CLUN CASTLE

Combine a castle, a river and the Shropshire Way

THE REMAINS OF the castle are on a hill overlooking the town on one side and the river and countryside on the other. It was built by the Norman Lord Robert de Say after the Norman invasion of England, on a bend in the River Clun. It is now a Grade 1 listed building managed by English Heritage and owned by the Duke of Norfolk, who also holds the title of Baron Clun! There are good views from the castle hill, which is a good place to check the sky, but the main area to see birds is the walk along the riverside and/or the Shropshire Way. Of course, you can walk as far as you wish for a really pleasant day. Clun is only a small town, and the castle is on the edge of town and over the river, so you can spend a little time here. Expect to see plenty of the more common birds and, depending on the time of year, there will be various migrants such as Wood Warbler (above), flycatchers and probably Redstart (left) in the summer and Linnet, Siskin or redpoll in the winter, with maybe a few Bramblings with the Chaffinches. As I explain below, the river holds many delightful birds for visitors to enjoy on avisit here.