow passages called 'shuts' that cut between the main streets, or climb up to the red sandstone castle that guards the only land approach to this river-wrapped settlement. Charles Darwin was born here, and you can still see his old school. The Quarry park spreads along the riverbank - lovely for a stroll when the daffodils are out.

Beyond the town limits, Shropshire's gentle countryside unfolds in all directions. Acton Burnell Castle makes for a proper day out, its 13th-century ruins standing proud in open farmland. Fishermen rate Cound Trout Fishery highly, while dog walkers have their pick of ancient woodlands like Longdole Coppice and Causeway Wood. The area's dotted with lakes too - Shadwell Lake and the rather memorably named Black Dick's Lake among them.

Getting here couldn't be easier. Shrewsbury sits bang on the railway line from London to Wales, with direct trains from Birmingham taking just an hour. The M54 delivers drivers straight to the town's edge. For a proper Shropshire break, staying at one of the nearby parks makes perfect sense - you're close enough for evening strolls along the Severn, yet perfectly placed to explore the county's sleepy villages and hill country during the day.